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LVMH: The luxury conglomerate has been on an acquisition spree — and it has made its CEO the wealthiest person on Earth

LVMH: The luxury conglomerate has been on an acquisition spree — and it has made its CEO the wealthiest person on Earth

Europe doesn't have a big tech sector. It doesn't have an enormously cheap manufacturing industry. What it does have is huge luxury goods companies — and this week the biggest of them all, LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), saw its share price hit an all-time high. That also meant that Bernard Arnault, LVMH's CEO, became the world's wealthiest individual — unseating Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos thanks to a $186bn fortune, mostly in LVMH stock.

An eye for a bargain

Across its 75 brands, which LVMH calls "houses", you'd be hard pressed to find any products that could be considered cheap. Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Loro Piana, Bulgari, Tag Heuer, Tiffany & Co. and Hublot are just some of the bigger brands in the LVMH stable, and all are expensive. So it's ironic then that Bernard Arnault has built LVMH with an eye for a bargain, acquiring numerous brands — that have often been family-owned for years and years — and adding them to the LVMH stable.

LVMH's most recent acquisition, Tiffany & Co., will add more than $4bn of revenue to its Watches & Jewelry division when it is fully accounted for next year and will increase LVMH's sales in the US. But, just like every acquisition before it, Arnault isn't sitting on his laurels after the Tiffany deal. Last month LVMH invested €75m ($92m) into struggling Italian shoemaker Tod's, fuelling speculation of a larger deal. Tod's, which is still majority owned by descendants of the Italian founder, would be a textbook LVMH target. The dealmaker Arnault isn't done yet.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

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Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

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Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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