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Groce negligence

Amazon bought Whole Foods eight years ago — now it’s bringing it deeper into the fold

As competitors like Walmart up their e-commerce game, Amazon is unifying its grocery strategy.

6/20/25 10:30AM

Eight years after acquiring Whole Foods Market, Amazon is finally exerting more control over the company. As reported by Business Insider last week, corporate staff at Whole Foods will be brought under Amazon’s employee programs, with leadership changes expected at the top as well, as it works to grow its wider grocery business.

Execs at Walmart and Costco will be watching carefully for any signs of a change in strategy at Whole Foods, with the high-end grocer having been broadly left to its own devices since being picked up by Amazon in 2017 for $13.7 billion.

At the top of Amazon’s grocery empire is Jason Buechel. Promoted to the role after running Whole Foods since 2022, Buechel has assembled a leadership team to streamline processes and deepen the integration between Whole Foods and Amazon’s wider grocery business — his “One Grocery” plan.

“Too frequently we are duplicating efforts and missing easy opportunities for efficiency,” Buechel said in an internal memo seen by BI.

Amazon's grocery business — Sherwood News

Given Amazon’s expertise in logistics and technology — as well as access to an almost unlimited amount of capital for new investments — the company’s new grocery chief should have all of the tools for success.

But the company still remains a relatively minor player in the US grocery world. Whole Foods and Amazon respectively had just 1.6% and 1.4% dollar market share as of March, which was way behind Walmart’s 21.2%, according to research firm Numerator. And Walmart’s efforts in e-commerce, like adding automated distribution centers, are starting to bear serious fruit: a new study out this week from Coresight found that more Amazon Prime members bought groceries online from Walmart than from the retail giant itself.

Max Knoblauch3h

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”

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The Switch 2 launched on this day in 2025. Amid a rough year for consoles, Nintendo has logged a good one.

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