The frontage of a branch of discount clothing retailer Primark.

Getty Images

Primark owner AB Foods’ shares slump because of sugar and sentiment

As its sugar business fails, fast-fashion retailer Primark is hoping a stateside push can unlock more sweet growth.

5/1/25 7:40AM

The owner of bargain fashion retailer Primark has had a rough week.

But for once, the value clothing chain — which has seen its fair share of controversy in recent years, from unethical labor practices and sustainability concerns to “errors of judgement” leading to its CEO resigning last month — wasn’t the primary source of parent company Associated British Foods’ pain.

Sweet, sours

AB Foods shares slumped more than 9% on Tuesday after reporting interim results for the first half of 2025. The group warned that its sugar business — yes, Primark’s parent company is deep in the sugar game... and the bread game... and the enzyme game... and the animal feed game — will struggle to get back to profitability anytime soon, and that its commercial viability is being “undermined.”

Indeed, AB Foods now expects to report a loss of up to £40 million in its sugar segment for FY25, owing to restrictions put on its sugar-derived biofuel business, Vivergo, as well as declining market conditions for comestible sugar in Europe. But while the sweet sector weighed heavily on the company’s outlook, the forecast for its retail division (which is just Primark), wasn’t too bright either.

For the past decade, Primark has been the primary growth driver for AB Foods. Retail revenues at the company increased by 57% in the five years to 2019 (as sugar contracted by 40%) before the budget Irish retailer had a particularly strong postpandemic rebound. Since 2021, Primark’s sales have boomed almost 70% to a whopping £9.4 billion last year.

However, the latest interim results showed that the company’s meal ticket posted a 4% decline in comparable sales in the UK and Ireland in the 24 weeks to March 1.

The company pointed to weakening consumer confidence, job cuts, and a “lack of seasonal purchasing” due to “mild weather” (companies love blaming the weather for their woes, but rarely credit it for their wins) as reasons why Primark has lost market share in the UK.

To get growth back on track, the group is betting on its stateside push. Though tariffs affecting its clothes production have complicated its supply chain somewhat, Primark is planning to expand its 29 US stores to 60 by the end of 2026, in the hopes that the brand’s low-priced offerings will attract de minimis-affected customers away from Shein and Temu.

Besides its international expansion, Primark still mentioned some “early signs of improvement” in the brand’s UK sales as the weather begins to warm up again — which often means Brits panic-buying cheap shorts, flip flops, and swimwear at a moment’s notice.

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

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.”