Forbes
Groupon will no longer sell physical items and instead will focus on experiences. It plans to shutter its goods business in the U.S. by the third quarter and globally by the end of the year. “The Chicago-based company already offers discounted experiences, like wine tastings, massages and dance lessons, but will now make that its core focus,” according to Forbes. “It estimates that the market is worth over $1 trillion and yet it has less than 1% market share, despite claiming it is a market leader.”
USA Today
Move over waffles, KFC is instead offering its chicken with donuts starting Feb. 24 at participating restaurants nationwide through March 16. The chain tested the dish during a pilot last fall in select Virginia and Pittsburgh restaurants. “The sweet and savory meals are available as a sandwich – a chicken fillet between two warm glazed donuts – or as a basket with choice of tenders or bone-in chicken with one or two donuts depending on the meal,” according to USA Today.
CNBC
Amazon is offering employees who work at Seattle headquarters and their dependents access to virtual medical services. “The app provides virtual medical consultations, as well as a way to schedule a follow-up visit from a health professional to a patient’s home or office,” per CNBC. “It also has a way to deliver prescriptions to the patient’s home.” If the program succeeds in improving employee satisfaction and lowering costs, Amazon could theoretically offer it more broadly to other companies, or directly to consumers.
The New York Times
The rejected spot, for Frida Mom postpartum aids, has been viewed over 3.7 million times on
YouTube alone, but that is still far less than the 18 million women it would have reached during the Oscars. In an email to Frida, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science suggested the company consider advertising “an alternative product in their portfolio,” or a “kinder, more gentle portrayal of postpartum,” according to
The New York Times. “The push and pull between brands wanting to portray real life versus adhering to squeamish advertising standards is a tension that’s not going …
Bloomberg
Bloomberg News takes a closer look at Maven Clinic Co. -- a telehealth startup that just raised $45 million from Icon Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and other investors.
Seeking Alpha
Tesla stock is currently selling at $917.42 per share -- and the big question is why. The prices are “disconnected from classic financial measuring tools such as price-earnings ratio,” per Seeking Alpha. “Tesla stock price resembles the price of luxury goods such as purses and watches, which also are disconnected from their utility value.” However, some luxury items only get more valuable with time, as their buyers have a different measure of value. Such could be the case with Tesla.
CNBC
Nike is getting a new chief operating officer and chief financial officer. Andy Campion, the current executive vice president and CFO, will replace Eric Sprunk as COO, effective April 1. Sprunk will depart Nike. Heidi O’Neill, president of Nike Direct, will become president of consumer and marketplace also effective April 1, succeeding Elliott Hill, who will leave Nike. The changes come under John Donahue, a Nike board member and former CEO of eBay, who became CEO on Jan. 13.
The New York Times
Dawn Mello, 88, who helped revive important brands, has died. She transformed Bergdorf Goodman, “a once musty relic on Fifth Avenue, as a temple of high-end consumption,” according to The New York Times. In the ’90s, she “helped restore luster to Gucci and a cluster of fading brands.” Mello was one of the few women to rise to leadership positions in retailing, first as Bergdorf’s vice president and fashion director, then as president.
The Cut
Chanel has chosen Oscar-winning French actress Marion Cotillard as the new face of its iconic Chanel No. 5 fragrance in a campaign debuting later this year. The brand describes Cotillard as “the perfect incarnation of French natural beauty,” with “an elegance” and “an irresistible “je ne sais quoi that’s all her own.” Brad Pitt and Gisele Bündchen were both former faces of the fragrance.
Cnet
It’s every vegans worst nightmare: KFC is partnering with Crocs for footwear patterned like a bucket of chicken. According to the Crocs website, “Covered in a fried chicken print and a striped base, these will make your dreams of wearing a bucket of chicken finally come true.” They come "with two drumstick-shaped -- and scented -- Jibbitz charms that are 'not for human consumption,'" according to CNet. The shoes will be available in the spring.