\n
Why is PepsiCo\u2019s beverage division struggling? I\u2019d start with the decisions of Steve Reinemund, who ran PepsiCo from 2001 to 2006. Although he broadened the portfolio through the 2001 merger with Quaker Oats, which gave it Gatorade, he also created a less flexible distribution structure and added more complexity to the business. As PepsiCo leaders shifted to talking about crop yields and health trends, Coca-Cola moved in and struck a deal in 2003 to displace Pepsi at Subway, its largest fountain customer, business that Pepsi won back last year.<\/p>\n
His successor, Indra Nooyi, continued the trend, dividing the company\u2019s portfolio into \u201cFun for You\u201d (fatty, sugary foods), \u201cBetter for You\u201d (lower-calorie or lower-fat versions), and \u201cGood for You\u201d (nutritious foods like oatmeal and hummus). In an era when cities were trying to ban big sugary drinks or impose a vice tax that put cola in the same camp as tobacco, attention to soda further waned.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola was shedding its low-margin bottling plants and focusing on building a \u201ctotal beverage company\u201d that resulted in 32 billion-dollar brands. PepsiCo has fewer billion-dollar brands but a lot more stuff, generating more than twice as much revenue as Coca-Cola with a market cap that\u2019s about half as big.<\/p>\n
Are there advantages for PepsiCo in being a diversified conglomerate versus a pure-play beverage brand? No doubt, especially as trends like GLP-1 use increase demand for healthier foods. The brown fizzy drink that spawned these two competitors is a small part of the overall beverage market. And PepsiCo remains a powerhouse of innovation, marketing and talent. What\u2019s slipped since the heyday of the cola wars is focus.<\/p>\n
Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com<\/em><\/p>\nTop leadership news<\/h3>\n
United CEO has another idea: national service<\/b><\/p>\n
Scott Kirby caused a stir last week when he said the U.S. should have a national wealth tax, but the United Airlines CEO also offered another idea for <\/span>national service<\/span>. \u201cI think if everyone had to spend a couple of years as a teacher, as a firefighter, serving in the military\u2014I think that\u2019d be good for our country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nHow True Religion\u2019s CEO is rebuilding the brand<\/b><\/p>\n
Michael Buckley is courting Gen Z and millennials with more affordable clothing, music partnerships, and in-store experiences, while letting go of something the brand once prided itself on: setting trends. \u201cWe like to be first to be second,\u201d he said. The idea is to <\/span>catch a trend once it\u2019s proven<\/span> rather than start it, and give customers what they want \u201cat the price they want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nDemocrats have a 78% shot at the Senate<\/b><\/p>\n
Thomas Miller, a prominent data scientist who\u2019s a professor at Northwestern University, accurately predicted the 2024 presidential race and is using his methodology on the <\/span>2026 midterms<\/span>. Since Oct. 14, the Dems\u2019 odds of taking the majority have jumped from 71.5% to 77.6%. If the current odds in all those contests hold, the Democrats would win 18 of 35 races and shift the majority from 53-47 for the Republicans to 52-48 for the Democrats.<\/span><\/p>\nThe markets<\/h3>\n
S&P 500<\/b> futures are up 0.30% this morning. The last session closed down 0.52%. <\/span>The<\/b> STOXX Europe 600<\/b> was up 0.31% in early trading. <\/span>The U.K.\u2019s FTSE 100<\/b> was up 0.45% in early trading.<\/span> Japan\u2019s Nikkei 225<\/b> was down 0.80%. <\/span>South Korea\u2019s KOSPI <\/b>was down 1.46%. <\/span>China\u2019s CSI 300 <\/b>was down 0.04%.<\/span> Hong Kong\u2019s Hang Seng <\/b>was up 0.51%. <\/span>India\u2019s NIFTY 50 <\/b>was up 0.41%. <\/span>Bitcoin<\/b> is down at $80k.<\/span><\/p>\nAround the watercooler<\/h3>\n
\u2018There\u2019s nothing temporary about a temporary store\u2019: How Spirit Halloween\u2019s CEO took it from 130 stores to 1,550\u2014and swallowed your mall\u2019s Hot Topic<\/span> by Catherina Gioino<\/span><\/p>\nBoss of $1 billion WNBA team Valkyries says she rejects work-life balance because she loves the grind: \u2018I\u2019m not apologizing for what brings me joy\u2019<\/span> by Emma Burleigh<\/span><\/p>\nFrance\u2019s latest debt warning describes a country where governance is breaking down \u2014 and even doing too little, too late is barely possible<\/span> by Jason Ma<\/span><\/p>\nKFC\u2019s president started washing dishes at 13 but dreamt of being the \u2018female Richard Branson\u2019\u2014so she quit jobs that wouldn\u2019t embrace her personality<\/span> by Preston Fore<\/span><\/p>\nThe U.S. military and NASA have power problems. Nuclear microreactors might solve both<\/span> by Jordan Blum<\/span><\/p>\nCEO Daily is curated and edited by Joseph Abrams, Jason Ma, Claire Zillman, and Lee Clifford.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#PepsiCo #started #losing #cola #wars #CEOs #lost #focus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good morning. PepsiCo CEO Ramo… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1555,559,1308,1781,4237,1008,8424,3096,1457],"class_list":["post-7544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-ceo-daily","tag-ceos","tag-cola","tag-focus","tag-losing","tag-lost","tag-pepsico","tag-started","tag-wars"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n