Sharon Lam

Restaurant operators will prove tasty morsels for acquirers in 2024. Consumer spending on dining out has recovered from the pandemic, while the worst of its inflationary after-effects are receding. That means eager sellers, like private equity owners stuck in investments during a deal rout, will finally get to serve up some sales or public listings.

Amazon.com’s <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/AMZN.O” target=“_blank”>(AMZN.O)</a> cloud business is offering a small sliver of light. The $1.2 trillion e-commerce giant <a href=“https://ir.aboutamazon.com/news-release/news-release-details/2023/Amazon.com-Announces-Third-Quarter-Results/” target=“_blank”>increased</a> third-quarter AWS revenue 12% year-over-year to $23 billion. The performance matches last quarter’s growth and is in-line with what analysts were expecting, accor…

Maybe it takes a pile on to move the Murdoch family’s thinking. Reuters <a href=”/business/activist-hedge-fund-starboard-eyes-rupert-murdochs-news-corp-sources-2023-10-13/”>reported</a> on Friday that Jeff Smith’s Starboard is the latest activist to try and unlock value at News Corp <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/NWSA.O” target=“_blank”>(NWSA.O)</a>, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, owner of book conglomerate HarperCollins and Realtor.com. Starboard, which took a pos…

Planet Fitness is struggling to adapt to a high-interest-rate diet. After 13 years, boss Chris Rondeau on Friday abruptly stepped down from the $4 billion gym chain, sending shares to their lowest level in three years. With growing debt-servicing costs crimping franchisees, the company can’t outrun rising rates unless its next coach reconsiders rock-bottom prices.

Reese Witherspoon is putting her star power – and business acumen – to the takeover test again. Two years after Blackstone <a href=“https://www.reuters.com/markets/companies/BX.N” target=“_blank”>(BX.N)</a> <a href=”/business/reese-witherspoons-media-firm-be-sold-blackstone-backed-company-2021-08-02/”>agreed to back a buyout</a> of her female-focused Hello Sunshine media company at a $900 million valuation, the “Legally Blonde” actor is <a href=“https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/06/business/reese-…

Private equity veteran Carlyle is behind the buyout times. Although its second-quarter finances imply more dealmaking resilience than at Blackstone , they also make clearer the pressure newish boss Harvey Schwartz is under to reap more of the steady revenue that public-market investors covet.

Domino’s Pizza wants to stuff more pie holes. The pizza chain announced on Wednesday that customers will be able to make delivery orders through Uber Eats, sending Domino’s shares up 10% in late morning trade. At first blush that may seem an admission that Domino’s own delivery app is sputtering. But joining forces with the company led by Dara Khosrowshahi is the best way to forge some growth from fickle eaters.

The U.S. government could soon shrink one of its most promising investments. The budget deal agreed to by President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy would move $20 billion away from the Internal Revenue Service over the next two years. The change shores up cash for other agencies, but projections suggest the IRS funding would’ve made a significant step toward closing the government’s $925 billion budget gap.

Sweetgreen tweaked the name of its chicken bowl in response to Chipotle’s lawsuit; it will have to make bigger changes if it wants to survive more existential battles, columnist Sharon Lam writes.

Like dogs seeking forever homes, stray pet businesses will find new owners in 2023. Splurging on furry and feathered friends has proven to be inflation-proof, even as exuberant pandemic-fueled valuations have cooled off. Big companies are the best candidates to snap up stand-alone operators.