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At the start of September, an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport by 1,300 feet and struck several vehicles before bursting into flames in a massive accident that caused the death of five cleaning crew workers who were traveling in a van on a nearby road.

Five other people suffered injuries of varying degrees of severity.

The Boeing 767 freighter plane running Flight 7598 from Puerto Rico was operated by 21 Air, a North Carolina cargo airline that provided airmail services for companies including DHL and Amazon.

Amid an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the accident, Amazon announced that it is suspending its partnership with 21 Air for the time being.

Amazon suspends partnership with 21 Air, says it is “supporting the investigation”

“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a Sept. 13 statement to Reuters cited by CNBC. “We’ll continue working to support the investigation and everyone affected.”

Preliminary evidence released by the NTSB reveals cockpit voice recordings in which one pilot warns another that they are coming into the landing too fast, and a pilot suggests a go-around, which is the industry term for an aborted landing, approximately 15 seconds before the crash, Airline Geeks reported.

Both pilots survived the crash and were briefly hospitalized, during which they were interviewed by investigators.

Related: Which flights out of Miami International are canceled right now

Amazon said it will use other partners, which include Sun Country Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Transport International, ABX Air, ASL Airlines, and Cargojet, to transport its deliveries pending the NTSB investigation.

21 Air, meanwhile, issued a statement expressing sympathy with the victims of the crash and saying it is “working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues,” NBC News confirmed.

The Prime Air crash led to five fatalities and caused days of disruption at Miami International.Bloomberg / Getty Images

21 Air responds: “We are confident in our safety policies”

“We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training,” an 21 Air representative said further. Several senior employees had previously claimed they were fired from 21 Air after raising safety and procedural concerns with upper management, CBS reported.The five people killed on the ground have been identified as Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

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Houston Astros baseball team owner Jim Crane was the primary owner of the airline through an LLC.

Roosevelt Torres, an employee of the same cleaning service who was injured in the crash, has filed a lawsuit with the cargo company and the two pilots.

“He was actually able to see the airplane approaching in the last final seconds,” Pablo Rojas, the attorney representing Torres in the lawsuit, said in a statement.

The widow of 53-year-old Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the plane company, according to CBS News.

Related: Another national airline files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

While some international carriers have resumed limited service into Middle Eastern cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Tel Aviv, the security and financial risks amid a prolonged conflict following the U.S. strike on Iran have pushed most to take the more cautious route.

United Airlines recently pushed back the restart of its flight from Newark Liberty (EWR) to Dubai International Airport (DXB) from February until March 2027. American Airlines also recently confirmed that it will not restart its route to Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha until 2027 at the earliest.

United Kingdom flag carrier British Airways once ran an extensive Middle Eastern network of flights to cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Amman, Manama and Tel Aviv from London.

British Airways permanently axes London-Abu Dhabi flight amid Middle Eastern unrest

After repeatedly pushing back the restart date throughout 2026 over the security situation in the region, preliminary reporting suggests that British Airways is permanently pulling the plug on its route between London Heathrow (LHR) and Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH).

The national airline is yet to formally confirm the cancelation but Cirium schedule data first reported by Simple Flying shows that six weekly flights to Abu Dhabi on Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 planes that were initially slated as resuming in February 2027 have been scrapped from the carrier’s flying schedule.

Related: Frontier Airlines to exit entire market by October

Flights to the other Middle Eastern cities are still slated to resume on a rolling schedule in late 2026 and 2027; in line with other major airlines, British Airways service to Tel Aviv is scheduled to restart next in October 2026 while the flight to Doha from London has been running daily since the start of September.

“Due to ongoing uncertainty and airspace restrictions, some of our flights in the region have been cancelled or temporarily suspended, including services to and from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Riyadh,” British Airways says in a statement that has been in place since March 2026.

British Airways has flown to Abu Dhabi daily between 2024 and the U.S. strike on Iran in early 2026.Shutterstock

Why is British Airways canceling its Abu Dhabi flight

British Airways restarted its daily nonstop service to Abu Dhabi in April 2024 after a four-year hiatus prompted by the covid-19 pandemic; while the airline has served the city in different forms since the 1970s (the first flights flew to the city on BOAC VC10 jet airliners), Abu Dhabi sees significantly less traffic from London and other international destinations than Dubai.

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With the British Airways exit from this market, United Arab Emirates flag carrier Etihad Airways will be the only airline linking London with Abu Dhabi four times a week on Airbus A380 and A350 aircraft. Along with fellow state-owned carrier Emirates, the airline has been the main and most reliable link into and out of the country at a time when many international carriers have canceled service.

Etihad also flies to Abu Dhabi from Manchester Airport (MAN) in northwestern England four times a week on a Boeing 777-300ER.

Related: Another national airline files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The wine industry has faced a significant decline since the Covid-19 pandemic that has led several wineries to file for bankruptcy protection to avoid foreclosure sales and other litigation, as well as potential closures.

A major economic issue the wine sector faced was a 21% decline in industry revenue from 2020 through 2025, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report.

Napa Valley winery Signorello Estate LP, facing financial distress, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 27 to halt a foreclosure sale and prepare the debtor for a going-concern sale to stalking-horse investors, according to court documents.

A bankruptcy filing imposes an automatic stay against legal actions against a debtor, but in certain cases a bankruptcy can be filed long after a business has already closed.

Moon Dancer Winery closed its facilities after losing a lawsuit judgment.Yulia Shaihudinova / Getty Images

Moon Dancer Winery forced to close

Pennsylvania winery owner Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 11, 2026, to reorganize its business and restructure its debts about 10 months after being forced to close its facilities.

The debtor owns Moon Dancer Winery, which permanently closed its winery and tasting room on Nov. 19, 2025, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the owner’s final appeal to continue operating its business, according to a statement the winery posted on Instagram.

The Wrightsville, Pa., winery and vineyard filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, listing $100,000 to $500,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in debts.

Moon Dancer Winery’s largest unsecured creditors include M&T Bank, owed over $757,000; U.S. Small Business Administration, owed over $500,000; McNeese Wallace & Nurick LLC, owed $450,000; and First Data – Clover Capital, owed $30,000.

The winery opened in 2003 and operated for 13 years before Matthew S. Balsavage and Amenda Perko purchased an adjacent residential property in 2016, according to court papers. The winery has 10 acres of vineyards and replanted 2,400 vines in spring 2025, with Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay as two of its primary grapes.

Neighbors file lawsuit against winery

Balsavage and Perko filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas of York County in Pennsylvania against the winery on Oct. 22, 2018, alleging that the winery’s operations, including a tasting room, a pizzeria restaurant, wedding venue, and music festival site, were prohibited by language in the property’s deeds.

Moon Dancer Winery claimed in court papers that it was an allowed agricultural operation, while the plaintiffs asserted that it was a prohibited commercial operation.

Supreme Court rules against Moon Dancer

The winery continued operating while it appealed its case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but permanently closed the winery the day after the court denied the appeal on Nov. 18, 2025.

“While we are saddened by the state Supreme Court’s decision today, we remain forever grateful for the thousands of friends and loyal customers who have continued to stand by us in this fight, and the countless wonderful memories we have made over these last 22 years,” Moon Dancer Winery’s owner Jim Miller said in a statement.

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Oracle just proved that even a company sitting on one of the largest sales backlogs in tech history is not immune to hard choices about headcount. Employees who thought the worst of the cuts were behind them are finding out otherwise.

The pattern is becoming familiar at this point. Oracle keeps pouring tens of billions of dollars into AI data centers, and every few months, another wave of job cuts follows close behind to help pay for it.

Oracle has started a new round of layoffs

The termination notices landed the way they usually do at Oracle now, short, formal, and final. “After careful consideration of Oracle’s current business needs, we have made the decision to eliminate your role as part of a broader organizational change,” one email reviewed by the outlet stated. “As a result, today is your last working day,” as reported by Business Insider.

The cuts began on September 14, matching what a source with knowledge of the matter had expected, and were confirmed by three affected employees along with a copy of the notification email. An Oracle spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the new round.

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This is not the company’s first time delivering this kind of news at scale. Oracle has confirmed mass layoffs to reporters before, including an earlier round this year that also came as the company dealt with a falling stock price tied to its heavy AI infrastructure spending, according to CNBC.

Word spread quickly once notifications went out. Posts began appearing on LinkedIn, Reddit and Blind from people claiming to have been affected by the latest cuts, repeating a now familiar ritual that has accompanied nearly every round of Oracle layoffs this year.

A year of cuts backed by a bigger AI bet

The numbers behind this year’s reductions are stark. Oracle’s headcount fell from about 162,000 to 141,000 over its 2026 fiscal year, a 13% reduction, while severance and other restructuring costs jumped to $1.8 billion from $374 million the year before. At the same time, the company’s remaining performance obligations, a measure of future contracted revenue, reached $553 billion for the year, TheStreet reported.

That spending has piled up fast on the balance sheet. Oracle issued $43 billion of senior notes in fiscal 2026 as its lease obligations doubled alongside its data-center expansion, pushing total liabilities from $147.4 billion to $218.7 billion in a single year. Free cash flow for fiscal 2026 came in at negative $23.7 billion. The company maintained its full-year capital expenditure forecast for fiscal 2027 at $90 billion to $95 billion, CNBC reported.

To help finance its massive infrastructure buildout, Oracle raised $43 billion in debt and another $5 billion through stock sales during fiscal 2026, and expects to raise roughly $40 billion more through a mix of debt and equity in the current fiscal year.

To help finance its massive infrastructure buildout, Oracle raised $43 billion in debt and another $5 billion through stock sales during fiscal 2026.Bloomberg / Getty Images

Wall Street’s mixed verdict on Oracle

The stock has taken a beating over the pattern of borrowing and cutting. Oracle shares fell 19% in a single week in late June, the steepest weekly drop since the dot-com collapse of 2001, even though roughly 71% of analysts covering the stock still rated it a buy, CNBC reported.

Some of that unease has crept into credit markets. Oracle’s rising debt load and negative free cash flow have contributed to S&P Global’s downgrade of the company’s credit, rating it one step above junk status. A downgrade that was a warning sign for investors watching the balance sheet rather than just the revenue headlines.

Not every analyst treats the layoffs as a red flag, though. Barclays argued the cuts function mainly as cost discipline the market already expects and kept an overweight rating on the stock. Bank of America pointed to Oracle’s $638 billion cloud backlog as the eventual payoff, noting that roughly 12% of that backlog is due within a year and another 34% over the following two to three years, according to TheStreet.

A separate concern has followed the stock’s swings. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has pledged hundreds of millions of Oracle shares as loan collateral, creating an overhang that grows more sensitive every time the stock drops further.

What comes next for Oracle

Oracle’s own numbers suggest the AI bet still has real demand behind it. The company has secured more than 10 gigawatts of power for its data center capacity. TD Cowen estimates the recent round of cuts totals between 20,000 and 30,000 positions as Oracle reallocates resources toward its highest priority growth areas for data-center projects, according to CNBC.

When Oracle’s earlier 2026 round of cuts went public, the stock closed roughly 6% higher that same day. Shares were still down about 29% year-to-date at the time. The market has seen enough of these announcements to know how to price them.

The backlog is real. $553 billion in remaining performance obligations is not a small number. The question is whether Oracle can turn contracted revenue into actual cash before the debt load becomes the bigger story. Every quarter that answer gets harder to postpone.

Employees do not have the luxury of waiting on that answer. For them, the email already came.

Related: Morgan Stanley revamps Oracle stock price target

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this deal

Smaller items can be some of the hardest things to organize. Whether it’s jewelry, office supplies, or makeup, it can be tough to find an organizer that can do it all. Turns out, Walmart is stacked with storage solutions that can help, and there’s one that you’re going to want to see.

The Sterilite 3-Drawer Desktop Organizer is a Walmart bestseller that’s currently on sale for only $11 — that’s 56% off its $25 price tag. Shoppers say it’s “great for organizing clutter” and “takes up little space.”

Sterilite 3-Drawer Desktop Organizer, $11 (was $25) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

This three-drawer organizer might be the solution to your storage problems. Its versatility makes the organizing options endless. Some shoppers say they use them to organize sewing and crafting supplies, Keurig coffee pods, office supplies, hair care, and makeup, to give you a few ideas. Wherever you use it, it’s perfect for keeping track of smaller items.

Related: Amazon’s spacious double-door metal storage shed is only $150

Each drawer is clear, so you can easily see what’s inside rather than fumbling around to find what you need. To top it off, the units are stackable, giving you the option to maximize your storage space with multiple organizers.

Details to know

Overall dimensions: 11 inches long, 13.5 inches wide, and 9.6 inches tall.

Drawer dimensions: 8.9 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 2.5 inches tall.

Product weight: 2.8 pounds.

Maximum load weight: 5 pounds.

“I’ve had one of these for five or so years now…They are the answer for optimizing space efficiently for small knick-knacks, pens, papers, whatever,” one shopper said. “I use them not only to organize things but also to have a place to toss miscellaneous receipts and other loose items that clutter up my desk.”

“The drawers are spacious and slide smoothly, perfect for storing everything from school supplies to personal items,” a reviewer said. “It’s lightweight, but holds up well, even with daily use. I also appreciate the clear fronts, which make it easy to see what’s inside without opening every drawer. It’s a simple, reliable storage solution that keeps my space neat and tidy.”

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The Sterilite 3-Drawer Desktop Organizer is on sale for just $11. With hundreds of units already in shoppers’ carts, you’re going to want to shop this deal before it’s gone. 

I have covered two bankruptcy stories before. Not from the usual angle of what happened and why; for each, I dug deeper into who could win from the wreckage.

The Magellan Aerospace story led me to Howmet. The IKEA store closures pointed me to Target. This week’s Chapter 11 filing from Focus Factor maker Synergy CHC Corp. points me squarely to Reckitt Benckiser (RBGLY).

Synergy CHC filed for bankruptcy on September 4, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia, TheStreet reported. 

Costco told the company back in July that it would be discontinuing Focus Factor products after a 16-year relationship. You see that one decision? It cost Synergy approximately 58% of its total 2025 net revenue, triggered an $18.9 million debt acceleration from its lender, and made Chapter 11 inevitable.

RBGLY currently trades at $14, down 10.62% year-to-date, according to Yahoo Finance.

How a 58% revenue concentration becomes a fatal single point of failure

The Synergy CHC situation shows just how quickly retail concentration can become a risk. Focus Factor is a functional beverage brand with a 25-year legacy, enjoying established distribution in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and distribution across Walmart, Walgreens, Amazon, and BJ’s. 

The company’s a brain supplement with vitamins, minerals, and neuro-nutrients. It carries a “#1 Pharmacist Recommended” claim from the 2025-2026 U.S. Pharmacy Times survey for memory support. None of that mattered once Costco made its decision.

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“Costco accounted for approximately 58% of the Company’s net revenue during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025,” the SEC filing stated. “The Company expects Costco’s decision to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition.”

Costco did not give a public reason for dropping the brand. It did not need to. It’s a retailer that moves products in bulk, and it made its vendor decision for whatever reason. 

The $18.9 million debt acceleration that followed confirmed Synergy had no financial cushion to survive even a temporary revenue disruption of this magnitude.

Why I think Reckitt’s Neuriva is the obvious beneficiary

Three structural advantages make Reckitt the clearest winner.

Neuriva is already in Costco’s system. The Neuriva Brain Supplement Original (50 capsules) currently retails at Costco for $43.99. Reckitt does not need to win a vendor slot or navigate Costco’s notoriously demanding supplier requirements. It is already approved, integrated, and selling. Scaling volume within an existing supplier relationship is operationally easy.

Reckitt’s product portfolio fits neatly into where Costco wants to go. Costco members tend to gravitate toward premium wellness products backed by established brands and research. Reckitt has been aggressively expanding Neuriva, with products including Neuriva Plus, Neuriva Ultra, and Neuriva Memory 3D. I see these premium formulations align with Costco’s push toward higher-margin health solutions far better than the legacy Focus Factor lineup.

The regulatory history matters, too. Focus Factor has faced FTC settlements and consumer class-action lawsuits challenging its efficacy claims. Reckitt builds Neuriva’s marketing around clinically studied ingredients and GMO-free formulations. 

After dropping a brand with that compliance history, Costco’s buyer relationships will naturally favor an institutional, publicly traded consumer health company with a clean regulatory record.

The Neuriva Brain Supplement Original (50 capsules) currently retails at Costco for $43.99.BearFotos Via Shutterstock

The Reckitt business picture and what the H1 2026 results show

The business picture matters for investors considering whether RBGLY at $14.00 and down 10.62% year-to-date represents an opportunity. While its primary listing is on the London Stock Exchange (RKT), it is highly visible to U.S. market investors via its American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) under the ticker RBGLY on the over-the-counter market.

Half-year 2026 (H1 2026) results showed Core Reckitt like-for-like net revenue growth of 2.7%, accelerating to 4.2% in Q2 alone, according to Reckitt’s earnings statement. 

Gross profit margin for Core Reckitt was 60.9%. Adjusted operating profit margin was 24.8%. Free cash flow was £419 million in the first half. Approximately £3 billion was returned to shareholders during the period through dividends and buybacks, according to the Q2 earnings call.

Related: Loss of Costco deal helps push beverage brand into Chapter 11

Reckitt also announced a 5% increase in its interim dividend alongside an additional £500 million share buyback. Full-year 2026 guidance calls for 4% to 5% like-for-like net revenue growth in Core Reckitt.

A special dividend was also paid in February 2026 following the completion of the Essential Home business divestment, returning additional capital to shareholders.

Macrotrends‘ statistics show RBGLY with a 4.6% dividend yield at current prices, with the most recent dividend of $0.64 per share. 

The valuation picture is also fair: trailing P/E of 11.36 and forward P/E of 14.24 for a company with 60.9% gross margins, a growing consumer health platform, and direct competitive beneficiary of its largest brain health competitor’s collapse.

What to watch for next at Costco

Synergy CHC built a strong brand on a structurally fragile foundation. The concentration risk was visible in the filings long before the bankruptcy. And then when Costco walked, the math became inevitable.

I think Reckitt has all it takes. The Costco shelf presence, regulatory credibility, supply chain, and product portfolio to absorb that demand without adding structural risk. 

All of that and more is likely to translate to RBGLY’s financial results, depending on how aggressively Costco scales up Neuriva alongside the overall product developments.

Related: Costco asks members to help make stores better

When investors near retirement, the promise of guaranteed income can sound like an oasis in a desert of market volatility. Annuities are frequently sold as the ultimate risk-free retirement strategy product that promises to turn a nest egg into a predictable, pension-like paycheck for life.

However, beneath that comforting pitch lies a complex, highly restrictive financial product that can quietly sabotage long-term wealth. For many investors, committing capital to an annuity isn’t just unnecessary; it can be one of the most expensive financial choices a retiree makes.

Here is why purchasing an annuity could be a costly mistake for your portfolio, and what you need to consider before signing on the dotted line.

Annuities have opaque and exorbitant fee structures

One of the most immediate drags on an annuity’s performance is its cost structure.

Unlike low-cost index funds or ETFs, which often carry expense ratios below 0.10%, variable and indexed annuities often have total annual fees exceeding 3% to 4%.

Mortality and expense (M&E) charges: Often running between 1.2% and 1.8% annually, this fee covers the insurance company’s risk of paying out lifetime benefits.

Administrative & management fees: Mutual fund sub-account fees within variable annuities often range from 0.5% to 1.5%.

Rider fees: Optional features, such as guaranteed minimum withdrawal benefits (GMWB) or inflation adjustments, frequently add another 1% or more to your annual cost.

Over a 20-year retirement, paying 3% or more in annual fees severely erodes compound growth, costing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost market performance.

Severe liquidity caps and penalty surrender charges

Annuities are notoriously illiquid. Once you transfer capital into an annuity contract, accessing your cash beyond a strict limit comes with severe penalties.

Most contracts include a surrender period, typically lasting three to 10 years, during which withdrawing more than the standard 10% penalty-free allowance triggers a surrender charge. These charges can start as high as 7% to 10% of the account value in year one, scaling down slowly over time.

If an unexpected medical emergency, major home repair, or healthcare need arises, your money is effectively locked behind a costly paywall.

Retirement planning is complex enough; adding an annuity might, in some cases, provide a costly and false sense of security.FG Trade / Getty Images

Capped upsides limit your returns

Fixed-indexed annuities (FIAs) are often pitched with the alluring promise of “market upside with zero downside risk.”

While the downside protection is real, the market participation is heavily restricted through artificial caps, participation rates, and spread fees.

Return caps: If the S&P 500 surges 22% in a year, but your contract has a 6% cap, your return is limited to 6%.

Participation rates: If your contract features a 70% participation rate and the market gains 10%, you receive only 7%.

Exclusion of dividends: Index-linked annuities almost universally calculate returns based strictly on price movement, excluding dividend yields. Historically, dividends account for roughly 15% to 20% of the S&P 500’s total return over time.

You absorb the risk of underperforming inflation during bull markets, while the insurance company retains the excess upside to profitability.

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Loss of favorable capital gains tax treatment

In a standard taxable brokerage account, long-term investments held for more than a year qualify for favorable long-term capital gains tax rates (0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on income).

Annuities trade this tax advantage for tax-deferred growth. When you take withdrawals from a non-qualified annuity:

Earnings are distributed on a last-in, first-out (LIFO) basis, meaning profit comes out first.

Withdrawals are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate, which can reach as high as 37%.

If you take withdrawals before age 59½, you face an additional 10% IRS tax penalty.

Transforming lower capital gains rates into higher ordinary income tax rates can create a net tax disadvantage over the long run.

Inflation risk erodes purchasing power of fixed annuity payments

Unless you pay extra for an inflation-adjusted rider (which reduces your starting payout significantly), fixed annuity payments remain static.

A payout of $2,500 a month might sound sufficient at age 65, but at a standard 3% annual inflation rate, that same monthly payment loses nearly 45% of its purchasing power by age 85.

Unlike a diversified portfolio of equities, dividend-growth stocks, and real estate, which naturally appreciate and adjust alongside inflation, fixed annuity income streams remain frozen while expenses rise.

Consider annuity alternatives

Before locking capital away in an insurance product, evaluate alternative strategies that offer predictable cash flow while maintaining liquidity and control.

A systematic withdrawal strategy: Using a flexible 3.5% to 4% withdrawal rate from a low-cost, multi-asset portfolio allows capital to continue growing while generating monthly income.

Bond / CD ladders: Building a staggered ladder of U.S. Treasury bonds or high-yield CDs locks in guaranteed yield across a set time horizon without insurance fees.

Optimized Social Security claiming: Delaying Social Security claims from age 62 to age 70 increases your guaranteed, inflation-protected monthly payout by roughly 8% per year without ongoing management expenses.

Related: Choosing an annuity for retirement rests on hidden features, risks

Lululemon is facing another setback as it struggles to draw customers into its stores, a challenge it has been battling in recent months.

The athletic apparel retailer saw its comparable sales in North America decrease by 12% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, while its net revenue in the region dropped by 8%, according to its latest earnings report. 

On an earnings call on Sept. 9, Lululemon Chief Financial Officer Meghan Frank said the company’s sales were negatively impacted by several headwinds, including a shift in customer demand from tighter athletic wear to looser fits, which contributed to a 20% decline in leggings sales.

“As we moved into Q2, we faced negative commentary in the media and social channels, which impacted traffic, and softer-than-planned response to some new product launches, which contributed to a moderating sales trend,” said Frank. 

Lululemon gets a new negative stock rating

Amid these challenges, Lululemon’s stock received an underperform rating from BMO Capital Markets, citing the retailer’s poor second-quarter performance. 

In an analyst note, BMO Capital Markets analyst Kelly Crago gave Lululemon stock a sell rating and a $70 price target as the firm expects an additional 28% decrease from the stock’s closing price on Sept. 10, according to a recent TipRanks report. 

Crago said in the note that Lululemon’s “irrelevance with the consumer is showing up in the numbers.”

She also said that the company’s second-quarter earnings reveal it is losing market share across the Americas and China to smaller athletic-wear competitors like Alo Yoga and Vuori, which are increasingly resonating with consumers.

Related: Kohl’s expands in-store partnership as customers look elsewhere

For instance, while Lululemon’s market share dipped 10 percentage points to 43.9% in August, shares of Alo Yoga and Vuori rose 5.9 percentage points and 2.2 percentage points, respectively, according to a recent Reuters report citing data from M Science. 

“The product engine that has fueled this company for years is very stale because it’s a much tougher category where athleisure is out of favor,” said Crago. 

BMO Capital Markets’ underperform rating on Lululemon stock comes after BofA Global Research lowered its price objective on Lululemon (its estimate of where the stock could trade) from $140 to $122, according to a Sept. 4 research note obtained by TheStreet. 

The firm maintained its neutral rating on the stock but cut its earnings-per-share forecast by 13% for fiscal year 2026 and by 31% for fiscal year 2027. 

In the research note, BofA Global Research analyst Lorraine Hutchinson said that Lululemon’s weak second-quarter performance “push” the company’s “recovery timeline further out.”

Lululemon receives an underperform stock rating from BMO Capital Markets.Bloomberg / Getty Images

Lululemon faces a more cautious consumer

Wall Street’s response to Lululemon’s second-quarter earnings comes during a time when foot traffic in the retailer’s stores has worsened in recent months.

According to recent Placer.ai data sent to TheStreet, Lululemon’s same-store visits declined by 1.9% year over year in June. In July, visits dipped by 1.9% again, and dropped by 6% in August. 

“Lululemon’s performance aligns with obstacles that many brands currently face: more discerning discretionary shoppers and the squeezing of aspirational consumers,” said Elizabeth Lafontaine, a retail analyst and director of research at Placer.ai, in a statement to TheStreet. 

“The increased competition in the luxury athleisure market has also added pressure to stand out and maintain excitement with shoppers,” she continued. 

U.S. consumers are indeed restricting their discretionary retail spending. A survey from A&M Consumer and Retail Group in April revealed that roughly 30% of consumers expect to spend less on clothing and footwear this year by cutting volume, taking advantage of sales and promotions and making fewer impulse purchases amid economic pressures.

Lululemon maps a plan to win customers back

As consumers rethink their spending, Lululemon is doubling down on its turnaround efforts by focusing on offering more innovation. 

This includes introducing more loose-fitting styles in its stores after items, such as its Groove Wide-Leg, Align Foldover Jogger, Breezily and updated Dance Studio Pants, performed well during the second quarter. 

It is also adding new cold-weather outerwear styles, featuring its Wunder Puff and Featherweight Down franchise, and a new version of its popular Big Cozy.

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“The markets we operate in are competitive, which makes it imperative for us to focus on unique and innovative ways to inspire our guests,” said Frank during the company’s Sept. 9 earnings call. 

Lululemon will also continue to shrink its offerings by reducing SKUs (stock-keeping units) in its stores, a move it believes will make the customer experience more premium. 

Additionally, it will enhance its store and digital experience, and increase and redirect its marketing spend.

While Frank said Lululemon will “continue to focus on improving full price selling” to attract customers, it will also increase its markdowns by approximately 60 basis points in the third quarter of this year compared to the same quarter last year. 

Lululemon’s turnaround strategy could shift as Heidi O’Neill became the company’s new CEO on Sept. 8, replacing Calvin McDonald, who stepped down from the role on Jan. 31. Frank said O’Neill will “define the path forward for Lululemon’s next chapter” as she evaluates the company’s “strategy and current action plans.”

As Lululemon changes course, it expects its U.S. revenue to be down in the low double digits for the full year of 2026, compared to 2025. 

Related: Ross Stores customers will soon feel a notable change in stores

Starbucks (SBUX) just told investors that the difficult phase of its turnaround is over. 

On Sept. 10, two years after Brian Niccol took over as chief executive, he said the company had achieved its goal. “Starbucks is back,” he told CNBC.

Niccol’s performance at Chipotle, where he led the recovery from the chain’s food-safety crises after taking over in 2018, earned him the benefit of doubt. 

Now he is counting on the cafes themselves to bring coffee drinkers back.

Starbucks’ $1 billion plan to make its cafes worth staying in

The next phase is a physical makeover. 

Starbucks will spend about $1 billion to remodel up to 9,000 company-operated locations in North America, Investing.com reported.

Each redo costs roughly $150,000 and is set to be finished overnight so stores stay open.

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The updates make the cafes more comfortable. They include: 25,000 new chairs, softer lighting, rugs, plants, and more power outlets. 

Starbucks calls them “uplifts,” and the point is to make its shops somewhere people sit and relax instead of simply quick pickup counters.

Niccol is also stepping away from mobile-order-only stores in major cities and moving that money into full cafes.

Starbucks plans to remodel up to 9,000 North American cafes to encourage customers to sit and stay.bgwalker / Getty Images

How the turnaround shows up in Starbucks sales

Starbucks earns most of its money selling coffee and food at company-run cafes, with added income from licensed stores and packaged products sold in groceries.

Investors’ primary focus is on same-store sales, which track sales at shops open for 13 months or longer.

In the fiscal third quarter, global same-store sales rose 7.9%, Starbucks reported. The increase was mainly due to more visits and higher spending on each order. 

Adjusted earnings beat expectations by close to 31%, and the company’s management lifted its full-year guidance to a range of $2.55 to $2.65 a share.

What drove the quarter

Transactions climbed 4.2%, so more customers are actually showing up.

The average amount spent on each order rose 3.5%.

U.S. same-store sales have now grown for four straight quarters.

Why Starbucks’ revenue fell, even as sales grew

Total revenue came in slightly below last year, even with strong sales at existing stores.

The reason is China. In April, Starbucks closed a joint venture with Boyu Capital that handed the firm 60% of its China stores and left Starbucks with 40%.

Related: 49-year-old beloved pizza dining chain quietly closes locations

Starbucks no longer counts all the sales of those stores as its own, since it no longer owns most of them, according to its SEC filing.

The company said its operating margin grew after the change, and investors now want that improvement to continue, Reuters reported.

What the makeover means for Starbucks stock investors

The upgrades mean spending will stay high for several quarters while thousands of stores get remodeled.

Starbucks is also investing about $500 million in service training and new ordering technology to reduce customer wait time, QSR reported.

Rivals such as McDonald’s and Dunkin’ are cutting prices to draw customers, while Niccol is protecting Starbucks’ higher prices by selling a better experience instead.

Wall Street’s average 12-month price target sits at $119, which is above the stock’s recent $98.74 close.

What still needs to happen

About 1,500 uplifts planned to be completed by the end of September out of the total 9,000.

Cafe traffic has to keep climbing to justify the spending.

International growth, including the reshaped China business, must hold up.

The bottom line on Starbucks stock

The old question on investors’ minds about the stock was whether Starbucks could fix itself. Niccol says that answer is settled.

The new question is simpler. With the stock already up about 30% since his hiring, how much of the comeback is already priced in?

For now, higher traffic and a barely started uplift give SBUX stability and room to grow.

Related: Barbecue chain closed more restaurants than it admitted

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Why we love this deal

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Homezillions 3-Piece Wicker Bistro Patio Set, $90 at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

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Why do shoppers love it?

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Related: Walmart is selling a 3-piece patio set with a glass coffee table for only $70

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Vasagle End Table with Charging Station Set of 2, $36 (was $70) at Amazon

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