The annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference this month apparently saw many CPG execs and analysts swarming tables of free products to get their hands on Shaq-a-licious XL gummies and Jolly Rancher Ropes. But beyond the mad dash for gratis goods, CPG giants from Hershey to L’Oréal shared presentations detailing where their businesses are headed next and the strategies that’ll get them there.

The conference, held last week in Boca Raton, Florida, featured presentations from more than 30 CPGs across food and beverage, personal care, and beauty, highlighting strengths, potential shortcomings, plans for the future, and even breaking news, from acquisitions to rebrands. These were the most notable takeaways from the week.

Food and beverage

A day ahead of its CAGNY presentation, energy drink maker Celsius announced its plans to acquire female-focused energy drink brand Alani Nu for $1.8 billion, which the company said would establish a “better-for-you, functional lifestyle platform at the intersection of consumer megatrends.” At CAGNY, Celsius chair, president and CEO John Fieldly emphasized the acquisition’s potential to help the company, whose audience is largely “gender balanced,” to reach more woman consumers, as 92% of Alani Nu’s social media followers are women. Alani Nu’s sales grew 64% to $800 million last year, and combined with Celsius’s $2.7 billion in sales, Celsius believes the two can capture 16% combined market share in the energy drink category.

Keep reading here.—EC

For payment network Affirm, fashion is the future.

Over the 2024 holiday season, fashion sales through Affirm increased 20% year over year. Now the company is partnering with Stitch Fix, an online clothing store and personal styling service, to continue its expansion into the category.

“To meet this increased consumer demand, we’re growing our network to include even more fashion merchants,” Pat Suh, SVP of revenue at Affirm, said in a statement.

In the past six months, Affirm has entered partnerships with 45 fashion merchants ranging from luxury brands (Burberry and Dolce and Gabbana) and national brands (Under Armour and Adidas) to fast fashion retailers (Old Navy) and department stores (Macy’s).

Keep reading here.—AV

Companies looking for clarity on the tariff situation—and other pressing political threats—may want to tune into President Donald Trump’s first address before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Typically the address is a way for the president to lay out their plans, and in particular their legislative agenda, for the coming years—though if the past few weeks of executive orders, legal challenges, and retractions are any gauge, it’s an open question if the address will clarify or confuse.

Here’s what else is going on in retail this week:

In earnings: Some heavy-hitters are reporting earnings this week in the retail space, starting with Target, Best Buy, and Ross Stores on Tuesday and finishing up with Costco on Thursday. Target’s results are coming nearly two weeks after rival Walmart released its Q4 earnings, which included a more conservative sales guidance for the year. Still, Wall Street is feeling positive about Target, with JPMorgan analysts boosting its price target last week, marking a shift in sentiment since Q3 when the company cut its own profit guidance. Costco, meanwhile, is coming off a strong quarter, in which net sales increased 7.5% from the year before. Chair Tony James was also bullish about the company in a recent interview with Chief Executive magazine, highlighting that Costco appeals to wealthy shoppers.

Keep reading here.—AV