Consumer Products

Paul Polman is digging in to resist Kraft Heinz’s $143 billion offer, warning board members and investors that Kraft’s cost-cutting ethos could damage Unilever brands.

Nestlé has thrown out its long-running annual sales-growth target—at least for the next three years—as the world’s largest packaged-food company struggles alongside the rest of the industry against ultralow inflation and fast-changing consumer tastes.

Trian Fund Management, one of the biggest activist investors, has built up a more than $3 billion stake in Procter & Gamble Co., adding urgency to the consumer-product giant’s efforts to turn around its business and boost its stock price.

Tesla said it would accept online orders for its Model S sedan and Model X SUV in the United Arab Emirates.

Newell Brands cut its sales outlook for the year to reflect exposure to the struggling brick and mortar retail industry, as the company reported lower-than-expected sales in the fourth quarter.

The president is betting big that he can harness U.S. strategic and economic heft to press other countries into one-on-one trade deals, a sharp reversal from recent U.S. policy to negotiate sprawling regional agreements.

Colgate-Palmolive executives promised to ramp up advertising this year to combat lackluster sales, as the toothpaste and consumer-products maker battles weak demand at home and abroad.

Kimberly-Clark reported organic sales growth in the latest quarter as the maker of Kleenex tissues and Huggies diapers, facing increased competition, eked out a small gain in net sales.

Philips said it is in talks with the U.S. Department of Justice over manufacturing procedures in its defibrillator business, following an earlier FDA warning, adding that there could be a “meaningful impact” on the operations.

Procter & Gamble offered a more upbeat outlook for sales growth this year as it posted better-than-expected organic sales for the latest quarter.

Procter & Gamble is scheduled to release earnings for the quarter ended Dec. 31 before the market opens Friday.

Allegations against Fiat Chrysler, a probe into Renault and Volkswagen’s admission of guilt to criminal charges point to the possibility of widespread emissions cheating and a Europe-wide problem with rule enforcement.

Honest Co., the consumer products business co-founded by actress Jessica Alba, is recalling all bottles of its organic baby powder sold in the U.S. because of concerns it could cause skin or eye infections.

A court sentenced the former head of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser to seven years in prison after the company’s disinfectant for humidifiers killed scores of people and left hundreds with lung damage.

Investors who piled into popular pre-election strategies were poorly positioned when circumstances changed.

Sales of fabric softeners have been declining for more than a decade—many millennials don’t even know what the product is used for. But Procter & Gamble is working to boost its bottom line with a youth-focused marketing push that includes fresh packaging and ad campaigns.