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Phil Wahba

Phil Wahba

Fortune

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How tech icon Meg Whitman is already leaving her mark on grocery giant Albertsons

The grocer is losing out to Walmart, Costco, and Kroger.

13.10.2026 6

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Guitar Center is dropping its ban on playing ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ It’s part of the CEO’s big turnaround plan

The big box chain wants to feel more like your neighborhood indie guitar store.

10.10.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Why buying Chipotle would be a mistake for Starbucks, even with Brian Niccol in charge

Starbucks needs Niccol’s focus, not a struggling burrito chain.

09.10.2026 10

Fortune

Phil Wahba

$5 meals, $6 combos and fewer visits: McDonald’s barrage of deals isn’t winning customers back

High inflation and poor execution are turning off many of the burger giant's customers.

07.10.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Americans are tired of CEOs lecturing them on politics

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

01.10.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Why Costco has the luxury of sitting out the delivery arms race

People want the thrill of the Costco treasure hunt more than same-day delivery.

23.09.2026 100

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Steve Jobs made Apple iconic. Tim Cook made it a $5 trillion behemoth

Cook made Jobs' iPhone a global juggernaut and expanded Apple into an expansive, cash-generating ecosystem.

22.09.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Lululemon’s new CEO inherits a mess that looks like the one she left at Nike

The new CEO faces an uphill battle in getting people to want Lululemon gear again.

12.09.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The CEO who revived Barbie thinks he can do the same for Gap

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

28.08.2026 20

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Gap’s new playbook: Less discounting, more Hailey Bieber

Gap’s sales are improving, but its comeback remains a ‘show-me’ story.

28.08.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

For CEOs, retirement is the ultimate performance review—and 60% are failing it

New data from BCG shows why the CEOs best at running companies are often the worst at leaving them.

19.08.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Tech CEOs are writing 6,500-word manifestos. Who’s actually reading?

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

13.08.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Boards are calling retired CEOs back as succession pipelines run dry

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

07.08.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The radical idea behind Barnes & Noble’s surprising comeback

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

04.08.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

How Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt tapped his indie bookstore cred to revive the big-box chain

After years of cookie‑cutter layouts and publisher‑paid shelf space, Daunt is remaking Barnes & Noble as a network of locally curated...

03.08.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The only thing more surprising than Cracker Barrel’s CEO exit may be its pick to replace her

Julie Masino had steadied Cracker Barrel after last year's logo firestorm. Her replacement oversaw a stock decline at his last job.

30.07.2026 10

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Hasbro’s growth strategy isn’t just about kids anymore—it’s about ‘kidults’

CEO Chris Cocks is betting the toymaker's future on grown-up collectors, card games, and nostalgia—and Wall Street likes what it's seeing.

23.07.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

United Airlines’ growth strategy is all about selling customers a better version of what they already buy

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

21.07.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

How United’s ‘premiumization’ strategy got passengers to swallow higher airfares without a fight

Fuel costs and flight prices are rising, but United's second-quarter earnings show passengers aren't pushing back.

19.07.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

How Apollo-owned Michaels turned two rivals’ bankruptcies into a growth strategy

The arts and crafts retailer leaning on party supplies and fabric to end years of stagnation.

17.07.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Ulta is betting $400 million that an NYC megastore will help it compete with Sephora—and that flagships still work

An Ulta executive says the four-story behemoth is critical to its growth in the U.S. and abroad.

11.07.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Stitch Fix’s CEO inherited a broken tech darling. He’s fixing it like a traditional retail exec

CEO Matt Baer, a Walmart and Macy’s alum, is refocusing the online personal styling service on retail 101.

10.07.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Nike’s self-inflicted wounds are risking CEO Elliott Hill’s nascent comeback

The company is facing protracted trouble. The least it can do is get out of its own way.

04.07.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Qualcomm’s big AI gamble: Breaking Nvidia’s chips stronghold

CEO Cristiano Amon is betting Qualcomm can gain a foothold in data center AI—and the chipmaker has already lined up clients like Meta and Microsoft.

27.06.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Walmart’s $1.4 billion Vibe.co deal is a direct shot at Amazon’s booming ad business

With a $1.4 billion deal for Vibe.co, Walmart is aiming to capture the ad dollars of smaller brands.

25.06.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

With the exits of Apple’s Tim Cook and Dow’s Jim Fitterling, the Fortune 500 is losing two groundbreaking gay CEOs—leaving just one

The departures expose how fragile LGBTQ gains in the C‑suite really are.

20.06.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Why Patagonia is risking its progressive brand image with a lawsuit against a drag queen

Many in the LGTBQ community are fuming that the outdoor clothing brand is suing Pattie Gonia, a queer environmentalist. Patagonia says it had no...

15.06.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

What Christie’s $1.45 billion blockbuster art auction tells us about the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’

Some $1 trillion worth of art will change hands over the next decade.

04.06.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

An AI overhaul at Macy’s is fueling the 168-year-old retailer’s turnaround

From a virtual try-on assistant that quintuples spending per session to machine learning tools that forecast demand and train managers, Macy's is...

02.06.2026 30

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Delta has trained its passengers to pay premium prices. Here’s how it plans to get even more from them

The airline’s success with premium travelers has reshaped its business—and as rivals catch up, Delta is doubling down on luxury offerings,...

30.05.2026 70

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Ferrari’s $640,000 electric car is getting roasted online—and its former chairman says it risks ‘destruction of a myth’

The Italian carmaker's hyper-fans are not impressed.

29.05.2026 70

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The quiet death of conscious consumerism, from Everlane and Allbirds to Beyond Meat

Being virtuous on its own isn't enough to win a brand loyal customers.

23.05.2026 80

Fortune

Phil Wahba

How Coach became Gen Z’s favorite affordable luxury handbag brand

Coach has found the sweet spot between high luxury and good prices.

19.05.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Brian Niccol’s nascent Starbucks turnaround starts with treating workers better

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

01.05.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Aerie built a $2 billion brand by rejecting Victoria’s Secret’s old playbook. Now it wants to win the AI backlash.

An ad featuring Pamela Anderson offers an update to the brand's body-positive ethos for the AI era.

30.04.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Starbucks is winning customers back after investing $500 million in workers and stores

Starbucks bet on more baristas, better schedules, and bigger benefits. It's working.

29.04.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Best Buy CEO Corie Barry is stepping down: Why the comeback she executed fizzled out

Shares are up only 6% since she was appointed in 2019, vastly underperforming the S&P 500.

23.04.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Nike’s ‘Walkers Tolerated’ sign at the Boston Marathon was meant to fire up runners. Instead, it insulted them.

The sign sparked a backlash that reveals deeper problems for the brand.

20.04.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The ultra-wealthy have a new favorite status symbol: From a $14.5 million guitar to an $812,500 bottle of wine, rare collectibles are on a tear

Traditional luxury is losing its luster; unique and rare items offer a new way to flex.

18.04.2026 70

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Food companies are finally cutting prices. PepsiCo shows it’s worth it

PepsiCo slashed prices on Lay's, Doritos, and other snack brands by up to 15% in February—and revenue jumped 8.5% in the first quarter.

17.04.2026 90

Fortune

Phil Wahba

From wool sneakers to GPUs: Allbirds’ desperate AI pivot and 600% stock surge, explained

Allbirds is now NewBird AI. Wall Street doesn’t care that it knows nothing about AI.

15.04.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Tractor Supply’s DEI reversal to appease right-wing critics could fracture its surprisingly diverse ‘exurban’ customer base

The company will cut all diversity-focused jobs and withdraw DEI goals after criticism of its LGBTQ-inclusive stance.

14.04.2026 4000

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Why CEO Michelle Gass is thriving at Levi’s after stumbling at Kohl’s

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

09.04.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Bed Bath & Beyond’s Container Store acquisition echoes past retail mergers that failed to deliver

It's the latest piece of the home-oriented giant CEO Marcus Lemonis is building. Will it turn out to be a Frankenstein?

08.04.2026 60

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Five hard lessons from Allbirds’ 99% stock plunge and $39 million fire sale

For all the hype, the wool sneaker remained just a niche product popular within a tiny, well-heeled, slice of the U.S. sneaker market.

01.04.2026 50

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Nordstrom’s $6.25 billion deal to go private is paying off—and don’t expect an IPO anytime soon

A year after its go-private deal, the company has some momentum, but its leaders say the goal is a stronger retailer—not a quick return to Wall...

31.03.2026 100

Fortune

Phil Wahba

The Air Canada CEO’s English-only condolence video cost him his job—and it’s a warning for every global CEO to read the room

A CEO’s English condolence video after a deadly crash ignited fury in francophone Canada—and shows why cultural fluency is now a core leadership...

30.03.2026 40

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Vail Resorts’ CEO says it’s time to think beyond the $1,000 ski pass that helped build the empire

Rob Katz wants to fix Vail’s broken business model and expand its customer base.

26.03.2026 70

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Why QVC is making such a big bet on TikTok

Without fewer people watching TV, QVC is looking to TikTok for salvation.

25.03.2026 90

Fortune

Phil Wahba

Lululemon’s Chip Wilson is giving the company a severe case of ‘post-founder syndrome’

Also: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

17.03.2026 100

Fortune

Phil Wahba