Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA
Make-up and skincare brand Rhode, founded by Hailey Bieber, is to be acquired by US company e.l.f. Beauty for around US$1 billion. This strategic acquisition enables the affordable cosmetics giant to penetrate the more upscale market, while partnering with an influential celebrity among Generation Z and millennials.
The buyout includes an initial payment of $800 million, split between cash and shares, with the possibility of a further $200 million depending on the brand’s future performance. Completion of the transaction is scheduled for the second quarter of fiscal 2026.
Known for its low-priced products sold in places like Walmart, Target and Shoppers Drug Mart, e.l.f. (acronym for eyes, lips, face) is looking to expand its offering into more prestigious products. The acquisition of Rhode thus marks a major strategic shift for the company, which had already bought the Naturium skincare brand for $355 million in 2023.
Launched in 2022, Rhode quickly made a name for itself with products that went viral on TikTok, such as its $18 peptide lip treatment. In one year, the brand generated some $212 million in revenues, solely via its official website and ephemeral boutiques.
Hailey Bieber, 28, will remain deeply involved in Rhode’s development. She announced on Instagram that she would become the brand’s Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation, in addition to acting as strategic advisor to e.l.f. Beauty.
Tensions between Donald Trump and Bruce Springsteen have escalated over the past few weeks, with the American president recently stepping up his attacks on the musician on his social network.
Trump Vs. Springsteen Feud Escalates: Trump Posts Video Depicting Him Hitting Singer With Golf Ball
In particular, he posted a fake video in which he appears to throw a golf ball at him, followed later by a message calling him a jerk and claiming that he « never liked him ».
The insults followed some highly critical remarks the musician had made about the Trump administration at the launch of his European tour.
It didn’t take much for Trump, who is reluctant to tolerate criticism, to launch into a diatribe on his social network aimed at the famous American musician.
And yet, let’s not forget that Donald Trump used Bruce Springsteen’s music at numerous rallies, without any authorization from the latter, incidentally.
The surprise, however, came from Springsteen himself, who announced the release of a six-track EP entitled Land of Hope & Dreams, in which he addresses frank criticism to the American president!
Springsteen responds to Trump with his guitar and his songs.
The EP features a mix of songs and speech excerpts from his recent concert in Manchester, England, where Springsteen voiced the criticism that inflamed Trump on Truth Social.
But according to the New York Times, the musician goes further: in the introduction to the song My City of Ruins, he also takes aim at a large portion of other elected officials.
The boss is on fire these days…
Donald Trump is accused of acting like a « chicken » on the tariff issue, which visibly annoyed him.
Reporter: Wall Street analysts have a new term called the TACO trade.. Saying Trump always chickens out on tariffs… Trump: I kick out?Reporter: Chicken out.
Trump’s unusual response came at a White House press conference, held on the heels of Jeanine Pirro’s swearing-in ceremony as acting federal prosecutor.
A CNBC reporter had then asked him if he wished to respond to the acronym TACO, recently popularized among financial analysts to refer to his tendency to back down in his tariff war.
Trump was visibly taken aback by CNBC reporter Megan Casella when she asked him about the phrase « Trump Always Chickens Out » and its acronym… TACO.
She wanted to know what he thought of this formula used by some analysts to explain why markets no longer react to his tariff threats, convinced that he always backs down in the end.
In reaction, he responded defensively to the journalist when he finally understood the meaning of the question a few moments later, claiming that his actions were part of the « Art of the Deal », putting tariffs too high to scare people…
Clearly annoyed, Trump concluded his response by calling the question « nasty », categorically rejecting the idea that he might have backed down.
The segment, broadcast live, quickly went viral…
It’s great news for Taylor Swift fans: the singer has just regained complete control of her entire discography. In a handwritten letter published this Friday on her official website.
After years of disputes over the ownership of her original recordings, Taylor has succeeded in buying back the rights to her masters, previously held by Big Machine Records, then by the investment company Shamrock Capital. The amount of the transaction has not been revealed, but the move marks a decisive turning point in her career.
Since 2019, the interpreter of Enchanted had embarked on an ambitious project: re-recording her first six albums after the acquisition of her masters by Scooter Braun, a producer with whom she had a long-standing feud.
This sale had deeply shocked the singer.
She then began releasing new versions of her old albums under the Taylor’s Version label, with colossal success. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) were released in 2021, followed by Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) in 2023 – all of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. These versions are not simply copies, but are accompanied by previously unreleased tracks, winks to fans and a new, polished production.
In her letter, Swift also shares that she has not yet re-recorded all her music. She does say, however, that she has finalized the new version of her eponymous debut album, which she says she loves in its current version. As for Reputation (Taylor’s Version), speculation is rife, especially as several extracts have recently been heard in series such as The Handmaid’s Tale and Wilderness.
The artist confides that her greatest dream has always been to fully own her art, without compromise or partnership. She thanks Shamrock Capital for making this acquisition possible under what she describes as fair and respectful conditions.
