Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

New York

CFO Journal Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

@WSJ reporter covering corporate finance and CFOs.

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Articles

Value Retailers Have Been Waiting for the Higher-Income Consumer. They’ve Arrived.

3 weeks ago | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

After inflation soared a few years back, Ford began expecting higher-income consumers, which Academy defines as households earning over $100,000. That didn’t happen until around last fall, and it accelerated into early this year. Academy is among those retailers that have seen their core value shopper pull back. The hope has been to make up some of that lost spending from more upscale households that might be better insulated from budgetary pressures—a group that companies are investing to attract.
Chicago Hot Dog Eatery Portillo’s Slims Down Menus to Expand Nationally

1 month ago | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams |Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

The smaller menus and dining locations, along with new ordering technology and rewards for loyal customers, are key to executives’ plans to expand its restaurant count by as much as tenfold. “The restaurants, frankly, in Chicagoland are massive; they do massive volumes,” Chief Financial Officer Michelle Hook said.
Cracker Barrel’s CFO Works to Limit Tariff Blitz Impact

1 month ago | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has been working for months to limit the impact of tariffs. The vast majority of the dining chain’s restaurant purchases are sourced from the U.S. But in its attached retail stores--where customers can buy candles, mugs and more, contributing around 20% of Cracker Barrel’s revenue--roughly one-third of purchases are of merchandise from China.
Finance Executives Seek Stability Amid Erratic Tariff Shifts

2 months ago | wsj.com | Kristin Broughton |Mark Maurer |Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Your browser does not support HTML5 video. 0:00Playing0:30 / 2:14Finance executives are stressing the importance of a steady hand in the C-suite and a clear-eyed view of business risks as their companies confront a thicket of unknowns on tariffs and other policy changes under the Trump administration. Chief financial officers discussed the need to provide stability in steering a company’s finances through periods of uncertainty during the Wall Street Journal CFO Network Summit on Thursday.
Jennifer Williams — Reporter at The Wall Street Journal

Jan 28, 2025 | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Latest Articles CFO JournalUber plans to change its compensation goals for diversity, equity and inclusion as big companies re-examine their policies. BusinessThe snack’s popularity has brought a proliferation of new flavors and high-end options. For some fans, that’s a problem. CFO JournalAfter years of raising prices, food companies making everything from cookies to snacks and frozen meals say they need to sell more products to post a profit.
Why Food Companies Want Consumers to Buy More of Everything

Jan 10, 2025 | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

After years of raising prices, food companies making everything from cookies to snacks and frozen meals say they need to sell more products to post a profit. Price increases have been good for profits, but packaged food and snack company executives see sustained volume growth as the way forward, so they are flooding store aisles with new takes on familiar products, such as frozen bar-b-que loaded chicken patties.
The RealReal Keeps Its Designer Sales Flowing as Overall Luxury Market Stalls

Dec 19, 2024 | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Shoppers are cutting back on purchases of designer handbags and shoes. For luxury resale website The RealReal, that’s a good thing. The RealReal’s sales have grown for three straight quarters as shoppers look to the secondhand market to save on high-end wares. The company sells 75% of everything on its resale platform within 90 days, while luxury brands have lost millions of customers over the last couple of years and are selling fewer items.
Delta Doubles Down on Luxury to Attract High-End Fliers

Dec 6, 2024 | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Delta Air Lines used to give away most of its premium seats. Now, the airline is banking on swanky seats and luxury lounges in the fight for high-end travelers willing to pay for those perks. Fifteen years ago, premium seat offerings had the worst margins on Delta’s airplanes because only 12% of its domestic first-class cabin went to customers who paid for them, with the rest coming from free upgrades.
Delta Doubles Down on Luxury to Attract High-End Fliers

Dec 6, 2024 | flipboard.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

I tried 2 viral products meant to make long-haul flights more comfortable. I'd only pack one again. I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: Long-haul flights suck. Long-haul flights in economy suck even more. While it's a privilege to travel and explore destinations all around the world, getting there isn't always easy. I'm clearly not the only one who thinks so. A quick search on …
Companies Walk a Tightrope on Diversity; ‘No Industry Should Feel Safe.’

Nov 14, 2024 | wsj.com | Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

Starbuck added that companies need to revert to the philosophy “that the customer is king.”Roughly 15 companies already have felt the heat of his attacks, and all have announced retreats from their diversity, equity and inclusion policies in response, he said.