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

Shop Slow, Spend More: The Retailers Hoping That Customers Linger

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

Retailers are adding VIP lounges, coffee bars and lawns to locations to get shoppers to stay longerRetailers are trying to slow down the shopping experience, adding amenities like VIP lounges and cafes, in hopes that customers linger and buy more coats, bags and other merchandise in store.
Tariff-Induced Market Moves Leave Pension Plans on Edge

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

Corporate pension funds are feeling the heat after the fits and starts of the Trump administration’s tariff policies sparked radical market swings. Plans for S&P 500 companies lost nearly $74 billion in value in the days after President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs were announced and funded status dipped below 100% in March for the first time since last September, staying there until early this month, according to professional-services firm Aon. Read more:
They Spend Hours Decorating Their Fridge Shelves. Then Someone Messes It Up.

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

Rattan baskets, framed photos and twinkly lights. How do you ever find the milk? When Susan Wolf’s partner went away for a week last November, she knew exactly what to do with the alone time. It started with emptying the contents of their refrigerator, followed by a deep clean. Then came the staging. Copyright ©2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Subscribe NowAlready a subscriber? Sign In
Value Retailers Have Been Waiting for the Higher-Income Consumer. They’ve Arrived.

2 months 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

2 months 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

2 months 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

Mar 6, 2025 | 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.