Latest news with #HappyMeal
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Macca's announces huge Happy Meal update in Australia
A huge fast food chain has teamed up with a popular toy brand to give away a cult item that is 'taking over the world' in Happy Meals. Macca's has announced Squishmallows — a brand of soft, plush toys known for its 'marshmallow-like' texture — will be available in its popular kids meals from May 29. The brand will have 14 characters available with expressions that are exclusive to the fast food chain. These included Rossi, the purple cheetah with pink spots, and Charles, the winking green pickle. But, there are even characters who are debuting as part of the range. This includes Halley, the intergalactic axolotl, and Theotto, a monster with dragon wings. Theotto is only available in Australia and New Zealand. As well as the physical toys themselves, there is also a scannable code that features a digital game. Amanda Nakad, the marketing director of menu and brand for McDonald's Australia, said: 'We're all about connecting our fans to culture, and these squishable plushies are all the rage right now so we're bringing the search for Squishmallows to Australia. 'This limited-time Happy Meal brings a taste of the viral toy sensation to Macca's, with the first McDonald's Squishmallows Squad. Whether you're joining the hunt to collect them all or just looking for a dose of happiness, there's a Squishmallow for every kind of fan with this new Happy Meal.' Meanwhile, Gerhard Runken, the executive vice president of brand and marketing for the company that makes Squishmallows, said: 'Our first McDonald's Happy Meal collaboration received such a massive global response that we're bringing it to Australia for the very first time. 'We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate our fans than with a Happy Meal featuring character favourites with unique, never-before-seen happy expressions and the debut of our newest Squishmallow Squad member Halley, making the search exciting as ever for fans worldwide.' It's no surprise that Macca's has picked up this as its next Happy Meal toy, following the popularity of the item not only with children but with teenagers and adults too. The 'kidult' trend — items designed for kids but popular with all ages — has taken off in recent months. Footage has shown Aussies lining up at 3am for Labubu, a furry plushie featuring a bizarre grin and sharp teeth. The item has become the ultimate status-boosting item after soaring to popularity with huge celebrities such as Rihanna and Dua Lipa. Designed by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung, the product is sold by Chinese toy company Pop Mart following a collaboration with Lung on his story series book The Monsters, released in 2015. A similar item — Jellycats — has also been a hit item with all ages, with David Jones telling 'We've seen strong demand for the brand and an increase in sales in not only their iconic bunny which they are best known for but also more niche/unique styles,' a David Jones spokesperson told 'There has also been a noticeable shift in the consumer who is buying this product, traditionally bought for children we have seen demand from Gen Z thanks to social media driving the trend among this group.'
Mint
7 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Largest US pension sells Apple stock, buys Meta, AMD, and McDonald's
The largest U.S. pension recently made big changes in some of its largest investments. The California Public Employees' Retirement System sold Apple stock, and bought more shares of Meta Platforms, Advanced Micro Devices, and McDonald's in the first quarter. Calpers, as the pension is known, disclosed the stock trades, among others, in a form it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 'Calpers' public assets investments are index-oriented and optimized using systematic and quantitative investment strategies, not driven by any single period's events," Calpers said via email in response to a request for comment. 'Consequently, we generally do not comment on our individual holdings or trades. Our team will continue to assess overall market conditions." Calpers manages more than $540 billion in assets. Apple stock has been losing ground against the broader market this year. Shares fell 11% in the first quarter of 2025, while the S&P 500 slipped 4.6%. So far in the second quarter shares are down 12%, while the index has gained 3.4%. Apple may be pressured to raise prices soon as a result of tariffs. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he had 'a little problem" with Apple building factories in India instead of the U.S. The company has said that a majority of devices it ships into the U.S. in the current quarter will originate in India and Vietnam. In the past week, Trump threatened a 25% tariff on iPhones from foreign factories sold in the U.S. Calpers sold 5.1 million Apple shares to end the first quarter with 34.7 million shares. The pension bought 579,150 more Meta shares in the first quarter to lift its stake to 5.5 million shares. At the end of April, the parent of Facebook and Instagram reported a strong first quarter. Importantly, Meta's outlook for its global digital ads business held up well. Meta said this month it is working to address 'an epidemic of scams" on its platforms. Meta stock slipped 1.6% in the first quarter, and so far in the second shares are up 8.8%. AMD stock dropped 15% in the first quarter, but since the end of March, the shares have risen 7.4%. The chip maker reported a strong first quarter and raised its financial guidance. A week later, AMD said it was expanding a stock-repurchase program, and reached a deal for a network of artificial-intelligence computing centers in Saudi Arabia. Calpers bought 325,180 more AMD shares in the first quarter to lift its investment to 3.3 million shares. The pension bought 494,290 additional McDonald's shares to end the first quarter with 3.5 million shares. The burger chain reported a mixed first quarter on May 1, noting a drop-off in U.S. foot traffic from a year ago. A Happy Meal promotion tied to 'A Minecraft Movie" has boosted sales in the current quarter, however. McDonald's stock rose 7.8% in the first quarter. Shares are about flat so far in the second. Inside Scoop is a regular Barron's feature covering stock transactions by corporate executives and board members—so-called insiders—as well as large shareholders, politicians, and other prominent figures. Due to their insider status, these investors are required to disclose stock trades with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory groups. Write to Ed Lin at
Scottish Sun
25-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
McDonald's has RUINED our town – fast food giant's u-turn brought about our biggest fears and there's nothing we can do
Some local businesses fear they may go out of business MACCIES PLEA McDonald's has RUINED our town – fast food giant's u-turn brought about our biggest fears and there's nothing we can do Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RESIDENTS have slammed McDonald's for ruining their quaint market town after the fast food giant enacted a major u-turn to its services. Locals in Louth, Lincolnshire, which was once dubbed the Pie Capital of the World, have feared their area will be swamped by junk food after Maccies began home deliveries. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 12 Residents in the market town of Louth, Lincolnshire, are divided over McDonald's, after it recently began home deliveries Credit: John Aron 12 Critics argue the fast food giant is killing local businesses Credit: John Aron 12 Maria Robinson and Stephanie Brown, the former and current owners of The Toadstool Cafe, have said business dropped dramatically after McDonald's began delivering to people's homes Credit: John Aron Business owners are also terrified they may have to close down, amid stiff competition from the American fast food giant. McDonald's opened its only outlet in Louth in November 2022, placing it on an industrial estate on the outskirts of the town. While initially just open to sit-in and drive-thru customers, the fast food company eventually u-turned on this decision, opening the floodgates to deliveries. Now, locals have been left divided, with some launching a petition calling for McDonald's to ban home deliveries in small towns like Louth, where family run businesses depend on visitor footfall. The calls are led by Stephanie Brown, 56, after she was forced to sack two members of staff after a 75 per cent drop in takings at her award winning Toadstool takeaway. She fears the business, which her family has been building up for seven years, may even be forced to close unless McDonald's listens to the traders' pleas. Local takeaways had been fine until two months ago, when their worst fears - that McDonald's would start delivering - became reality. It began when these business owners noticed a massive drop in trade. The Toadstool takeaway, which was originally a cafe which won awards for its pies, finds itself in direct competition with the fast food multinational. Forced to become a takeaway during lockdowns in the Covid-19 pandemic, and eventually staying as one, The Toadstool sells pizzas, burgers and milkshakes, wraps deserts and sides and hotdogs. McDonald's rolls out store 'doorbell' policy that will see certain adults banned – you risk showing ID for Happy Meal Former owner Maria Robinson, 56, explained: 'They [McDonald's] started doing deliveries six or seven weeks ago - we knew we had a massive dip in takings but did not know why. 'Then my granddaughter had a delivery from McDonald's and it clicked. 'It is galling - they do not need to deliver, they have plenty of customers already.' While McDonald's is only currently open to deliveries in the evenings, it is still directly competing with other local takeaways which offer their services between 5pm and 10pm. Maria, however, worries the chain will begin to deliver for breakfast and the rest of the day too, "like they do everywhere else". Stephanie added: 'We have lost 75 per cent of the business in two weeks. It just suddenly went like sabotage.' She fears at least 15 other similar businesses in Louth will be affected. 12 Louth is home to just over 17,000 people Credit: John Aron 12 Naomi and Felix Neaga, who run the Augustino Artisan restaurant in the town centre, say they cannot compete with McDonald's on deliveries Credit: John Aron 12 Dave and Jill Carlile don't believe McDonald's will be able to out-compete local outlets for breakfast goods, should the chain expand its delivery times Credit: John Aron She added: 'One night we only got five orders and we have not had anything like that since we started.' Stephanie has emailed McDonald's about the petition but they have not heard anything back. She added: 'The takeaways are all saying they are struggling. They pay £3 for delivery which is crackers.' It is believed Louth to Mouth, another local business, has seen a 40 per cent drop in orders - Louth to Mouth and Just Eat are the main delivery platforms in the town. Stephanie said: 'If it carries on we might have to close and so will other businesses as well, especially those in town paying the higher rents, of more than £1,000 a month in the town centre.' She has contacted the council and will raise her concerns during a town meeting on June 3. However, Stephanie feels helpless against the size of McDonald's, adding: 'It is not as if I can call for a boycott by myself.' 'The business is my livelihood. My workers and staff also depend on it. "They had four staff. It is now down to two because we cannot afford to pay them. "They are angry because it is their money." Launching her online petition, Stephanie wrote: 'Fast food giants like McDonald's have enormous resources and ubiquitous brand recognition, making it difficult for small independent businesses to compete. 'When multinational corporations expand their convenience offerings, it often means a gradual erasure of local flavours and the closure of family businesses that bring uniqueness to our town.' 12 Celia Foster does not believe deliveries from McDonald's will harm local businesses Credit: John Aron 12 Marcus Young echoed the view that local takeaways have their own customer base who are unlikely to float to a fast food chain like McDonald's Credit: John Aron 12 Alan Bloomfield, who runs a burger shop in the town centre, praised McDonald's for 'bringing a lot of jobs' to Louth Credit: John Aron Kieron Boswell from Louth to Mouth added: "Several outlets on Louth to Mouth have mentioned a noticeable effect since McDonald's began offering delivery services. "While it's difficult to provide a precise figure of decline due to general fluctuations, there was definitely a decrease in the volume of orders, at least in the month McDonald's started delivering, compared to the previous month. "I'm keen to just keep pushing and promoting all our local spots and confident it will bounce back." Naomi and Felix Neaga who run the Augustino Artisan restaurant in the town centre say they cannot compete with McDonald's on deliveries. Naomi said: 'We are a very very small town. It is not like Grimsby. It is very small with a high amount of food places. 'We are trying to get our young people to eat quality food. But are up against McDonald's and their offers and it is not good food. 'You cannot compete with McDonald's on delivery. The have pots of money. They will do a faster service with better packaging. 'It is going stop people from coming into the town when they are on holiday if they can get McDonald's delivering to their camp site. 'We have had to change our whole business model and focus on inside. 'It was costing us a fortune to get our food delivered but everyone wants deliveries since Covid. 'It is the most talked about thing in our small food town - McDonald's and KFC doing deliveries.' Felix added: 'We stopped delivering because we had a lot of problems with delivery drivers and customers saying the food was late and cold. 'So I am sure they will be saying the same thing about McDonald's. I know someone who ordered it and it was 40 minutes late and cold.' 12 McDonald's staff at the opening of the Louth store in November 2022 Credit: John Aron 12 James Thompson - owner of the fast food franchise in Louth Credit: John Aron 12 Some locals fear McDonald's will expand its delivery service to the entirety of the day Credit: John Aron Alan Bloomfield, who runs Chuck Burger in the town centre, says he does not mind McDonald's being in the town. He said: 'We stopped deliveries last weekend. We were paying money out to Just Eat and Mouth to Louth that we were not getting back. 'Personally, I don't mind. If I was at home and wanted a McDonald's I would be happy to give them a call. 'McDonald's did bring a lot of jobs to the town. I do like McDonald's myself as a classic little treat. 'But I do understand that local businesses like us need the money.' Marcus Young, of Larders coffee shop, added: 'I don't see McDonald's or other takeaways as heated competition. 'Our customer base is very different to McDonald's, so I am not too bothered about McDonald's doing deliveries. 'I would be more concerned if it was Starbucks. Hopefully, people will appreciate their own local businesses and it won't matter. 'Local businesses have their own sets of customers so there is very little rivalry.' MCDONALD'S 'UNABLE' TO COMPETE WITH LOCAL QUALITY Many cafe and takeaway customers in town believe McDonald's will not be able to compete with smaller businesses, either on quality or price. They included Dave and Jill Carlile, who are loyal customers at Archies cafe in Louth, travelling in from Grimsby to grab a cooked breakfast. Dave, 67, said: 'I cannot see people ordering from McDonald's when they can come here for a cracking breakfast. 'McDonald's is not cheap any more. In fact, I would say a tenner for breakfast here is similar to McDonald's and fills you up more. 'By the time I get a McDonald's delivered it is probably about eight quid for a burger. 'But it always effects someone. It is like shopping on line. If people are ordering in from McDonald's they are not spending in town. 'Thankfully, most people who use this place will not go to McDonald's anyway.' Another local, Celia Foster, spoke as she tucked into her drive-in meal at McDonald's. She said: 'McDonald's are doing deliveries all over the place. 'Now they have started here. People do not like it but it is not a big deal. 'There was uproar when they first planned to open McDonald's here, as they was when KFC opened. 'They were queuing around the block when KFC opened but if you go there now it is dead. 'Deliveries are massive in places like Cleethorpes and Grimsby. So I don't think home deliveries are going to harm anyone, including takeaways.' McDonald's was approached for comment by The Sun.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
McDonald's is making a big change to its operating hours in the US
The Golden Arches will be aglow a little later in some US markets. A 'vast majority' of McDonald's locations in the U.S. will now stay open until midnight or later starting this summer, a company spokesperson told The Independent. Most of the signature menu items will be available during the late-night hours, but the spokesperson noted that individual franchisees will ultimately make those decisions. Advertisement McDonald's locations nationwide are extending their hours of in 'non-traditional locations,' such as airports and malls, are an exception to the new hours of operation, but 'will be back open during normal breakfast hours.' McDonald's is reportedly celebrating the new extended hours with a giveaway on May 24. The company told The Independent that concert-goers in Los Angeles, New York City and Detroit will have the opportunity to get merchandise and gift cards for free McCrispy Strips. Advertisement Also on May 24, McDonald's will be giving away 1,000 virtual gift cards for free McCrispy Strips. To enter, fans have to post an Instagram story with the hashtag #DipforMcCrispyStripsGiveaway and tag @GoFooji. The change comes shortly after McDonald's said that it plans to hire up to 375,000 U.S. restaurant employees this summer — its biggest hiring push in years. On top of expanding the restaurant hours, the company, which has more than 13,500 restaurants in the US, plans to open 9,000 more by 2027. Most of the signature menu items will be available during the late-night Meanwhile, McDonald's announced that the beloved Squishmallows are officially back in Happy Meal boxes after a two-year hiatus, including a never-before-seen Squishmallow, an Intergalactic Axolotl named Halley. American McDonald's lovers also recently expressed their disappointment that the brand-new McFlurry flavor celebrating the sweet treat's 30th anniversary was only available in Canada. But nothing will stop fans from getting their beloved McD's — especially now that people on TikTok are claiming that a specific McDonald's order is helping cure their migraines. The 'migraine meal' is a large Coca-Cola and an order of large fries.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tapper admits feeling 'humility' about past Biden coverage as liberals disparage new book
CNN host Jake Tapper has acknowledged "humility" about his past coverage of Joe Biden, although that hasn't stopped criticism of his and Axios reporter Alex Thompson's new book about the cover-up of the former president's decline while in office. "I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest," Tapper told CNN last week as he was pressed on the criticisms of himself and the book. "Of me, certainly. I'm not going to speak for anybody else, but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough. I look back on it with humility." Tapper and Thompson's new book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," was released on Tuesday. Tapper has admitted to insufficiently reporting on Biden's health concerns as his past coverage of the administration has been criticized by conservatives. "And so, look, she was right, and I was wrong," Tapper told NPR of a 2020 back-and-forth he had with Lara Trump, who was President Donald Trump's campaign adviser at the time. "And I look back at that exchange, and not just that, but my coverage in general - with humility. I don't - I mean, I did cover this. I can point to times, where, you know, I asked him this, or I asked him that, or I pointed this out to this person or whatever. Shielding Biden: Journalists Shed Light On The Media's Cover-up Of A Weakened President "But knowing what I know now, I barely scratched the surface. Very few people outside the conservative media world were doing so," he said Tuesday. In a separate interview on CBS, he said conservative media was "all over this." Read On The Fox News App Comedian Jon Stewart called out CNN on Monday for relentlessly promoting the book and slamming the network for advertising "a book about news they should've told you was news a year ago for free." "Don't news people have to tell you what they know when they find it out? Isn't that the difference between news and a secret?" Stewart asked. "'You won't believe what we found out!' No, that's why I'm watching. Breaking news… in a week." "You've prepared an entire smorgasbord based on what you thought would be a relatively uncomplicated story about mental decline. News has the countdown clock, they got the book graphics, they got the CNN Happy Meal tie-in toys, but now doing the story seems almost disrespectful," Stewart said. "Can CNN thread the needle? How do you pivot from excitedly promoting your anchor's book to somberly and respectfully promoting your anchor's book?" Liberal Columnist Says That Denying 'Biden's Infirmity' Was Sign Of Democrats' 'Original Sin' In 2024 Campaign Radio host Charlamagne Tha God, a liberal who repeatedly spoke out against Biden and concerns about his age on the campaign trail despite his disdain for Trump, said Tuesday that he was looking forward to reading the book but remained skeptical of Tapper. "I'm looking forward to reading it because I want to see if people like Jake Tapper hold themselves and their networks, like CNN, accountable for how much they didn't report on," he said during his "Breakfast Club" show. "Because they're all complicit in not calling a thing a thing in regards to President Biden." "The View" co-host Joy Behar slammed CNN on Tuesday for "hawking" the book, and wondered when Tapper would write a book about Trump's decline. Co-host Sunny Hostin also focused her criticism on Trump officials who made money on books about the administration after Trump's first term. Whoopi Goldberg wondered why the book was important now and questioned the over 200 sources the authors spoke to, asking, "If you're telling me that hundreds of people knew that he was not able to do his job, then where the hell was everybody?" MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski, a strong Biden supporter, pushed back on the authors over the notion of a "cover-up" while speaking to Tapper and Thompson on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." The first question posed to Tapper and Thompson by Brzezinski was, "is it fair to say that Joe Biden had a successful presidency, remarkable presidency, possibly even a historic presidency in his time in office?" Brezinski maintained that the MSNBC morning show covered Biden and his re-election campaign in real-time, and while she applauded Tapper and Thompson's reporting, questioned the contention of a "cover-up," "And one of the contentions you make is that that's sort of the media didn't do its part, or did like way too late. And what's not in the book, is the day after the debate. Joe, very painfully, immediately, says Biden should step out of the race. And it was really a big change for the direction of the show. I personally went on a very long plea for him to stay in the race, and I still stand by it," she said. "Nobody agrees with me, but we debated this, and we covered this, and my point is that we did this in real time. There is definitely new information in this book, great reporting, but I want to understand why you're using words like cover up, which insinuates a crime or something. Was there a crime committed? Because we're in an environment where we are covering an administration that is actually in office right now, that is pushing the limits of the law in every way," Brzezinski added. Ex-cnn Journalist Speaks Out On Biden Cover-up, Says White House Aides Made It Difficult On Press Tapper said he and Thompson cover Trump critically on a daily basis. Brzezinski pushed back, saying "You've given hours and hours to this book." Brzezinski and co-host Joe Scarborough then asked bluntly what the cover-up was. Thompson responded by asking if the pair were shocked by the former president's June debate performance, and they responded, "yes." "If there was not a cover-up, then you guys wouldn't have been shocked," Thompson said. Liberal influencer Harry Sisson praised Naomi Biden's criticisms of the book. Naomi, Hunter Biden's daughter and Joe Biden's granddaughter, issued a scathing rebuke, deeming it "political fairy smut" on social media. "Just read a copy of this silly book, and if anyone is curious for a review from someone who lived it first-hand: this book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class. The ones who rarely enter the arena, but profit from the spectacle of those that do. Put simply, it amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck," Naomi Biden wrote. Conservative critics have taken aim at Tapper since the announcement of his book, alleging he was part of the cover-up and "trying to re-write history" with his book. Journalist Mark Halperin has also called out Tapper, CNN and specifically, CNN media analyst Brian Stelter, for promoting the book. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture "Brian Stelter has been, over the course of the entire Biden presidency, one of the biggest critics of those on the right and those few people like me in the independent media who have tried to hold Joe Biden accountable," Halperin said. "He's accused us of, you know, being propagandists, of celebrating cheap fakes and deepfakes." "I don't understand someone whose job it is to hold the media accountable, to not hold, not just his own network, but every news organization in the country who, now it's clear, participated in a cover-up. Some because of threats, some because of a desire to help Joe Biden win," he added. "Massive cover-up." Figures on the right have not been quick to forget past media dismissals of Biden's issues. Fox News contributor Joe Concha told Fox News Digital the timing of the book was the "main reason why media is so distrusted these days." "It's all about ego and money and self-importance," he said. Reached for a comment, a representative for the book pointed to Tapper's remarks on MSNBC on Wednesday that many of their sources with critical comments about Biden, including cabinet secretaries and high-ranking Democratic insiders, didn't feel comfortable speaking until after the 2024 election. "Many of them expressed regret that they hadn't come forward until election day," he told "Morning Joe."Original article source: Tapper admits feeling 'humility' about past Biden coverage as liberals disparage new book
