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Michelle Obama 2024 presidential bid would put Republicans in ‘very difficult position’

admin — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 18:15:03 +0000

Despite her past insistence against running for the White House, Michelle Obama is a ‘completely plausible’ 2024 candidate, a former Trump aide said

A former Trump administration official this weekend floated the possibility of Michelle Obama succeeding President Joe Biden as the 2024 Democratic nominee, warning that the former first lady would be a formidable opponent to the GOP.

‘If [Democrats] were to run Michelle Obama, that would put us in a very difficult position,’ former Trump aide Monica Crowley said at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando on Saturday.

‘They’d reach for a candidate who is completely plausible, very popular, and immune to criticism.’

Crowley, who was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs under Donald Trump, appeared at a panel discussion alongside former White House physician-turned-House Rep. Ronny Jackson, conservative activist Jack Posobiec and California lawyer Kurt Schlichter during the multi-day event.

After tossing the popular Democratic first lady’s hat in the ring, Crowley explained how Obama would have been positioning herself to mount a White House bid in the years after her husband Barack Obama left the White House in early 2017.

‘When you think about her positioning, she spoke as a [Democratic National Convention] keynote speaker in 2020,’ Crowley claimed.

‘She wrote her autobiography and did a 50-city tour, she has massive Netflix and Spotify deals, and she’s got a voting rights group alongside Stacey Abrams.’

Obama’s memoir ‘Becoming’ sold more than two million copies in various forms within 15 days of publication, quickly becoming a bestseller.

It’s a testament to the Harvard-educated lawyer’s popularity, particularly among Democrats.

Monica Crowley made the comments during a Saturday panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida

She previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Public Affairs under Donald Trump (pictured with Donald Trump Jr. (left) and former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows (right)

She was voted as the top most admired woman in YouGov’s global survey three years in a row, most recently winning the number one spot in December 2021.

And while Obama has publicly dismissed the idea of running for her husband’s old job, a recent Hill-HarrisX poll placed her high on the list of potential candidates in 2024 should Biden choose not to run.

The president, who’s so far said he’s running for re-election, would be 81 years old at the start of his second term.

The late November 2021 survey found Obama second in a list of likely Democrat candidates, just behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

But on Saturday, former Trump aide Crowley highlighted Harris’ gaffe-laden first year. She suggested Obama would be a good alternative so as not to alienate black women, among the Democratic Party’s most loyal voters, according to Business Insider.

Obama has long been admired by Democrats and even Independents, and would have immediate name recognition should she cast a 2024 bid.

Despite her insistence that she won’t run, Crowley warned her crowd at the Republican event to be ready for it and compared Obama’s profile-enhancing activism that put her back into the public eye after leaving the White House to the actions of Hillary Clinton — another rumored potential 2024 candidate.

‘For all of these people who say, “Michelle Obama isn’t political, they’re making too much money now,” keep a very close eye on her because her trajectory is exactly what Barack Obama did before he ran for president and what Bill and Hillary Clinton both did,’ Crowley said.

She reasserted: ‘I think if she were to run, that would be a very difficult situation for us.’

Obama famously said during a leadership conference in Boston in 2018 that to run for president, ‘my sense is that, first of all, you have to want the job.’

She went even further to say that she ‘never had the passion for politics,’ adding: ‘I just happened to be married to somebody who has the passion for politics, and he drug me kicking and screaming into the arena.’

But despite her claimed distaste for running for office, Obama has waded into the political arena several times — to a warm reception.

Obama was seen as a key asset for her husband’s successful 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, including a highly praised speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

She also delivered an impassioned speech endorsing Biden in 2020, claiming he was the only one who could ‘put an end to this chaos’ of the Trump administration.

Most recently, Obama waded into November’s midterm elections, throwing her weighty influence and her group When We All Vote behind an effort to register 1 million new people for the ballot box this year.

In late December, a potential Obama 2024 campaign got backing from an unlikely ally — podcast host Joe Rogan.

‘She’s great, she’s articulate, she’s intelligent, she’s the wife of the best president that we have had in our lifetime,’ Rogan said. ‘She can win.’

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump laid down a marker to other possible Republican 2024 runners by winning 59 percent support of CPAC attendees.

The annual straw poll is seen as a key indicator of who is favored by the party base.

The survey of 2500 attendees found that the most popular candidates occupied the same political territory as Trump – such as allies Mike Pompeo, Rand Paul and Kristi Noem

Trump’s win was no surprise — but he took five percentage points more than last year — with Governor Ron DeSantis, who gave a rousing speech at the gathering on Thursday, in second with 28 percent.

That left the rest of the field as rank outsiders, with former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo taking two percent and Vice President Mike Pence one percent – along side Nikki Haley, Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem, and Senators Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.

But CPAC’s status as a gathering of hardline conservatives tends to skew the results towards the Trumpist wing of the party.

If Trump were not running, DeSantis takes 61 percent.

And the Republican Party is already cashing in on the chances of Michelle Obama being their opponent.

Two January fundraising emails from the National Republican Senatorial Committee were sent to donors touting the possibility of another Obama in the White House.

‘Left-wing Democrats KNOW they are going to LOSE their Majority in Congress this November, so they want to bring out an OBAMA to save them in 2024,’ one email obtained by Punchbowl News read.

The second stated: ‘Rumors are spreading like wildfire that a certain someone, someone who already spent 8 YEARS in the White House, is thinking of running for PRESIDENT in 2024.’

Online retailer Gear4music falls to loss amid difficult economic backdrop

admin — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 13:49:30 +0000

Gear4music shares slip as retailer crashes to a loss after soaring costs beat back revenue growth

Britain’s largest online musical equipment retailer declared a £0.4m pre-tax loss
Cost-of-living pressures in the UK hit demand for discretionary consumer goods
Gross margins declined after the company cut stock and incurred higher costs

By Harry Wise For This Is Money

Updated: 09:06 EDT, 20 June 2023

Gear4music slipped to a loss last year due to more challenging domestic economic conditions and extra costs from reducing inventory levels.

Britain’s largest online musical equipment retailer posted a £400,000 pre-tax loss for the 12 months ending March, compared to a £5million profit the prior year.

Total revenue grew by 3 per cent to £152million despite cost-of-living pressures in the UK hurting demand for discretionary consumer products.

Result: Gear4music declared a £0.4million pre-tax loss for the 12 months ending March due to more challenging economic conditions and extra costs from reducing inventory levels

The company had previously blamed weaker domestic trading on Royal Mail strikes delaying deliveries over the Christmas period, hot weather and the absence of Covid-related restrictions.

Sales were also impacted by the firm’s own-brand products experiencing stronger competition from Far East manufacturers selling into Europe through Amazon.

Because of slowing demand, Gear4music set about slashing stock, which it had built up the previous year for ‘precautionary and opportunistic reasons’, through price cuts and changing re-ordering levels.

Combined with elevated energy, labour and card processing costs, this contributed to gross margins declining by 220 basis points to 25.7 per cent.

Andrew Wass, chief executive of Gear4music, remarked: ‘Market conditions have continued to be challenging…and we are taking the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure our business is correctly configured, resourced and positioned strategically for long-term success.’

Following the release of its full-year results, Gear4music shares sank by 6.8 per cent, or 7p, to 95.5p on Tuesday morning.

Gear4music was one of the most noticeable lockdown retail winners, as homebound consumers sought to keep themselves occupied by improving their musical abilities.

Purchases of guitars, digital keyboards and home recording equipment all grew significantly.

To capitalise on the boom, the company bought percussion instrument maker Premier Music, whose drums have been played by the likes of Sir Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Phil Collins.

It also acquired audio-visual equipment seller AV Online and opened three new distribution centres across Ireland and Spain to boost its presence in mainland Europe.

Yet trading began to slow down as Britain’s departure from the European Union caused disruption to shipping, and people started spending more time outside after Covid-related curbs were ended.

For the last financial year, the number of Gear4music’s active customers fell by 6 per cent to 865,000, while website visitors dropped by 2.3 million to 26.5 million.

Even though the group’s consumer base, turnover and profits remain above pre-Covid levels, its share price has dived by more than 90 per cent from its peak of over £10 two years ago.

Chairman Keith Ford said: ‘Customer demand across our markets remains volatile and difficult to predict, reflecting the continuing impact of geo-political and macro-economic uncertainties affecting consumer confidence across Europe.’

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Pets at Home shrugs off difficult economic backdrop to report record revenues

admin — Thu, 25 May 2023 18:03:52 +0000

Pets at Home sales hit record highs as group shrugs off difficult economic backdrop and the pet boom rolls on

Pets at Home saw sales grow by 6.6% to £1.4bn for the 12 months ending March
Pet ownership in the UK has boomed ever since the Covid-19 pandemic started
Many consumers are prioritising spending on their pets amidst high inflation

By Harry Wise For This Is Money

Updated: 11:48 EDT, 25 May 2023

Pets at Home Group defied increasing economic uncertainty and tough lockdown comparisons to achieve record turnover in its last financial year.

The Cheshire-based retailer’s revenue grew by 6.6 per cent to £1.4billion for the 12 months ending March, thanks to better food sales and a stronger performance from its veterinary services division.

Pet ownership in the UK boomed in the wake of the pandemic as Britons rushed to buy animals during the lockdown periods.

On a leash: Many consumers are prioritising spending on their pets and cutting back on other goods and services, including their weekly food shop, against a backdrop of high inflation

Demand for pet services has remained robust even though coronavirus-related restrictions have subsequently ended, and people are spending more time in the office and travelling.

Many consumers are also prioritising spending on their pets and cutting back on other goods and services, including their weekly food shop, against a backdrop of high inflation.

Membership of Pet at Home’s VIP loyalty club rose to 7.7 million last year, while the number of new subscribers to its Puppy & Kitten Club averaged more than 24,000 per week.

This helped boost the company’s underlying pre-tax profit by 4.8 per cent to £136.4million, despite soaring energy bills and investment in its digital platform pushing up operating costs.

However, statutory pre-tax earnings slumped by 17.7 per cent to £122.5million due to the absence of any benefit from the disposal of its specialist veterinary business to rival Linnaeus Group and the cost of completing its new distribution centre.

Lyssa McGowan, chief executive of Pets at Home, said: ‘Our record performance over the past year demonstrates that our compelling pet care offer continues to resonate strongly with consumers.

‘Through our unique blend of products, services and expert advice, we were able to serve pet owners better, grow our consumer base, and win more market share, building on our leading position in the UK pet care market.’

Popularity: Membership of Pets at Home’s VIP loyalty club rose to 7.7 million last year, while the number of new subscribers to its Puppy & Kitten Club averaged more than 24,000 per week

McGowan joined the company from Sky UK last year following the departure of Peter Pritchard, whose tenure coincided with the firm’s emergence as a retail giant.

Amid stiff competition from rivals like Amazon, Pritchard set about reducing prices and enhancing the group’s focus on more profitable services, such as dog grooming and veterinary care.

Before leaving Pets at Home, he predicted to the Mail on Sunday that few Britons would give up their pets because of cost-of-living problems.

His successor has now unveiled plans to develop a unified pet care app, where customers can book a whole host of services, such as surgical appointments and repeat prescription deliveries.

McGowan is also targeting growth of 7 per cent in sales and 10 per cent in pre-tax earnings over the medium term.

To try and attract greater market share and maintain profitability, the company said it has kept prices as ‘affordable as possible’.

Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: ‘The joy of operating a business in this space is that a certain level of demand is guaranteed, no matter what the economic climate, our dogs and cats still need food, and this is one of the last areas people will skimp on when times get tough.’

Pets at Home Group shares were 2.6 per cent down at 357.6p just before trading closed on Thursday, although they have still risen by about a quarter this year.