Estee Lauder and perfume maker Puig have ended merger talks that would have potentially put brands like MAC, Clinique, Charlotte Tilbury and Jean Paul Gaultier under one roof.
Estee Lauder Cos. confirmed the discussions in March but said at the time that no agreement had been reached with the century-old Spanish company.
“We are grateful for the conversations we have had with Puig,” Estee Lauder CEO Stéphane de La Faverie said in a prepared statement late Thursday. “Today, we are reiterating our confidence in the power of our incredible brands, our talented teams, and our strength as a standalone company."
The New York-based company said in February 2025 that it could possibly cut as many as 7,000 jobs by fiscal 2026, more than 11% of its workforce. De La Faverie said at the time that Estee Lauder was transforming its operating model to be “leaner, faster, and more agile.”
Puig oversees makeup, skin care and fragrance brands like Nina Ricci, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dr. Barbara Sturm. The company went public on the Madrid Stock Exchange in early 2024.
Shares of Estee Lauder jumped more than 12% in early trading Friday.
FILE - Estee Lauder products are displayed at a store in Boston, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died Thursday at 41, three days before he was set to run the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Here is what to know:
At this point, the cause of death has not been released and details remain limited.
What is known is that Busch was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details have not been disclosed by Busch’s team or family.
Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold While racing May 10 at Watkins Glen, Busch radioed his team requesting a “shot” from a doctor after he finished. Per the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course.
It's unclear if that issue had something to do with his death.
Busch did race last weekend and won the Trucks Series race at Dover and finished 17th in the NASCAR All-Star race. That would be his final race.
Busch won 234 races across NASCAR's three national series — more than any driver in history. He won Cup season championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.
His first championship was particularly impressive. Busch missed the first 11 Cup races of the 2015 season after injuring his foot following a crash in the O'Reilly Auto Parts series opener in Daytona, but came back to win five races to qualify for the playoffs before capturing the title at Homestead.
No. NASCAR officials confirmed that the 400-lap race will continue on as planned Sunday night at the 1 1/2-mile track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Earlier in the day, RCR had announced that Austin Hill would replace Busch in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
Yes, CMS officials said they plan to honor Busch “in some way” this weekend at the Coca-Cola 600, but details were still being ironed out.
AP freelance writer and former AP auto racing writer Jenna Fryer in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Kyle Busch waits in Victory Lane after winning the pole position for the NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, May 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
FILE - Kyle Busch drinks champagne after winning the Nationwide series championship and the NASCAR Ford 300 Nationwide series auto race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
FILE - Kyle Busch celebrates his win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Autism Speaks 400 auto race, Sunday, May 16, 2010, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
