staple

UNIQLO is home to multiple viral fashion pieces, and for good reason.

The retailer nails the balance between comfort and style, stocking everyday staples that get more than their money’s worth of wear.

Uniqlo’s viral crossbody bag was quite literally everywhere when it was released, and the retailer’s linen blend trousers are yet another trending gem.

I tried the Uniqlo Linen Blend Trousers for myself, and I can confirm they nailed the brief.

Uniqlo Linen Blend Easy Trousers, £19.90

The £20 buy features a relaxed silhouette, straight leg, drawstring waist and of course, pockets.

Capsule trousers are a must for any wardrobe — I’m talking a pair that can be worn every season and thrown on with just about any other item.

I hate feeling restricted in my office outfits, so the stretchy drawstring waist is ideal for keeping comfortable all day.

Linen is a popular choice for the warmer weather, but the lightweight material is also great for the transitional seasons (I’ll be wearing the trending brown shade throughout the autumn).

The trousers come in eight colours, ranging from neutral beiges and blacks to orange and green tones.

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Uniqlo Linen Blend Easy Trousers, £19.90

While the silhouette is relaxed, the drawstring waist can be pulled tighter for a cinched fit.

As the trousers are so versatile, they’re going to be flattering on every body type.

My favourite feature? The quality.

The linen blend fabric feels airy while still being thick, so there’s no risk of them being see-through (although I can’t speak for the lighter colours).

If I tried these on blind, I would assume they costed a lot more than £20.

They’re incredibly comfortable, but unlike sweatpants or leggings, they also make me feel put-together and stylish.

Uniqlo also offers alterations on certain items.

Shoppers can choose to adjust the inseam length of the trousers for free, which is great for those who can never quite find the perfect length.

I’ve been wearing the versatile trousers with T-shirts and cardigans during working from home days, and I also dressed it up slightly by opting for a boat neck top.

I could see the affordable fashion find looking great with an off-shoulder top, heeled boots and chunky jewellery for an elevated evening look.

Uniqlo Linen Blend Easy Trousers, £19.90

The easy-to-wear trousers will get more of their fair share of use, and for less than £20, they’re a bargain.

Shoppers agree, as the Uniqlo staple has received a 4.7-out-of-5 star rating online.

One fashion fan wrote: “These trousers are honestly some of the most comfortable I own.

I can move around in them easily and without restriction — 10/10, would highly recommend.”

Another added: “Uniqlo’s linen blend trousers are a stylish, affordable, and practical addition to a wardrobe. 

The fabric blend keeps them breathable yet less prone to heavy crinkles, so they’re travel-ready with a comfortable waist.”

The Motley Fool just updated its report on the 10 largest consumer staple companies. You probably know every name on the list, which includes retail giants like Walmart (NYSE: WMT), product makers like Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), and tobacco companies like Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM). Also on that list is a Dividend King food and beverage company that has a historically high yield. Here’s why it could be the best opportunity for investors today.

What does PepsiCo do?

To get right to the crux of the topic, PepsiCo (PEP 1.12%) is the company in question. It sits at No. 7 on the list of the largest consumer staple companies, with a market cap of around $200 billion. It is one of three beverage makers on the list, the other two being Coca-Cola (KO 0.94%) at No. 4 and Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE: BUD) at No. 10.

Image source: Getty Images.

Unlike those other two, however, PepsiCo’s business extends well beyond beverages. It also has leading positions in the salty snack (Frito-Lay) and packaged food (Quaker Oats) segments of the sector. It is one of the most diversified companies on the top-10 list. Only Unilever (NYSE: UL), which makes household products and food, has a similar degree of diversification.

PepsiCo, meanwhile, stands toe to toe with every company on the list with regard to name recognition. For more direct peers, those that manage brands and are not retailers, it can compete equally on distribution, marketing, and product development. And, like all the other names on the list, PepsiCo is large enough to act as an industry consolidator, buying smaller companies to round out its brand portfolio and keep up with consumers’ buying habits.

The proof of the business’s strength and resilience is best highlighted by the fact that PepsiCo is a Dividend King. It has increased its dividend annually for 53 consecutive years, which is not something a company can achieve if it doesn’t have a strong business model that gets executed well in both good times and bad. For reference, other Dividend Kings on the list include Walmart, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble.

WMT data by YCharts.

This is not a good time for PepsiCo 

Among the sub-grouping of large consumer staples companies that are also Dividend Kings, PepsiCo has been the laggard in recent years. To put a number on that, PepsiCo’s 2.1% organic sales growth in the second quarter was less than half the 5% growth of Coca-Cola, its closest peer. No wonder PepsiCo’s stock is down more than 20% from its 2023 highs, the worst result from the Dividend Kings grouping. That also puts PepsiCo into its own personal bear market.

However, the market’s negative view of PepsiCo could be an opportunity for long-term dividend investors. For starters, history suggests that PepsiCo will muddle through this rough patch, as it has done many times before. Second, the company is already making moves to improve performance, including buying a Mexican-American food maker and a probiotic beverage company. Third, falling share price has pushed its dividend yield up to 3.8%, which is toward the high end of the stock’s historical yield range.

That last point suggests that PepsiCo stock is cheap right now. This view is backed up by the fact that the company’s price-to-sales and price-to-book-value ratios are both well below their five-year averages. The company’s price-to-earnings ratio is sitting around the longer-term average. This is an opportunity if you think in decades and not days.

The time to jump is now

The interesting thing here is that PepsiCo is actually the best-performing stock on the top 10 list over the past three months. It seems investors are beginning to recognize the potential. But given how far the stock has fallen, it is still flying under the radar a bit. If you like owning Dividend Kings with reliable businesses, PepsiCo can still be an attractive long-term investment to add to your portfolio… if you act quickly.

Michael Madsen, the actor who was a staple in numerous Quentin Tarantino films including “Kill Bill” and “Reservoir Dogs,” has died. He was 67

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to The Times that deputies responded to the actor’s Malibu home Thursday morning and found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at 8:25 a.m. The spokesperson did not reveal a cause of death, adding that foul play is not suspected and Madsen seemingly died of natural causes.

This story is developing and will be updated.