Apr 08 2013 19:57 BST Kraft and Mondelez: snacks and snagsMergers are designed to prove that 1 + 1 > 2. Conversely, bosses and bankers argue, spin-offs can prove that 1 = 0.6 + 0.6. This is maths for optimists. Alas, in the separation of old Kraft (including Cadbury) into new Kraft and Mondelez, effected six months ago, standard arithmetic |
Mar 22 2013 14:10 GMT Wall Street higher on robust earningsWall Street was firmer in early trading on Friday, with robust earnings from Nike and Tiffany boosting sentiment, but still leaving major benchmarks on course for a loss over the week. Shares in Nike surged 10.4 per cent to $59.18, after it reported net income rose 16 per cent toBy Michael Mackenzie in New York |
Mar 20 2013 20:30 GMT Wall St rises as Fed reaffirms policiesWall Street rose on Wednesday, and touched its highs for the session after the US Federal Reserve affirmed its supportive policies, while investors also saw containment of any fallout from the banking crisis in Cyprus. Among shares in the spotlight, FedEx slid 6.9 per cent to $99.13 after the packageBy Michael Mackenzie in New York |
Mar 18 2013 19:45 GMT Food stocks: stay overweightLardy, distended, porcine, obese. Or is the right word full-figured, voluptuous, Rubenesque? With food stocks, it's hard to say. Their owners are undoubtedly looking prosperous around the middle. The S&P 500 food producers index has returned 22 per cent in the past 12 months, besting staples stocks generally (18 per |
Feb 25 2013 22:59 GMT ABF food brands fail living wage testAssociated British Foods has been slammed by activists for the second time this month for failing to play the good corporate citizen in the world's poorest countries. The company, which owns discount retailer Primark and grocery brands ranging from Twinings tea to Kingsmill bread has come bottom of the world'sBy Louise Lucas, Consumer Industries Editor |
Feb 12 2013 17:57 GMT Rate fears spark floater revivalInvestor demand for corporate debt that pays floating rates is running at record levels in 2013, as the markets prepare for the risk of rising rates. Walt Disney was expected to sell floating rate debt by the end of Tuesday, joining some of the world's largest corporations that have soldBy Vivianne Rodrigues and Michael Mackenzie in New York |
Jan 29 2013 17:40 GMT P&G joins forces in search for start-upsProcter & Gamble is joining forces with a young Silicon Valley crowdfunding company in a hunt for promising consumer product start-ups. The owner of personal care products including Crest toothpaste and Pampers nappies will join General Mills in partnering with CircleUp, the San Francisco-based online finance start-up for food andBy April Dembosky in San Francisco |
Nov 14 2012 02:00 GMT Battle to keep lawmakers sweet as sugary drinks targetedCall it the battle of the bulge. Purveyors of sugary snacks, in order to keep selling their goods, are going on the defensive: reducing sugar and curbing marketing to keep policy makers sweet and stave off the threat of heavy-handed regulation. So far, the strategy is having mixed success. BroadlyBy Louise Lucas |
Oct 29 2012 16:39 GMT The consumer's inner childAfter the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series, nobody was surprised when The Casual Vacancy, children's author J.K. Rowling's first foray into adult fiction, had runaway sales when it was published last month. Now comes a tougher test: whether the adult-themed novel can reach beyond its ready-made market ofBy Alicia Clegg |
Oct 25 2012 17:59 BST Genetically modified label may not stickArran Stephens, founder of Nature's Path, pays a premium for the "certified organic" and "non-GMO verified" labels he puts on the boxes of puffed rice cereal and cinnamon raisin granola made by his company, the largest organic breakfast food producer in North America by sales. Now he wants to levelBy April Dembosky in San Francisco |
