Premier Foods reveals exceedingly good profit rise May 17, 2016 A profit rise at Premier Foods has pleased investors with shares rising more than three per cent in early trading. The figures The maker of household favourites like Mr Kipling cakes, Oxo and Sharwood's has reported a 3.5 per cent rise pre-tax profits to £86.1m for the year to the start of April, while revenues inched up [...]
Personal Messenger: EchoMany’s Tim Redgate talks film trailers and false personalisation July 18, 2016 Four fifths of UK brands say they’re personalising their marketing to some extent, but that doesn’t mean much,” says Tim Redgate, founder of EchoMany, which sends personalised videos to targeted audiences on social media by embedding relevant user data. “If a brand writes a consumer’s name in an email, that counts. But it isn’t real personalisation.” There [...]
KitKat’s four-finger shape cannot be a trademark says High Court in latest step in Nestle’s intellectual property battle January 20, 2016 Confectionery company Nestle suffered yet another knock today in its ongoing intellectual property battle against Cadbury after the High Court ruled that its four-finger KitKat design could not be registered as a trademark. The High Court decision follows a ruling last September from the Court of Justice of the European Union. The European court determined that, [...]
Nestle whips up joint venture Froneri with R&R Ice Cream to sell frozen foods in more than 20 countries April 27, 2016 Global food giant Nestle has agreed a joint venture with British food firm R&R Ice Cream to sell ice cream and frozen food in more than 20 countries. The 50/50 joint venture, which will be called Froneri, will be based in the UK and will combine Nestle and R&R's ice cream activities in Europe, the Middle East, [...]
The Queen backs Europe(an Refrigeration): Essex-based cooling solutions supplier gets a royal warrant April 17, 2016 News reaches The Capitalist that, contrary to past reports, HRH Queen Elizabeth II has shown support for Europe. Well, European regulations on white goods, anyway. European Refrigeration, a family-run commercial supplier of fridges and air conditioning equipment in Essex, has received the seal of approval from the most prestigious of customers and has been granted a royal [...]
Bad news for Valentine’s Day truffle buyers: Chocolate could be about to become more expensive as emerging markets develop a sweet tooth February 12, 2016 The price of chocolate could be about to leap, as inefficient farming methods come up against spiking demand, new research has suggested. Something to think about as you're scoffing those Valentine's Day truffles… The research, by Hardman Agribusiness, said western consumers now munch their way through 286 35g bars of chocolate a year. That's more than 10 kilograms [...]
Rio 2016: As non-sponsoring brands get more scope to cash in on Olympic fever, official partners may be getting a bum deal August 8, 2016 Rio 2016 may have be tainted by doping scandals, the threat of the Zika virus, and worries of violence, but if you’ve got the money, sponsoring the Olympics seems like a no-brainer. Around 3.6bn people saw at least one minute of London 2012, and Rio’s audience is expected to be even bigger still, providing the 11 [...]
Mondelez International share price drops as currency issues eat into snacks group’s sales February 3, 2016 Mondelez International, the parent company of several snack brands including Cadbury, Belvita and Milka, posted a 16.6 per cent dip in sales during the fourth quarter of 2015, down to $7.36bn (£5.04bn). This represents the ninth consecutive quarter of decreased revenue for the group. Europe put in a particularly bad performance, with sales down 31.8 [...]
The science of branding: Neuro-Insight CEO Heather Andrew on brands and brains December 14, 2015 Emotion is not enough, says Heather Andrew When Cadbury’s drumming gorilla was unleashed in 2007, its soundtrack and surrealism allowed the confectioner to draw a line under its salmonella scare, and boosted sales by 9 per cent. But an entertaining advert is not enough. The role which branding plays within the advert is crucial, [...]
London’s Bournvilles: What the future of housing looks like in a supply-squeezed capital April 1, 2016 As everyone who studied the Victorians knows, one of the lasting legacies of these periods are the worker villages of Bournville and Saltaire. Planned and executed by the Cadbury and Salt families respectively to provide good quality housing for their employees, and thereby promoting staff loyalty and better living standards, these villages still thrive today. What [...]