After a heated tug of war with the board, the man who last year
took speciality chemicals company ISP private has abandoned efforts
to gain control of US chemicals and food gums company Hercules.
Confectioner Swiss Delice announced back in May its intention to
target the UK premium confectionery and biscuit market with a range
of products aimed at a young affluent market.
Intentia International is to supply Haribo, the world's leading
supplier and manufacturer of fruit gums, liquorices and candy foam
with a range of collaboration solutions for its European production
facilities.
Selling its popular confectionery products through other retail
channels and diversifying into other product segments has helped
UK-based Thorntons to increase its sales over the last 12 months.
After several recent acquisitions, Northern Foods has continued its
strategy of focusing on the fast-growing convenience food sector
with the sale of its Fox's Confectionery unit for £9.4m.
Swiss group Barry Callebaut has acquired Brach's in the US.
Combining Brach's with the German unit Stollwerck, acquired in
2002, will give Barry Callebaut annual sales of around €909m.
The company's increasing emphasis on the Polish confectionery
market meant that Sweden's Cloetta Fazer fell foul of adverse
exchange rates in the first half of 2003.
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland yesterday announced it
will increase its capacity for the production of the sweetener
liquid sorbitol at its Decatur plant in the US by 60 per cent.
House of Brussels Chocolates (HBSL) believes that restructuring and
the implementation of a strategic business plan have put the firm
in a strong position.
The European Commission on Friday approved plans by US company
Archer Daniels Midland to purchase food giant Unilever's edible oil
refining subsidiary VDBO.
UK sweeteners and starch group Tate & Lyle has completed the
sale of its monosodium glutamate (MSG) production unit in France to
Japanese seasonings company Ajinomoto.
Agribusiness giant ADM will dissolve a joint venture with US corn
sweetener company after the two companies stuck an agreement under
the auspices of a federal judge, reports the Washington
Post.
The world's largest chewing gum manufacturer Wrigley has reported
strong six-month and second-quarter sales growth and a 12.5 per
cent increase in profits.
Biscuit manufacturer Lu Polska, which is part of the French-based
Danone Group, is to close down its production plant in Jaroslaw,
Poland. The closure will result in the loss of 500 jobs.
Barry Callebaut claims that the installation of a metal detector
and conveyor belt system has significantly improved efficiency and
reduced downtime on one of its busiest production lines.
A strong rise in sales volumes in Western Europe helped Barry
Callebaut to post steady profit rise for first nine months. Company
on course to meet its target of EBIT SF200 million in 2002/03.
Barry Callebaut announced today that it has suspended efforts to
take full control of Stollwerck after minority shareholders in the
German firm filed a lawsuit against a proposed squeeze-out.
Danish ingredients company Danisco will expand its flavour creation
centres in the Netherlands and Belgium as part of the restructuring
of its flavour research and development facilities.
Confectionery and biscuit manufacturer Swiss Delice is planning to
expand into the UK this Autumn. The Swiss-based firm believes that
the UK market presents a major opportunity.
Spanish confectionery group Chupa Chups has announced a 17 per cent
drop in sales for 2002 - a decline which has forced it to close
most of its foreign production units.
Despite strong sales in confectionery speciality fats, Danish
Aarhus Oliefabrik on Wednesday reported a drop in post-tax profits
to DKK 19.4 million (€2.61m) for the first quarter of 2003.
Exceptionally hot weather in the last week before Easter meant that
like-for-like sales at UK confectionery maker and retailer
Thorntons dropped by 7 per cent.
Ingredients developer zuChem this week announced that it has raised
a considerable chunk of capital in order to develop new methods to
manufacture alternative sweeteners.
Swedish ingredients company Karlshamns reports that growing
competition and decreasing margins characterised the market for
chocolate fats designed to replace cocoa butter.
Barry Callebaut, the Swiss chocolate producer, has continued to go
from strength to strength despite depressed consumer spending and
the strength of the Swiss franc. As in Q1, first half figures were
boosted by the Stollwerck acquisition...
Topps, the US-based company behind the Bazooka bubblegum has
reported a decline in sales for 2002, caused mainly by the collapse
in sales of its Pokemon branded confectionery items.
The owners of Chupa Chups, the Bernat family, have agreed to
transfer trademark rights to the Chupa Chups name, but will this be
enough to save the ailing firm?
