Kraft Foods has recorded stable first quarter results, masking
falling operating income with a favourable tax settlement and
raising prices to combat spiralling production costs.
Prices for raw materials and energy are forecast to rise by around
five to 10 per cent this year, but Nestlé believes cost cuts will
balance the equation out, the company's chief executive said
yesterday.
Troubled chocolate maker Barry Callebaut has increased sales
volumes during its financial first quarter, but the growth has
meant a tumble in profit margin.
Sugar confectionery was the only sector to see a significant
decline in the first half of 2005 as UK exports of food and drink
grow 3.1 per cent indicating the industry is on track to break the
£10 billion barrier for the first time...
Cloetta Fazer, Scandinavia's biggest confectionery company, has
revealed growth in the Nordic region despite decreased earnings due
to increasing price pressures.
Food giant Nestlé is being squeezed by tough international
confectionery markets, its modest overall half-year sales dragged
down by disappointing performances from its chocolate,
confectionery and biscuit categories.
Food makers and ingredients firms will benefit from a new European
platform that will prioritise research and development initiatives
to keep the €800 billion food and drink industry
competitive,reports Lindsey Partos.
Our journalist Angela Drujinina brings you the latest
research on Russia¡¯s chocolate market, including producers¡¯
concerns, the market situation and market leaders.
Nestlé has launched new sweets and biscuits in Russia as intense
competition has forced the firm to invest heavily in what is now
the world's fourth biggest confectionery market, reports Angela
Drujinina.
The first ever survey of research and development (R&D)
personnel across all industrial sectors in Europe reveals most
participants predict there will be little change in their
companies' R&D investment levels over the...
Wrigley, the world's biggest gum manufacturer, has posted record Q1
profits and beat analysts' expectations - buoyed by impressive
early sales from its recent acquisition of Spanish confectioner
Joyco, Tom Armitage reports.
Nestlé, the world's biggest food and drink manufacturer, has
announced a modest increase in Q1 profits after successfully
offsetting rising raw material costs with price increases across
the UK and Continental Europe, Tom Armitage...
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
The value of the UK agricultural industry's gross output including
subsidies directly linked to product increased by 2.5 per cent to
£16.9 billion while intermediate consumption rose by 5.4 per cent
due in part to the rise in...
Swiss food giant Nestlé has boosted its Romanian production
capacity with the installation of a new chocolate wafer production
line at its Timisoara-based unit, Joe. The investment reflects the
rapid growth of the Romanian snack market,...
British confectionery and soft drinks group Cadbury Schweppes is
back on the path to growth after the acquisition of confectionery
group Adams and a complete overhaul of its US beverage business.
Cost reductions, investment in confectionery...
Marketers of fast moving consumer goods in Russia may now think
twice about using free samples to promote their products, following
a decision to tax them. Angela Drujinina reports.
Increasing investment in new product development is expected to
help British confectionery and soft drinks producer Cadbury
Schweppes to achieve its ambitious targets for long-term growth,
according to analysts Goldman Sachs. And...
Consumers and producers are united in their desire for lighter,
functional packaging on the Russian food market, driving the
development of plastics and paper in the dairy, bakery and
confectionery sectors and sending traditional...
Russian brewers, facing the impact of a recent ban on advertising
their products, are hoping to keep consumer awareness high through
new product launches, including premium beers, reports Angela
Drujinina.
The takeover of Spanish confectionery group Joyco earlier this year
continued to lift sales at gum giant Wrigley in the third quarter
of the year. Joyco's business in Asia, in particular, has helped
improve Wrigley's standing...
French food group Danone has reported steady if unspectacular
growth for the third quarter of the year, with poor weather in much
of northern Europe impacting sales compared to last year's
heatwave-boosted performance.
The recent bolt on acquisition of Rhodia Food Ingredients lifted
sales for Danisco in an otherwise challenging first quarter for
2004/2005 but efforts to improve margins appear to be paying off,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Sun Interbrew, Russia's second largest brewer, has announced strong
six month and second quarter financial results, reflecting a
continuing rise in beer sales backed up by a strong control over
costs.
Product mix difficulties meant that Spanish sugar confectionery
producers were unable to match increased volume sales with a rise
in revenues in 2003. The children's confectionery market, in
particular, failed to meet expectations...
One of Spain's most traditional Christmas delicacies,
turron, could be in short supply this year after a
disastrous harvest for the key ingredient, almonds.
Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has revealed strong results that
put organic growth in double figures and gave it its first ever
year with no first-half operating loss. The company said the
results had been particularly...
Cost-cutting measures are paying off for the world's largest
fragrance and flavour company with Givaudan pulling in a
double-digit growth in profit for the first half of 2004.
As popularity soars for the low carbohydrate, high protein Atkins
diet scientists warn this week that even a 'moderately' high
protein diet could reduce a woman's chances of becoming pregnant.
Mounting criticism of...
With a plethora of brands from which to choose and long-established
patterns of consumption, the prospects of significant growth in the
French chocolate market might seem remote. But a new report
suggests that there is plenty of movement...
The dynamic performance of the Romanian chocolate sector continues
to gather pace with the announcement from Supreme Chocolat that it
has increased its sales in the first quarter by an impressive 120
per cent.
Pernod Ricard, the world's third largest wine and spirits group,
has reported a slight dip in sales for the first quarter of 2004.
The group's established brands performed well in the US and Asia
Pacific regions, but its...
As society ponders the reasons for the rising tide of obesity in
children, researchers in the US suggest that the 'striking
alterations' in children's meal patterns over the past 20 years may
not be related to the current...
Roasted ground coffee is still by far the biggest category in the
German coffee market, but sales dropped by 2 per cent last year as
consumers switched to more exciting variants such as Cappuccino and
Espresso, writes Chris Jones.
Exports of sugar confectionery from Switzerland rose by more than
10 per cent last year, offsetting a mediocre performance on the
home market. But with imports taking a lesser share of sales this
year, the industry hopes that focusing...
Almost one in four (23 per cent) German adults admits to often
skipping meals to keep their weight down - a massive 17.5 million
people. But according to a new survey of European dieting habits,
Germans are also the least likely to...
Last year was a tough one for French closures and barrels group
Oeneo, formerly
known as Sabaté Diosos. But the company ended the year with results
in line with expectations as restructuring efforts at both the
closures and...
The European Commission has welcomed the agreement reached by the
European Parliament and Council conciliation committee to increase
the minimum recycling targets for packaging waste from 25 to 55 per
cent by 2008. The agreement overcomes...
The cost of restructuring its business has forced Cadbury Schweppes
to introduce a major cost cutting programme which should see the
loss of around 5,500 jobs.
Wrigley has announced third quarter earnings up 15 per cent,
following an impressive 12 per cent growth in its global sales,
which were further strengthened by the weakness of the US dollar.
The global reach of Nestlé means that it is particularly
susceptible to currency effects, and first half sales at the
confectionery-to-mineral water group were down 6.3 per cent as a
result.
