For the first time in the gum maker's long history, the William
Wrigley Jr Company has appointed a non-family member to take over
the leadership of the global confectionery business.
UK snack maker Kitchen Range Foods has launched a new range of
individually packaged chocolate doughnuts, created using the iconic
Cadbury confectionery brand.
Nestlé France has outsourced its supply chain transport to Geodis
for the next three years,under a contract that guarantees the
Switzerland-based agrifood giant guaranteed performancetargets.
Major restructuring for Swiss based confectionery company Nestlé
has cost 645 jobs in England as the company prepares to move
production of some of its core brands.
US based confectionery maker Hershey has launched a new range of
chocolate, designed to offer consumers a more upmarket version of
the traditional indulgence.
There have been a number of developments in the confectionery
industry in the last week, not least of which is the news that UK
retailer ASDA is attempting to blend popular culture with novelty
candy.
European confectionery giant Nestle has overcome rising energy
costs to report strong profits in the company's first half results
announced today, but admits there remains room for improvement in
UK brands.
Global confectionery maker Cadbury Schweppes has opened its first
R&D centre in south-east Asia, as it seeks to drive growth in
emerging markets like China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
South Korea's leading confectionery maker Lotte has bought a
Shanghai-based chocolate company, as it seeks to expand in the
fast-growing Chinese market.
The world's largest chewing gum producer, the Wm Wrigley Jr
Company, has announced record sales in the first quarter, boosted
by new product launches and an increased worldwide presence.
Cadbury Schweppes, the world's biggest confectionery maker, signed
an agreement yesterday with Vietnam's leading food maker Kinh Do,
giving it access to the company's extensive distribution network.
Global confectionery giant, Hershey, has announced encouraging
sales and rising profits - thanks to a strong focus on product
innovation and seasonal marketing in the last year.
Cadbury Schweppes has been forced to improve cleaning processes at
its Herefordshire factory after last month's recall of
Salmonella-contaminated products.
Leading food manufacturer Kraft has paid £575m (€829.6m) for United
Biscuit's southern European snack business. The deal was signed off
over the weekend, said British daily The Financial Times.
Cadbury Schweppes has come under renewed criticism following a
regulatory finding that it did not adhere to EU safety measures at
its Herefordshire plant, where salmonella was discovered earlier
this year.
Chocolate has a nice feeling to it - tasty, fun, luxurious and
slightly sinful. This is comfort food, accessible to all and
epitomised in the recent film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Nestle doesn't expect raw material prices to rise further this
year, despite a recent FAO report that forecasts an increase of
over 2 per cent in the world food import bill in 2006.
Cadbury Schweppes says that it is unlikely to be able to deliver
margin growth within the company's goal ranges for 2006, though US
gum sales have been strong.
Nestle, the world's biggest foodmaker, has agreed to buy the Uncle
Tobys cereal, soups and nutritious snacks brand from Burns Philp
for A$890 million (€523.2m) to expand its range of healthier foods
in Australia.
The board of directors at Wrigley has declared a regular dividend
of $0.256 on each share of common stock and each share of class B
common stock for the three-month period beginning 1 August 2006.
Hershey's expansion of its health and nutrition initiative
underlines the extent to which chocolate makers are keen to tap
into consumer health concerns.
The opinion of an advocate-general of the European Court of Justice
on UK anti-tax avoidance rules could benefit multinationals such as
confectioner Cadbury Schweppes.
Swiss food giant Nestlé has announced a first-quarter sales rise of
14.1 per cent to CHF22.8bn (€14.5bn), beating analyst expectations
and reconfirming its full-year target of a five to six per cent
growth rate.
Iconic chocolate and snacks brand Hershey has announced
disappointing sales figures, but posted a seven per cent rise in
quarterly profit as the company works on product innovation and
cost minimisation.
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.
New products and seasonal success may have given Hershey increased
2005 sales, but income for the confectionery colossus remains
blighted by the cost of reorganisation.
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.
Italian confectioner Ferrero has won its battle against Chinese
counterfeiters who have been producing copycat versions of its
products for the Asian market.