2009 Consumer Goods Registry: Food
Nestlé S.A.
It's all about innovation at Nestlé S.A. these days. In October 2009, Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a joint venture between Nestlé and General Mills Inc., announced the creation of a new Innovation Centre in Orbe, Switzerland. The investment of close to CHF 50 million underlines Nestlé's commitment to accelerating the company's development of innovative and nutritious breakfast cereals. This latest announcement follows other company innovation initiatives. Among them, Nestlé opened the Nestlé Professional Customer Innovation Campus in Solon, Ohio, in 2008, dedicated to the development of culinary food solutions for the out-of-home business, one of its four strategic growth areas.
Annual sales for fiscal 2008 at H. J. Heinz Company eclipsed $10 billion for the first time in the company's history. The trend continued in 2009 as Heinz recently reported another record year with sales of more than $10.1 billion. "Our increased marketing and successful focus on quality and innovation have helped Heinz rise to the challenges posed by the global recession and the emerging trends of increased at-home dining, channel shifting and the growth of private label," said Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer William R. Johnson at the company's annual meeting of shareholders. Cadbury PLC
In 2008, Cadbury PLC completed its transformation into a pure-play confectionery company, successfully demerging its Americas Beverages business to Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. With revenue up 7 percent in 2008, Cadbury's success caught the attention of Kraft Foods, whose two unsolicited takeover bids for the company had been rejected at press time. Still, the possibility of Cadbury's acquisition is the subject of much speculation and debate throughout the consumer goods industry. Merger and acquisition drama aside, Cadbury has managed to make operational improvements since the demerger. For example, the company recently chose Quofore (formerly O4 Corporation) to deliver an advanced retail execution solution to electronically monitor in-store compliance with promotional activity.