Despite their natural advantages of name recognition and sales momentum, big brands have struggled of late. Consulting firm Seurat Group has put together a toolbox to help companies reinvigorate these key contributors.
As widely predicted, ConAgra Foods is to sell the bulk of its private label business to Treehouse Foods in a $2.7bn deal – less than three years after acquiring it from Ralcorp for almost $5bn.
Ready to leap from start-up to category leader, better-for-you snack company Wonderfully Raw Gourmet Delights exchanged a slice of its equity for accelerator Fresca Food’s help expanding production, distribution and marketing.
Proactive marketing strategies, such as cross-promotions and strategic shelving, by food manufacturers and retailers can reduce the risk of lost sales when consumers are faced with an out-of-stock product on their grocery list.
The Sparkling ICE brand notched up sales of more than $500m in 2014, is on course to top $600m in 2015, and has a fighting chance of reaching its well-publicized target of $1bn in 2018, assuming it can secure the shelf space it deserves, says Kevin Klock,...
While turmeric is still a novel ingredient to many Americans, it’s only a matter of time before it moves from the niche to the mainstream of US food culture, predicts Temple Turmeric founder Daniel Sullivan, who has set his sights on conquering the conventional...
Hostess Brands could see global expansion of Twinkies, Donnettes et al. and an extremely strong bakery player emerge if a buyout transpires, analysts say.
A raft of candy makers are moving into snacks and this influx of innovation will serve the category and consumers well, says the CEO of the Snack Food Association (SFA).
Heinz is urging a Pennsylvania court to reverse a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) allowing Boulder Brands to register ‘Smart Balance’ as a trademark for frozen foods and snacks – a name Heinz claims is “confusingly similar” to...
Hartman Group: Pleasure & distinction bigger drivers than health for premium products
While more premium brands from KRAVE to Noosa are being snapped up by big food companies and private equity firms, not every CPG category has the potential to be driven – or revitalized - by premium brands, according to a new analysis by Hartman Group....
Dispatches from Canadean International Beer Strategies, Amsterdam
Social media strategies need to refrain from insistently pushing brands; but instead add value for consumers, explains Ashley Vinson, head of brand strategy Benelux, Twitter.
B&G Foods’ strategy to grow by expanding its footprint in the center of the store is succeeding even though it seems counter-intuitive at a time when other manufacturers are trying to reach consumers along the store’s perimeter.
There are plenty of billion-dollar brands in the CPG market, but just 8% of 213 ‘legacy’ US food and beverage brands analyzed by market researcher Hartman Group are outpacing inflation and category growth rates.
It’s no secret that smaller, emerging brands are winning the battle for consumers’ hearts, minds and wallets from larger, established players in the US food and beverage industry, but which ‘challenger’ brands really stand out in the crowd? And what are...
Post Holdings is to buy rival MOM Brands in a $1.15bn cash and stock deal that will solidify its position as #3 in the US ready-to-eat cereal category (behind Kellogg and General Mills) and boost its presence in bagged and hot cereal.
Grupo Bimbo’s acquisition of Saputo Bakery is a surprise because the Canadian packaged cake firm is unprofitable and struggling, says Euromonitor International.
This merges soup and beverages; we’re creating a new category...
While some retailers didn’t know quite what to make of his ‘chilled soup in a bottle’ when he first started pitching the concept last year, around 75% “just got it immediately”, says Tio Gazpacho founder Austin Allan. “And then they would say: How come...
Trendwatching with Mintel, Euromonitor, Rabobank & Trailblazer Foods
From the 'astounding' reinvention of popcorn as "Millennial friendly, cool and healthy", to the proliferation of apps & devices enabling us to track our calories, sleep and bowel movements, what have we learned about the food culture...
Bai Brands CEO Ben Weiss says the Dr Pepper allied brand will hit $50m in sales this year and puts this down to a focus on ‘distribution at the expense of brand equity’ during the early ‘basement’ years.
Boulder Brands - which announced a high-profile re-launch of its Smart Balance spreads on a non-GMO platform in March - has admitted that the move has not transformed the brand’s flagging fortunes.
Jaime Crespo, senior brand manager, Lipton North America, says research suggests consumers are 59 times more likely to engage with brands on Instagram than Facebook, while millennials measure wealth more by experiences.
Private label growth has slowed from the last several years when consumers flocked to the category due to the recession, according to a report from Packaged Facts. While retailers continue to launch and promote store brand products, a persistently sluggish...
Are consumers weary of 'all-natural' claims? And if so, what other cues do they look for on pack to see if a brand fits in with their values? We quizzed the bosses of some innovative food brands, ingredients suppliers and branding experts to...
Hershey has unveiled a new logo as part of a corporate brand makeover designed to reflect its “evolution from a predominately U.S. chocolate maker to a global confection and snack company”.
Despite market watchers’ predictions that private label will all but take over the world, its share of the packaged food market has remained relatively flat since 2008.
Nestle USA is poised to launch a 26-serve Nescafe ‘to go’ liquid coffee concentrate that consumers can add to water to create RTD coffee on demand, along the same lines as its Nestea liquid water enhancer.
Vital Juice CEO Edward Balassanian insists the product is outselling larger rivals including Hain Celestial’s BluePrint he says evangelize nutrition in juice that only his brand delivers.
Mascots on breakfast cereals that gaze directly into a consumer’s line of vision can spark trust; findings that researchers say could be used to fuel growth of better-for-you lines.
As CPG’s big guns congregate in Florida for the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference, many of them are at a strategic crossroads, says Rabobank.
This week Nestlé announced the sale of its sports nutrition business under the Powerbar and Musashi brands to Post Holdings. As the aging brand assumes new ownership, industry experts to weigh in on whether Powerbar will get an update to stay relevant...
ConAgra has committed to pumping more resources into trade spending following a summer of crazy discounting in the frozen aisles and some other parts of the store as firms attempted to tackle weak volumes with bigger discounts, said bosses yesterday....
As marketers gear up for the Fourth of July, drape the Star-Spangled Banner over products, and pull out their best Uncle Sam look-a-likes for commercials, the most patriotic of brands are American icons, according to a quantitative brand values survey.
A large chunk of the growth in the beverage category in North America over the next decade will come from products in categories that do not even exist today, predicts Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) team.
Kettle Chips maker Diamond Foods has recorded a $10.7m loss in the first quarter of 2013 after incurring expenses for an investigation into improper payments to walnut growers.
The nearly extinct Twinkie has received a scurry of free publicity over the past two weeks and the saga may just lead to Wonder Bread t-shirts and Twinkie imitations coming out of the woodwork, an analyst says.
Hillshire Brands Co. reported strong earnings in its first quarter as an independent company, reporting net income of $53 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 that ended Sept. 29.
ConAgra Foods is pumping $100m into expanding its facility in Russellville, Arkansas, to make Bertolli and P.F. Chang's frozen meals in a move that will create 80 new jobs.
Danone has settled a class action lawsuit in Canada relating to claims made on labels, packaging and advertisements for its Activia yogurt and DanActive probiotic drinks products.
ConAgra has completed its acquisition of Unilever’s Bertolli and P.F. Chang’s Home Menu frozen meals businesses from Unilever for $267m, the company has said.
The CEO of Beam Inc. claims tequila will yield attractive global growth in the long-term, as his firm boosted sales of its core Sauza brand in H2 2012 after an indifferent few quarters.
Campbell Soup's acquisition of Bolthouse Farms will create a new $1.2bn healthy beverages platform combining Campbell's V8 veg/fruit brand and Bolthouse's super-premium chilled beverages and boost Campbell’s presence in faster-growing fresh...
Brands are often keen to portray themselves as one of the family – but could subtle differences in linguistic intimacy make some potential customers feel uncomfortable?
