CPG companies see e-commerce as link to customers

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November 18, 2010 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    General Mills COO expects other food companies to raise prices, too Ian Friendly, chief operating officer of U.S. retail for General Mills, says the aggressive discounts of the past few years are ending because of higher costs for wheat, corn and other ingredients. The company has already raised prices on some cereals and baking products, and Friendly expects other companies to do the same. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (11/17) Campbell tackles childhood food issues with new post Campbell Soup has hired Kim Fremont Fortunato for the newly created job of director of childhood obesity and hunger. She was most recently president of Operation Warm, a nonprofit that provides winter coats to children, and in her new job, she will focus on the city of Camden, N.J., where Campbell is headquartered. American City Business Journals/Philadelphia (11/16) EU approves Unilever's purchase of Sara Lee unit Unilever has received permission from the European Union to purchase the European personal-care unit of Sara Lee, but it must drop the Sanex line of deodorants and body washes in the region. The approval allows Unilever to add other Sara Lee brands, such as Radox and Duschdas, to its home and personal-care business, a Unilever executive said. Bloomberg (11/17)   What could be better than supporting and managing your BlackBerry smartphone deployment, for free? Nothing. Now you can get industry-leading security and device management tools for BlackBerry smartphones, for free. Download BlackBerry Enterprise Server express today and get started.   Trends    CPG companies see e-commerce as link to customers Though e-commerce sales are still small for consumer packaged goods, companies are eager to participate in the trend because "they believe, rightfully so, that they've lost touch with their end customer, kind of ceded that to the retailer," a Deloitte analyst explained. Brian Wiegand of Alice.com, which provides e-commerce platforms, says marketers now expect up to 5% of sales to be online by 2015. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/17) Research shapes Frito-Lay snack launches A research project called DemoImpact, developed by PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and the University of Texas at Dallas, predicts U.S. demand for snacks over 15 years, using demographic trends and data from 30,000 consumers. Frito-Lay says the research is shaping launches by identifying trends, while explaining "why some snack categories are stagnant or decreasing." FoodNavigator (11/16) Gain Control of Your Most Expensive Resource The market for workforce management is still maturing and many growing companies have yet to implement a workforce management system. Download this complimentary article to learn about why growing companies need to adopt a workforce management solution to stay competitive and the business value this solution provides.   Advertising & Marketing    3rd TV movie is set to air from Wal-Mart, P&G Wal-Mart and Procter & Gamble are teaming on a third made-for-TV family movie, this one called "A Walk in My Shoes," to premier Dec. 3 on NBC. The movie will feature a soundtrack produced by Randy Jackson, and Wal-Mart will sell the DVD and soundtrack together starting Dec. 4. Drug Store News (11/17) , MediaPost Communications/Marketing Daily (11/17) Make the most of the first-ever Small Business Saturday, November 27, 2010. A day to come together in support of small businesses like yours. The businesses that are the heartbeat of our communities and local economies. Join the movement, and help spread the word about your business with $100 of free Facebook advertising and other promotional tools. Get Involved.   Retail Spotlight    Wegmans TV ads star Alec Baldwin TV ads for Wegmans feature actor Alec Baldwin and his mother at a store in Syracuse, N.Y., with Wegmans employees, not actors. Baldwin praised the chain in May during an interview with David Letterman, saying his mother would not move to California because she did not want to be away from the store. Rochester Business Journal (N.Y.) (11/17) This report provides a review and assessment of the strategic innovation options that CPG companies should examine. It also covers the need to develop a coherent innovation strategy across categories and platforms and for alignment with overall corporate strategy: Click here to find out more.   Featured Content    The Right Way to Delegate Your Next Big Project Mike Michalowicz Small Business Saturday Campaign Embraced by New England Shopkeepers Jane Applegate Can a Book that Targets Teens Help Them Help Us? Joel Libava From a Snapple Marketing Veteran: How to Tap the Power of Packaging Elaine Pofeldt Why You Should Treat Your Employees Like Children Anita Campbell   Health & Wellness  Fruits, vegetables may lower bone fracture risk in women Researchers who examined participants' dietary nutrient-density scores found that for every 40% increase in calories from nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables, women had a 14% reduced risk of bone fracture over a decade. The study found no connection between bone fracture risk and consumption of calorie-dense foods such as chips and processed meats. Reuters (11/17)   GMA News  Arm yourself with collaborative transportation solutions at the 2011 Supply Chain Conference To maximize transportation efficiency in the supply chain, collaboration from all stakeholders is essential. During the 2011 joint Supply Chain Conference: People, Products, Process and Potential, Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, in Orlando, Fla., get perspectives on collaborative transportation strategies and emerging challenges in sessions such as: Current and Long-Term Transportation Trends Key stakeholders representing retail, manufacturing, 3PL and commercial carrier segments will discuss current and expected challenges, cost containment strategies and visioning for the future related to transportation in the value chain. Steve Carter, Director, Transportation Planning, Target Corp. Dennis Donelon, Director, Customer Supply Chain Integration, PepsiCo Chicago Craig McPhee, Executive Director, Distribution, Associated Food Stores As the only supply chain conference designed for retailers and manufacturers by retailers and manufacturers, your company can't afford to miss this conference. Register now! Learn more about GMA -> Home  |  Join GMA  |  Public Policy  |  Industry Affairs  |  Publications  |  Events   Government & Food Safety  Senate passes food safety bill A bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration more control in areas such as setting standards for manufacturers and ordering recalls cleared the Senate on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to take a final vote on the measure today before returning it to the House for further review. The Wall Street Journal (11/18) , The Washington Post (11/18) Food costs do not necessarily follow farm prices, Vilsack says Volatility in agricultural markets will not automatically push up food prices at grocery stores, according to Tom Vilsack, secretary of the Department of Agriculture. "I'm not sure that commodity prices necessarily translate directly and proportionately into food costs," Vilsack said. "There are a lot of people in the food chain that are taking a bite out of the apple." The Wall Street Journal (11/17) FDA rules against alcohol-caffeine drinks The Food and Drug Administration has taken a stand against drinks that combine alcohol and caffeine, and has sent letters to alert manufacturers that the products are illegal. "There is evidence that the combinations of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public-health concern," said an FDA official. The Wall Street Journal (11/18) , The Washington Post (11/18) MANAGER, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE & CONSUMER AFFAIRS The Dannon Company US - NY - WHITE PLAINS   International  P&G to boost production in the Philippines Procter & Gamble says it will spend about $60 million to expand production at a facility in Cabuyao, Laguna, in the Philippines. "We are committed to touch and improve Filipino lives, now and for generations to come," said CEO Robert McDonald, who expects to add about 100 jobs over the next two years. The Philippine Star (Manila) (11/18) , Business World (Philippines) (11/17)     SmartQuote  Good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by courageous patience." --Hyman Rickover, U.S. Navy admiral     This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Associate Publisher, Food Service:  Chris Warne (212) 450-7970 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Lee Vanderwerff (202) 737-5500 ext. 248   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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