Godiva strategy encourages more munching

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November 30, 2011 News for the food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry   Company Watch    ConAgra buying majority share of Indian food company Agro Tech Foods, an India-based maker of food and ingredients, is selling a majority share to ConAgra for $10 million. "Expanding our international business is a key part of our strategic plan, and India represents an attractive growth market for ConAgra Foods," said CEO Gary Rodkin. BusinessWeek.com/The Associated Press (11/29), The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (11/29)      Godiva strategy encourages more munching Godiva's famed gift boxes encouraged consumers to choose and savor a single piece of chocolate at a time. To "get more Godiva into people's mouths more often," Godiva now sells bags of individually wrapped pieces in supermarkets, and says sales of its premium chocolate are up 7.5%. The Wall Street Journal (11/30)      Saputo announces changes at the top Dino Dello Sbarba, who joined Saputo in 1990 and has held several leadership positions, will become president and chief operating officer of the Canadian cheese company starting April 1. Lino Saputo Jr., currently president and CEO, will become CEO and vice chairman. Winnipeg Free Press (Manitoba)/The Canadian Press (11/29)      Chiquita to move headquarters Chiquita Brands is expected to announce that it is moving its headquarters from Cincinnati to Charlotte, N.C. The company will likely establish a 400-person office in 150,000 square feet of the NASCAR Plaza office tower. American City Business Journals/Charlotte (11/29)      Other News AdvancePierre Foods tops list of largest Cincinnati businesses The Journal-News (Hamilton, Ohio) (free registration) (11/28)   U.S. Hispanic Study Released The NPD Group's study of U.S. Hispanics' food and beverage consumption habits and practices reveals that Hispanic children are more likely to snack on fruit and yogurt than are non-Hispanic children. However, the study also found that U.S. Hispanics overall are 50% less likely to eat fruit at in-home lunch. The NPD Group | NET® Hispanic Study     Trends  Security cameras show supermarket theft Supermarket theft typically increases by about 25% in the holiday season, said an expert, and this report shows people getting caught in the act. According to the National Retail Federation, employees accounted for 40% of the $6 billion stolen last year from supermarkets. ABC News/"Nightline" (11/23)      Fly a lot? Earn 3X rewards points on airline purchases with The New Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN. Designed to earn Membership Rewards® points faster: • 3X points on airfare • 2X points on advertising, gas, and shipping • 1X points on everything else LEARN MORE AND APPLY   Advertising & Marketing    Study finds a tie between online marketing and ethnicity A study from Yahoo! and Mindshare found a connection between ethnicity and preferences for online content, indicating minorities want products marketed specifically to them. For example, 62% of African-Americans want targeted health and beauty products, and 50% of Asians prefer entertainment marketing based on their ethnicity. MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (11/29)      Pepto-Bismol urges revelers to "Eat, drink and be covered" A campaign for Pepto-Bismol's line of stomach remedies encourages holiday revelers to eat to the heart's content but to remember the relief its pink medicine can bring to overstuffed tummies. A TV spot urges holiday partiers to "Eat, drink and be covered." The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (11/29)      Other News Kikkoman launches mobile holiday promo MediaPost Communications/Online Media Daily (11/28)      AVOID SPEED AND PRINT QUALITY ISSUES USING LASER TECHNOLOGY. The Domino white paper, "The Five (5) Potential Quality Compromises in Coding Technology & How to Avoid Them" highlights print quality challenges and laser marking systems that overcome these obstacles. Download it now.   Retail Spotlight    Supermarkets bag self-checkout lanes Several supermarket chains are removing self-checkout lanes as their popularity drops. A Food Marketing Institute report shows that 16% of customers used self-checkout in 2010, down from 20% in 2006. "Self-checkout lines get clogged as the customers needed to wait for store staff to assist with problems with bar codes, coupons, payment problems and other issues that invariably arise with many transactions," said Big Y Foods, which tried self-checkout, then decided to remove it. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (11/27)      Logistics is much more than the movement of goods and services. It's also your pre-game strategy. Before you step on the court, you need the right players running the right plays at the right time. Learn more about those key plays in this free whitepaper from UPS and get in the game of logistics.   Sponsored Content    5 Things To Know About Year-End Bonuses Barbara Weltman Think Backward On Your Next Launch John Jantsch How To Rock The College Market Donna Fenn Small Business Snapshot: November Hiring Up, Hours/Wages Lag Katie Morell 5 Big-Business Growth Strategies Small Business Can Use James Clear   Health & Wellness    Study points to heart benefits of juice with polyphenols A study from Coca-Cola found participants who drank juice containing polyphenols showing fewer markers for coronary heart disease. In the study, 39 overweight middle-aged people drank either the polyphenol-rich juice or a placebo daily for four weeks. NutraIngredients (11/29)      VoIP phone systems deliver impressive benefits for businesses large and small. From advanced features like unified communications to significant cost savings, there's a compelling case to switch to VoIP. Read through these free guides for the very latest information on the phone system market.   GMA News  Only 2 weeks left to register for GMA's consumer complaints and social media webinar Social media has changed the face of consumer complaints; where consumers once wrote letters, made phone calls and sent emails they are now starting Facebook groups, posting videos on YouTube and following Twitter feeds. Because consumers are no longer reaching out directly to companies, the landscape of customer service has begun to evolve. On Dec. 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT, join GMA for the Consumer Complaints Webinar: Managing Social Media and Its Effects on Customer Service , where industry experts will discuss the significant role social media plays in customer service and how companies can leverage new opportunities to manage consumer complaints and strengthen customer relationships. For more information or to view the agenda click here.      Learn more about GMA -> About GMA  |  Issues and Policy  |  Newsroom  |  Events  |  Research and Tools Position Title Company Name Location Business Analyst McCall Farms Effingham, SC Regulatory Compliance Manager Reckitt Benckiser Parsippany, NJ Click here to view more job listings.   SmartQuote  An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field." --Niels Bohr, Danish physicist          This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers@gmail.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:  Jackie Basso (202) 407-7871   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful website for SmartBrief readers including: Industry Home Readers' Choice Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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