Showing category "Mergers and Acquisitions" (Show all posts)
Campbell Soup Co. is considering making a 1.5 billion pound ($2.3 billion) break up bid for Britain's United Biscuits, the Sunday Times reported. Campbell is looking to buy only the biscuit-making operations, which account for about three quarters of UB, and is less interested in the snacks business, the paper reported.
Private equity firms Blackstone Group LP and PAI Partners, which acquired United Biscuits in 2006, are considering selling the company for more than 2 billion pounds, Reuters... Continue reading ...
Lotte Group has been granted permission to acquire Polish confectioner E.Wedel by the Polish competition commission. The UOKiK decided on 17 August that the concentration would not significantly restrict competition in Poland. Lotte had acquired Wedel business from Kraft which divests Romanian and Polish businesses of its Cadbury deal for EU approval. Around 1,000 Cadbury Wedel employees will transfer to Lotte Group. Continue reading ...
The private equity owners of United Biscuits have hired JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs to run a £2bn ($3bn) auction for United Biscuits that is expected to attract some of the world’s biggest food groups.
UB, which has revenues of £1.3bn and net debt of £1.2bn, has continued to expand in spite of the UK recession, increasing operating profits to £223.4m last year.
Owners of UB are considering splitting the business into two parts – snacks and biscuits – to make it more palatable for... Continue reading ...
Swiss food manufacturer Hero has announced it will sell its French fruit-dessert business to Charles Faraud.
Hero has signed the agreement with Charles Faraud majority owner CIC-Banque de Vizille, with the transaction expected to be completed at the beginning of September. Charles Faraud specialises in fruit desserts, with a strong hold in the French foodservice channel. It said the move will "give it access to a stronger position in the French retail channel". Continue reading ...
Unilever is to acquire Danish ice-cream business Diplom-Is from Norwegian dairy group Tine. Tine owns and operates Diplom-Is in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The transaction will include 30 employees and five distribution centres in the country. The value of the deal, which is expected to close on 30 September, is undisclosed.
Unilever's brand portfolio in Denmark includes brands such as Magnum, Cornetto and Carte d’Or. Continue reading ...
Nestle is to acquire a majority stake in Guatemalan soups-to-curry producer Malher Group.
The transaction fits in with its strategy to expand in emerging markets and will allow it to strengthen its position in the culinary markets in Guatemala. Malher Group and its prestigious brands will consolidate Nestle’s leadership in the culinary category in the Central American Region.This association will be very positive as it will complement Nestlé’s research and development expertise with Mal... Continue reading ...
Malaysian confectioner Cocoaland informed that the company considers a "strategic partnership" with some potential partners to expand the growth of the company. Cocoaland generated 41.4 mil. USD turnover in 2009 with its three manufacturing sites in Malaysia and one in China. The company has reported 6.1 mil. USD net profit in 2009. Continue reading ...
It is reported that the US food group Sara Lee Corp. is considering the sale of its North American bakery division. According to reports Sara Lee has hired banking advisers to set out the options for the business, which could be worth US$1.5bn.
The North American bakery business had $2.2 billion in sales in the most recent fiscal year, about 17 percent of total revenue for the company, which also owns Hillshire Farm deli meats, Senseo coffee and other food brands. Hostess Brands Inc and Camp... Continue reading ...
UK-based snacks manufacturer United Biscuits may be put up for sale, according to Sky News.
United Biscuits is owned by two private equity firms, Blackstone Group LP and PAI Partners. They bought UB for GBP1.6bn in 2006. It is reported that they may get over GBP2bn if they divest it. The private-equity groups are reported to be talking to investment banks about auctioning the business and a number of options including selling snacks and biscuits divisions to different buyers, are being cons... Continue reading ...
Unilever confirmed the sale of its Findus Italy business to frozen-foods group Birds Eye Iglo in a deal worth 805m EUR (1.04bnUS$). Unilever said it had sold Findus Italy "to a company in which Birds Eye Iglo has a significant stake" three months after it had put the business on the block.
Unilever said Findus Italy, which sells brands including 4 Salti in Padella, Sofficini and Captain Findus, generated 462m EUR turnover in 2009.
The deal remains subject to regulatory clearance from the... Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods has announced the sale of Kandia-Excelent chocolate, sugar confectionery and cake business in Romania, inherited from Cadbury acqisition, to Oryxa Capital, an international investment fund, subject to regulatory approval. Cadbury had acquired the leading Romanian confectioner in 2007 but Kraft has been forced to divest it under EU competition rules as part of its takeover of Cadbury.
The sale includes Kandia-Excelent brands such as Rom, Magura, Kandia, Laura, Sugus and Silvana, ... Continue reading ...
Australian group CSR has agreed to sell its sugar unit Sucrogen for US$1.47bn to Singapore-based Wilmar International. The acquisition marks a year-long effort by CSR to sell the division to allow it to focus on its building products business. The sale is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval, Overseas Investment Office (NZ) approval and other customary sale conditions. The deal is expected to conclude before the last quarter of 2010.
source: just-food.com Continue reading ...
US spice manufacturer McCormick & Co.has bought a minority stake in Indian spice and seasoning business in Indian firm Eastern Condiments. McCormick announced that it had paid around US$35m to buy 26% stake in Eastern Condiments.
Mr.Alan Wilson, President and CEO of McCormick said: "This partnership is an important opportunity for McCormick to participate in the rapid growth of the India food market as consumers seek high-quality, more convenient packaged foods."
Eastern, which generated... Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods has signed an agreement to sell Wedel-branded confectionery operations in Poland interited from Cadbury to Lotte Group for an undisclosed sum. The sale includes the Wedel brands and is subject to regulatory approvals. With this deal around 1,000 Wedel employees will be transfered to Lotte Group.
Kraft will continue to utilize the remaining Cadbury brands and business in Poland, including the Halls brand and other non-Wedel-branded chocolate and sugar confectionery and two manufac... Continue reading ...
French dairy group Danone announced that it will merge its Russian fresh dairy business with local firm Unimilk.The deal will generate a business with annual sales of EUR1.5bn and covering Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Danone will hold 57.5% of the new joint venture, and it has an option to buy out Unimilk in 2022.The deal is subject to gaining regulatory approval in the countries concerned and is expected to close towards the end of the year. According to Euromonitor reports, the R... Continue reading ...
Heinz is to enter the soy sauce business in China through the acquisition of local firm Foodstar from private-equity fund Transpac Industrial Holdings.The US food giant is to pay US$165m for the business, with the potential for a further payment in 2014 based on the performance of the Chinese firm.Heinz, which markets Amoy soy sauces in markets around the world, including the UK, said China's retail soy-sauce market was worth $2bn and growing at 7-8% a year. Continue reading ...
The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a pension fund, owning over a third of Maple Leaf Foods is looking for a buyer for its shares in the Canadian food group according to Canada's Globe and Mail. The fund owns 35.4% stake in Maple Leaf since it backed the McCain family's takeover of the business in 1995. Continue reading ...
Hershey and Nestle are among the final bidders for Wedel, the Polish business Kraft Foods acquired from Cadbury takeover, which is going to be sold to win the EU clearance for the acquisition of Cadbury.
It is reported that Kraft has shortlisted potential buyers to six, including two buyout firms and four strategic players. Final bids are due by the third week of June.Private-equity firms include Bridgepoint and Advent International, along with Nestle and Hershey.
Wedel is said to be valued... Continue reading ...
French dairy group Danone is to buy protein supplement maker Medical Nutrition USA, or MNI, for US$62m.
Danone said MNI will become part of its North American medical nutrition business Nutricia North America, which is based in Maryland.Danone's Nutricia North America arm generated $70m in sales in 2009. MNI's revenues in the fiscal year to the end of January stood at $16m.
source: just-food.com Continue reading ...
Michael Foods, Inc. announced today that its parent, M-Foods Holdings, Inc., has signed a definitive agreement under which its owners, affiliates of Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and certain current and former members of management, will sell Michael Foods to affiliates of GS Capital Partners.
The transaction, which is expected to close in the next two months and is subject to customary closing conditions, values Michael Foods at approximately $1.7 billion.
Michael Foods is a multinational... Continue reading ...
The UK Parliament’s Business, Innovation and Skills Committee, in its report published today, expressed concern that the takeover of Cadbury by Kraft was ultimately decided by institutional investors motivated by short-term profits rather than those investors who had the company’s long-term interests at heart. The politicians found that the takeover was particularly marred by the controversy over Kraft’s statements regarding the future of Cadbury’s Somerdale factory which was earmarke... Continue reading ...
Warren Buffett has moved into the alcohol business with the acquisition of the wholesale distributor Empire Distributors.
Mr Buffett bought Kahn Ventures, the Atlanta-based parent of Empire through McLane, a subsidiary of his holding company Berkshire Hathaway. The purchase price was not disclosed.
“We expect that the Empire acquisition will provide us with a solid platform for potentially acquiring other similar high-quality distributors,” Mr Buffett said.
Management and staff will... Continue reading ...
Generic drugmaker Perrigo Co said it would buy privately held PBM Holdings Inc, a store-brand baby food manufacturer, for about $808 million in cash to expand its store-brand market into infant formula and baby food.
Gordonsville, Virginia-based PBM manufactures and distributes over-the-counter store-brand infant formula and baby foods sold by retailers in the mass, club, grocery and drug channels in the United States, Canada, Mexico and China.
PBM's products include infant and toddler form... Continue reading ...
Coca-Cola Co. has applied for Russian regulator approval to acquire juicemaker Nidan Soki,
In January, it was said that Coca-Cola was considering buying a controlling stake in Nidan from private equity group Lion Capital.If approved, this acquisition will make Coca-Cola the number one player in the Russian juice market,
Coca-Cola already has a significant share in the Russian juice market through Multon, which has a nearly 22 percent market share, according to research group Business Ana... Continue reading ...
Krupskaya, a Russian confectionery company part of Orkla of Norway since 2006, has announced that it will acquire 100% of OOO Peterhof, a producer of chocolate spreads and cookies based in St. Petersburg. Peterhof employs 450 people. The parties have agreed not to reveal the financial details of the transaction.The deal is subject to approval by the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Orkla enjoys market leadership in chocolate paste spreads in Norway under our 'Nugatti' brand. Krupskaya General Di... Continue reading ...
Belgian holding company NPM/CNP Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille is reportedly planning to sell its wholly-owned company Belgian Icecream Group (BIG). BIG is Belgium's biggest ice cream producer and reported a turnover of 88 million euro in 2008. BIG employs about 500 people. Banca Leonardo, has been appointed to handle the transaction, according to the Belgian press. The company has 3 production sites in Belgium (Tielen, Chênée and Kuurne) and 7 depots all over the country
Belgian da... Continue reading ...
Nestle has bought OOO Technocom, Ukraine's biggest producer of convenience foods and condiments, and owner of the Mivina brand.
The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed but, according to Nestle, the acquisition of will strengthen the company's presence in one of the fastest-growing segments of the Ukrainian food market.Technocom will allow Nestle to expand its convenience portfolio at the value end of the market, Nestle also intends to actively promote products under the Mi... Continue reading ...
PepsiCo today announced that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has granted early termination of the waiting period for its previously announced plan of merger with PepsiAmericas.
Several members of the company's leadership team will be leaving their posts shortly after the closing of the company's merger with PepsiCo. The officers who have signaled their intent to leave include Alexander H. Ware, executive vice president and chief financial officer; Anne D. Sample, executive vice president o... Continue reading ...
US snack firm Diamond Foods acquires snack maker Kettle Foods from private-equity firm Lion Capital for USD 615m.
Diamond makes a range of nuts products, Kettle manufactures potato chips and crisp snacks and has operations in both the US and the UK.
Chairman, president and CEO of Diamond, Michael Mendes said Kettle is a "strong, strategic fit" to their business."We believe Kettle Foods is a strong fit with the capability to provide solid financial returns for our shareholders, and we plan t... Continue reading ...
Pure Circle and Imperial Sugar have made a joint venture to offer sugar and stevia combinations to food and beverages industries. PureCircle manufactures a natural, high intensity Reb A sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant. It has been positioning the sweetener as a possible complement to sugar for some time, to take advantage of both products’ natural status, meaning that unlike many other sweeteners that could be used to reduce sugar, manufacturers could continue to use ... Continue reading ...
The long story between Kraft and Cadbury has ended with a victory of Kraft. The shareholders of Cadbury have approved the acquision offer made by Kraft with a 70% majority. Todd Stitzer is stepping down as chief executive of Cadbury in the wake of shaqreholders' vote to accept Kraft Foods’ takeover bid. Joining him on the way out will be chairman Roger Carr and chief financial officer Andrew Bonfield. Their departure dates have yet to be set.While Stitzer and Carr were certain to leave fo... Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods said today that it has reduced the number of acceptances required to fulfil the conditions of its takeover offer for Cadbury to 50% plus one shares, from 90%. Cadbury shareholders have until Feb. 2 to accept Kraft's improved offer for the firm. Source: Market Watch Continue reading ...
Recently a group of initiators have build up a web site www.savecadbury.com targeting to prepare a petition for keeping Cadbury's British identity. The web site explains its aim as follows: " We aim to have one million names on our petition to stop the takeover of a Great British Institution by a faceless American corporation before it’s too late. Do your bit for Queen and Country by adding your name to the petition below. Simply add a comment with your name and town to electronically sign.... Continue reading ...
Ferrero has ruled out a rival bid for Cadbury, clearing the way for Kraft Foods to complete its £11.7 billion ($18.9 billion) proposed takeover of the British confectioner, Reuters reported.
Fellow chocolate maker Hershey said on Friday it had no intention of bidding for Cadbury, so with Nestlé already ruled out, Kraft appears on course to complete its recommended bid by the deadline of Feb. 2.
“Further to its announcement of Nov. 18, 2009, Ferrero International SA confirms that it doe... Continue reading ...
Danish dairy group Arla Foods is to enter the ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee category as part of a joint venture with Starbucks.The companies announced that Arla will manufacture, distribute and market Starbucks-branded premium RTD coffee beverages in Europe.
Arla CEO Peder Tuborgh.said ”Starbucks is a super brand around the world, based on strong values and high quality products and we are very pleased about the fact that Starbucks and Arla will work together in the European RTD cold coffee b... Continue reading ...
U.S. chocolate maker Hershey Co has decided not to launch a counterbid for British confectioner Cadbury Plc following a unanimous vote by its board late on Wednesday, the Financial Times said, citing a person briefed on the matter. Source: Financial Times Continue reading ...
In the conference call, Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld had with Wall Street analysts, she mentiones several major synergy points of this tie-up. These will be the preliminery outcomes of this acquisition, aside from financial and/or tax benefits, feel free to comment on them or add more if you like: - Cadbury has more "instant consumption" channels like gas stations, cornershops which are well penetrated by Cadbury products in many countries ( also in Turkey where I live) wheras Kraft is more c... Continue reading ...
Kraft has reached a tentative deal for a friendly takeover of Cadbury, agreeing in principle to pay about $19 billion in cash and stock for the confectioner, people briefed on the matter said on Monday. If realized, the deal would create a global food giant that would unite Kraft with Cadbury . Together, the two companies would have more than $50 billion in revenue and a big presence in markets globally.Most recently Mars buying the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 2008 for $23 billion became the b... Continue reading ...
It is expected that today (monday) Kraft may raise its initial value of hostile bid for Cadbury above 800p. Today is a holiday in US and stock markets are closed. Despite supportive announcements of several British investors to Cadbury management, those US investors of Cadbury which hold at least 40% of the shares may be willing to exchange their shares with Kraft when the offer is around 820p or over.
On the other hand, the rumors that Hershey is preparing to make a bid, gets stronger. We ma... Continue reading ...
Some people who have internal access claim that Hershey is preparing a counter-bid to Kraft hostile offer for Cadbury. They say that Hershey can make a formal offer before the January 23 deadline, .
Such a Hershey bid would certainly be welcomed by Cadbury. Although Cadbury has not solicited a “white knight” bid from Hershey publicly, the confectioner has made clear that it would prefer Hershey to Kraft.
Roger Carr, the UK company’s chairman, has told the Financial Times that Her... Continue reading ...
Ferrero, the Italian chocolate maker, was on Tuesday night debating abandoning a pursuit of Cadbury. It is said the Ferrero family, which controls the group, was close to dropping out of the Cadbury battle following a decision by Michele Ferrero, the group’s chairman. Mr Ferrero was understood to be against the move because it involved too much debt for a company that has traditionally not made acquisitions. On the other hand there are rumors that there is no consensus in the family on th... Continue reading ...
Cadbury showcased robust 2009 results and an upbeat outlook on Tuesday in its last move to rebuff U.S. food giant Kraft Foods' 10.5 billion pound ($17 billion) hostile takeover bid.
In a final defense document, the British confectioner said Kraft's "derisory" offer valued Cadbury lower than any comparable deal in the sector and that its standalone value had risen since the Kraft bid emerged last September.
"Our performance in 2009 was outstanding. We generated good revenue growth despite th... Continue reading ...
Today Reuters reports that there are rumors that Cadbury Board members are in touch with their counterparts in Hershey for seeking a "merger partner" against their "hostile bidder"...Those who remember my previous comments know that my expectation from this battle is a Hershey involvement. A source says: "As they go through this process, they feel as though they (Cadbury) want to have a management say in the organization and I think that they perceive that one of the suitors is better than th... Continue reading ...
The European Commission said on Wednesday it had given conditional approval for U.S. food group Kraft Foods Inc to take over British confectionery maker Cadbury. The European Union executive said in a written statement the hostile bid was conditional on Kraft's divestment of Cadbury's Polish and Romanian chocolate confectionery businesses.
The combination of Kraft and Cadbury would create the world's largest sweets, chewing-gum and chocolate group, overtaking Mars-Wrigley.
The Commission t... Continue reading ...
Wall Street Journal reported that investor Warren Buffett waded into the battle for Cadbury PLC, issuing a rebuke of Kraft Foods Inc.'s just-sweetened, nearly $17 billion takeover offer for the British confectionary company. As Kraft's largest shareholder—with a 9.4% stake—Mr. Buffett's holding company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., said it wouldn't support the issuance of new shares to pay for a Cadbury deal. "To state the matter simply, a shareholder voting 'yes' today is authorizing a huge ... Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods has this morning (5 January) revealed plans to offer more cash to the shareholders of Cadbury. This happends after Kraft agreed to sell its North American frozen pizza business to Nestle. In this new offer Cadbury investors will have the chance to receive a "partial cash alternative". Meanwhile, in the wake of the pizza sale, Nestle, which had been also shown as a possible bidder for Cadbury, issued a statement to announce that "does not intend to make, or participate in, a for... Continue reading ...
US food company HJ Heinz has acquired the remaining 49% of Egyptian condiments and sauces maker Cairo Food Industries which was its joint venture partner. Commenting on the deal, Heinz senior vice president Michael Milone said that it also furthered Heinz' global strategy to focus its product portfolio on core categories. “The acquisition of the remaining 49% shares of Cairo Food Industries fits perfectly into Heinz’s global strategy to focus its portfolio on three attractive core catego... Continue reading ...
French Dairy Company Lactalis has confirmed that it is in negotiations over the acquisition of Russia’s Efremovski combine, located in the Toula region.Lactalis already operates its own plant in Russia, where it produces processed cheese. Efremovski would be the French group’s first acquisition in Russia and will allow it to enter the hard cheese segment, representing around 65% of the country’s cheese market.
It is expected that a deal could be reached by mid-January.
Source: just-food... Continue reading ...
Cadbury workers – as well as some politicians – fear that a foreign takeover could lead to local job losses and pay cuts in the UK and Ireland. Len McCluskey, assistant general secretary of Cadbury’s trade union Unite, said in a statement: "Cadbury is a great UK success story – and it was and is not for sale. But suddenly, a hostile bid and swarming speculators has thrown its future, its investment plans and the jobs of thousands of workers here and in Ireland up in the air.” The ... Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods said yesterday (15 December) that it had received clearance from US competition authorities to proceed with its proposed acquisition of UK confectioner Cadbury.
In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, Kraft revealed: “The US competition condition to the offer is now satisfied.” According to a spokesperson for the company, Kraft now only requires regulatory clearance in the EU. Last week, the European Commission has exteded the deadfline for reviewing the proposals until... Continue reading ...
Cadbury yesterday (15 December) attacked predator Kraft Foods after the US food giant claimed Cadbury was opening its shareholders to "significant risk". Kraft, issued a statement and questioned the defense of Cadbury as an independent company which was centered on move to raise its sales, margins and dividend targets.Kraft questioned how the company could meet the loftier goals and insisted its bid would give better value to Cadbury investors.
"Kraft seem to have run out of ideas," a Cadbu... Continue reading ...
The comments by Roger Carr, Cadbury's chairman, came in a formal defence document issued to its shareholders today designed to thwart a £9.8bn hostile bid from Kraft.
Alongside the verbal rebuttal, Cadbury also laid out a series of targets for the next four years which it hopes will be enough to persuade shareholders to knock back Kraft's existing offer. They are:
Organic revenue growth of 5pc to 7pc a year
Margins of 16pc to 18c by 2013
80pc to 90pc operating cash conversion from ... Continue reading ...
European regulators have pushed back the deadline for their review of Kraft’s $16.1bn bid for Cadbury after the American company offered concessions, they said on Wednesday.
The European Commission has extended the deadline by ten working days from December 14 to January 6, its daily list of mergers and takeovers under review showed. This is in order to review concessions put forward by Kraft to help ease anti-competition concerns, although European regulators did not give further det... Continue reading ...
This news supports my comments few weeks ago that in Cadbury deal we should keep an eye on Hershey-Nestlé coalition....I still beleive there are good reasons and mutual benefits for them in such a joint take-over action. Most probably Cadbury will support any non-Kraft offer which is somehow higher than original Kraft bid.
US chocolate giant Hershey has been in contact with Nestle over a possible joint bid for Cadbury, according to reports.
An offer between the two could challenge the hos... Continue reading ...
Ocado, the online grocer, and French retail giant Carrefour have remained silent on speculation that the pair are engaged in talks over a potential partnership.
According to UK reports, executives from the two groups have met to discuss Ocado providing its software to facilitate the delivery of Carrefour products in France, beginning in Paris. The joint venture has the potential to boost Carrefour's online sales in its domestic market.
A spokesperson for the French group declined to com... Continue reading ...
LONDON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Kraft Foods made its formal $16.1 billion offer to Cadbury shareholders, triggering a two-month takeover fight for the chocolate maker and a frosty response from Britain.
UK business secretary Peter Mandelson warned the U.S. food giant it would face a backlash if it tried to buy Cadbury on the cheap. "If you think that you can come here and make a fast buck you will find that you face huge opposition from the local population ... and from the British government,... Continue reading ...
American banks JP Morgan and Bank of America are ready to lend Hershey more than $7bn (£4bn) to help it bankroll a bid for Cadbury that would challenge an offer for the UK chocolate maker from Kraft Foods.
City sources say Hershey is ready to offer $17bn, trumping Kraft's $16.2bn bid, which has fallen in value because the shares component has been hit by a fall in its stock price.
Hershey, which is smaller than Cadbury and already has debts of around $1.5bn, would help to fund a bid by m... Continue reading ...
Nestle India has confirmed that it is mulling a proposal that would see the company take ownership of the healthcare and nutrition business of Speciality Foods. In a note to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Indian unit of the Swiss food giant said that its board was meeting on 7 December to consider a possible deal.
Speciality Foods' healthcare nutrition business includes such brands as Resource, Optifast and Spert.
Source: just-food.com Continue reading ...
Kraft Foods remains the favourite to buy Cadbury, a leading industry analyst claimed even if US chocolate maker Hershey tables a bid for the Dairy Milk maker.
Andrew Wood, senior research analyst covering European food companies at Sanford Bernstein, said Kraft was still the front-runner to buy Cadbury. Wood suggested, however, that a "likely" bid from Hershey - either on its own or alongside Ferrero or Nestle - would mean an acquisition of Cadbury would not be the "steal" that Kraft had ho... Continue reading ...
CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- Cadbury is the chess piece that could determine who leads the world's confectionery market, depending on whose hands the company ends up in.
If it lands in the portfolio of Kraft, that marketer would topple Mars from its perch as the globe's leading confectioner, a status Mars assumed after winning control of Wrigley last year. But now, Ferrero has confirmed an interest in acquiring Cadbury, and The Wall Street Journal reported that it is considering a linkup with Her... Continue reading ...
Hershey's controlling Trust has belatedly accepted that, without doing a deal, the chocolate company faces slow decline. That removes one obstacle to Hershey challenging Kraft in the battle for Cadbury.
Hershey will struggle to acquire a company twice its size. Given limited geographical overlap, moreover, synergies would probably be less than Kraft’s targeted $625m a year. A mooted $17bn offer, including $10bn cash, would leave combined Hershey- Cadbury with debt of five times earnings be... Continue reading ...
In last couple of days news about Cadbury- Kraft deal comes one after the other. So when we start a new week we have practically three options analysts talking about:
- Kraft
- Hershey and Ferero coalition
- Nestlé may bid as well
But when all the rumors and analysis read carefully, what I see as the most interesting option would be a Hershey bid backed by Nestlé. Nestlé definetely will not like to see a "Kraftbury" threat to its chocolate market, but it cannot make a direct bid to Cadb...
Continue reading ...
20 November 2009 Source: just-food.com
Chocolate processing giants Cargill and Barry Callebaut have suggested that any consolidation between the sector's leading brand-owners could lead to more M&A activity among the industry's suppliers.
The speculation over Cadbury's future has prompted some of the world's largest business-to-business chocolate makers to ponder future changes to the competitive landscape of their part of the supply chain.
Speaking to just-food, Cargill Chocolate managing... Continue reading ...
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – Kraft Foods Inc may raise its offer for British chocolatier Cadbury Plc or offer more cash in its bid if rival takeover offers emerge, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.
Kraft took a $16.8 billion hostile offer for Cadbury to shareholders two weeks ago. Most of the remaining large players in the global confectionery industry -- U.S.-based Hershey Co, Italy's Ferrero and Switzerland's Nestle -- are now weighing takeover bids themselves, according... Continue reading ...
Nov. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Nestlé SA is weighing options including a possible bid for Cadbury Plc that would challenge Kraft Foods Inc.’s offer and a potential move by Hershey Co., according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
Nestle is reviewing its options with bankers and may decide against a bid, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Hershey and Ferrero SpA said in statements last week that they were also evaluating options. Ferrero, the ... Continue reading ...
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian chocolate maker Ferrero could be interested in Cadbury's gum and candy division, a unit worth about 5 billion euros ($7.4 billion), in a possible joint takeover bid, business daily Il Sole 24 Ore said on Friday.
Unlisted Ferrero and U.S.-based Hershey Co are considering a joint offer for the British confectioner, which is the target of a hostile bid from Kraft Foods Inc. A Hershey-Ferrero takeover would have the goal of breaking up Cadbury, with Ferrero ending up ... Continue reading ...
Source: just-food.com
US chocolate giant Hershey and Italian chocolatier Ferrero have confirmed their interest in buying UK confectioner Cadbury. In seperate statements to the London Stock Exchange the two companies confirmed that they are each mulling a possible bid.
The news follows reports that the pair were in preliminary talks for a joint bid to counter the GBP9.8bn (US$16.45bn) hostile offer already on the table from US food giant Kraft Foods. Neither company made mention of the other... Continue reading ...
Hershey Co., the chocolatier from US and Ferrero SpA, the Italian chocolate manufacturer are said to be considering a joint bid for Cadbury which is the target of a hostile bid from Kraft according to a recent Reuters news..
Inside sources say there is no direct contact yet, but Cadbury may welcome such a joint offer. However nome equity analysts claim that neither Hershey nor Ferrero is financially strong enough for such a bid and this is unlikely.
My interpretation of such news is that som... Continue reading ...
UK convenience group Uniq has sold its Dutch businesses to Gilde Equity Management for an enterprise value of GBP18m (US$26.8m). The divestment furthers Uniq's goal to become a UK-focused business. The company previously sold its other continental operations in France, Germany and Poland. The deal is subject to shareholder, works council and competition approvals.
Proceeds from the sale, which will total approximately GBP2m after costs, will be used to reduce debt, address the group's pensio... Continue reading ...
Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported in 17 November issue that family-owned Ferrero might be considering an offer with friendly investors for an alliance with UK confectioner Cadbury, the subject of a hostile bid from Kraft.
It is understood that the Italian chocolate maker has been approached by Mediobanca SpA about the partnership, the publication said.
Pietro Ferrero and his brother Giovanni, both chief executive officers, are said to both see a merger as an “opportunity”.
Ferrero ... Continue reading ...
Lindt & Sprungli, the upmarket Swiss chocolate maker, is the sector’s “obvious” takeover target and could be snapped up next year, one analyst has claimed - with Nestle seen as the favourite to buy the business. Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Capital Markets in Zurich, cut his estimate for Lindt’s share price in 2010, citing the pressure rising cocoa costs will put on margins. In August, Lindt reported a slump in half-year profits and Cox argued that the company could issue a profit w... Continue reading ...
I know everybody has got tired of Kraft's attempt to acquire Cadbury but this deal continues to be the most important development in food industry in recent months...So I keep informing you if any new and interesting bits of information is around:
The European Commission has set a one-month deadline to rule on the possible hostile takeover of Cadbury by US food giant Kraft, the EU competition regulator said on Wednesday.
It said it will decide by December 14 whether it considers that a... Continue reading ...
Up to 14 per cent of Cadbury's shares are estimated to be controlled by hedge funds that are betting that Krafty will increase its $16.2bn offer for the UK confectioner, this increase the probability that its hostile bid will succeed.
Brokers predict that towards the end of the bid battle, so-called merger arbitrageurs could own more than a quarter of Cadbury’s stock, potentially shifting the outcome of the deal in Kraft’s favour.
These funds aim to profit from the spread between ... Continue reading ...
The judgment handed down by a Swedish arbitration tribunal on September 30 was a victory for Danone over Zong Qinghou, the French food group’s JV partner since 1996 and founder of beverage-maker Wahaha Group. A three-member tribunal convened by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce’s Arbitration Institute ruled that Mr. Zong had breached confidentiality and non-competition agreements.
The tribunal also ordered that Mr Zong should stop using the Wahaha Trademarks and any other intellectual ... Continue reading ...
The Cadbury board has rejected a formal bid from Kraft, launched just four hours ahead of the ‘put up or shut up’ deadline set by the Takeover Panel. At 13:00 GMT today, Kraft put in a £9.8bn offer – the same as its original expression of interest in September.
Chairman Roger Carr again branded Kraft a “low-growth conglomerate” and said Cadbury would perform more strongly as an independent business.
"The repetition of a proposal which is now of less value and lower than the curre... Continue reading ...
Kraft was finalising its plans to make a direct appeal to the shareholders of Britain’s best-known chocolate brand by Monday when a “put-up or shut-up” deadline enforced by the Takeover Panel expires, according to people familiar with the situation.
Cadbury was not expecting a last-minute friendly approach from Kraft over the week... Continue reading ...
Swiss chocolate group Barry Callebaut yesterday (4 November) signed an agreement with the Nederland Group to acquire Spanish Chocovic, a company belonging to Nederland Group, specialising in chocolate and specialty products for industrial and artisanal customers.
The deal, Callebaut said, will strengthen its position with industrial and artisanal customers in Spain. It also underscores the company’s strategic intention to further expand its core business with industrial and artisanal cust... Continue reading ...
As the time closes for Kraft to place new cards on trhe table for Cadbury takeover according to a Reuters report, which cited sources close to the situation, Kraft plans to keep a price increase off the table in order to retain the bargaining chip for later in the negotiation process. Such a move would effectively turn Kraft's bid hostile.
Continue reading ...
Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Tesco Plc, the U.K.’s biggest retailer, should consider buying Royal Ahold NV at a cost of about 15 billion euros ($22.2 billion) to accelerate its U.S. expansion, ING analysts wrote in a note. Ahold, the Amsterdam-based owner of Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets in the U.S., is “cheap on all metrics,” which may lead to takeover interest, analysts Peter Brockwell and John David Roeg wrote in a note dated Oct. 30 and received today. Tesco runs Fresh & Easy shops in... Continue reading ...
summarized from an article fromThe Times 02 November 2009 written by Helen Power
Kraft is set to make a hostile bid for Cadbury within a week. Under Takeover Panel rules, the American food group must bid for the British maker of Creme Eggs, Dairy Milk and liquorice allsorts by 5pm next Monday or walk away for six months.
Should Kraft make a hostile bid, it is likely that the outcome will not be decided until well into next year.
The American food maker offered 745p a share for its target ... Continue reading ...
Wessanen, the Dutch food group, has sold its German frozen meat business Karl Kemper sold to a group owned by funds managed by BPE Private Equity in Hamburg and members of the Karl Kemper management for an undisclosed sum. The proceeds will be fully paid in cash.
Karl Kemper produces frozen meat, poultry and vegetarian meal components for the German out-of-home channel. Continue reading ...
Tate & Lyle has reached an agreement to sell its minority stake in sugar refineries in Saudi Arabia and Egypt to Saudi-based sugar refiner Savola, the companies have said.
The divestment is the latest stage in Tate & Lyle’s sale of its sugar trading business, announced in July 2008 with the sale of its international sugar trading business to oilseed giant Bunge. Tate & Lyle said that the sale would reduce its exposure to volatile commodity prices and allow the company to concentrate on ... Continue reading ...
Data sourced from Bloomberg, Reuters, Daily Telegraph; additional content by Warc staff,
15 October 2009
LONDON: Unilever, the FMCG company, is hoping to make further acquisitions in the future, as it seeks to expand its portfolio of brands and take advantage of the possibilities offered in this area by the financial crisis, according to Paul Polman, its chief executive. As previously reported, Unilever bought Sara Lee's personal care operations for €1.28 billion ($1.91bn; £1.19bn) last mon...
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