Cadbury has announced the date for the de-merger of its US soft drinks arm. After nearly a year of deliberation, Cadbury has finally announced a date for the de-merger of its US soft drinks arm, American Beverages. Although it appears to make sense to separate this group from the company’s confectionery operations, the separation could leave Cadbury vulnerable to a takeover, which its turnaround plan may be unable to prevent.

The de-merger, which was first announced as a possibility back in March 2007, will now take place in May and will see the creation of Dr Pepper Snapple Group as a separate entity with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange and its own management team. The confectionery arm is to be renamed Cadbury plc and will be listed in London.
Continue reading “Cadbury: hoping a new structure will keep it sweet” »

A new report, “Business Intelligence in Retail Banking”, predicts spend by retail banking institutions on business intelligence (BI) IT in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, will reach USD$9 billion by 2012, up from USD$5.6 billion in 2006. According to the report, the combination of compliance requirements, a competitive business environment, the sub-prime credit crunch and the need for stronger management will drive retail banks’ investment in BI software.

Given the sector’s growth of IT budgets devoted to BI, many vendors from diverse backgrounds, such as reporting, analytics, data management and operations, have rushed to claim their stake by adapting their definition of BI to fit their offering.
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A combination of the 2007 VAT hike and the discounter boom that has spread like wildfire from grocery to other sectors is severely impacting Germany’s retailing landscape, reveals a new report. For the first time since 2002 the sector contracted, posting a decline of 0.9%. With a current value of €354bn, the overall retail market in Germany has receded back to what it was in 2005 meaning expenditure has been similar to that seen at the tail end of the last recession in the country. As a direct result of extremely tough trading conditions the wheels of the consolidation bandwagon have begun to turn and looking ahead Verdict Research expects more retailers to jump on.

Continue reading “By 2012 Half of German Grocery Retailing Sales will be Lost to Discounters” »

If you frequently use your credit card or debit card when you’re abroad, or when you’re shopping online, think again.

A new report shows that there has been a continued strong global transaction growth in both debit and credit card transactions. The continuous move away from cash to electronic mode of payment is creating significant opportunities for payment processors like First Data, Global Payments and networks like MasterCard and American Express.

Continue reading “Credit Card Fraud Reaches Record High of £500million” »

Do you feel guilty when snacking in between meals? Do you think being healthy is sticking to your regular meals? Well, if scientists get the final call, you’re doing the wrong thing, instead of sticking to your diet, you’re actually putting on weight.

A new report shows that a new generation of snack products are emerging that contain functional ingredients. These use fat and sugar replacers and are developed with new cooking processes to make them healthier. Recent innovations include drinks to replace snacking occasions, satiety promoting products and vitality boosting snacks.

Continue reading “Get Back in Shape with a Snack- or More!” »

A range of insurers is essential if Tesco is to muscle into the competitive comparison site market. TescoCompare.com, Tesco’s price comparison site, has announced that three new brands - Admiral, Diamond and Endsleigh - will now be appearing on its site, taking the number of car insurance brands available on TescoCompare.com to 33. In this highly competitive environment, market coverage is everything.

This move will prove beneficial to all parties involved. One of the main ways in which price comparison sites compete against each other is in their coverage of the market. For instance, Confused.com, which, incidentally, is owned by Admiral, boasts that it compares “97% of car insurers on the net”. Tesco Compare’s addition of three new brands, taking its total to 33, will therefore help to strengthen its position.
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“…Google through its brand strength and consumer reach is likely to have the most impact upon the industry and bring PHRs into the living room of the population…”

Datamonitor believes that Google’s entry into PHRs means that PHRs will become a success and result in consumers becoming more knowledgable about their own health. While other companies have developed PHRs, the significance of Google’s entry cannot be underestimated. Primarily this is because of the unparalleled reach that Google has into consumers, especially those under the age of 30.
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A UK government survey shows that many food and drink firms are unaware of new environmental laws. The fast pace of change in UK environmental laws are leaving many small food and drink manufacturers unaware of legislation, according to a government commissioned survey. With green initiatives a hot topic among consumers, companies risk alienating customers by failing to comply with environmental legislation, and this could offer more of an incentive to obey the rules than any fine could.

Continue reading “Failure to Comply with Environmental Legislation could cost UK Food and Drink Manufacturers Dearly” »

In an effort to reduce Poland’s dependence on Russian gas, and ultimately enhance the country’s energy supply security, national incumbent PGNiG is building an LNG import facility on its Baltic coast. However, the facility, which is set to be completed by 2011, could face numerous setbacks.

Polish annual gas demand is expected to increase from 15.6 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2008 to 16.4bcm in 2009, with indigenous production accounting for approximately 5bcm, or 30%, of total gas consumption. The deficit would normally be expected to be filled mainly by Russian imports, which account for around 70% of Poland’s total consumption.

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BT has a strong presence in the SMB market and has just expanded its portfolio with a new unified communications (UC) service aimed at these customers. It hopes to utilize its “Communications Complete” solution to build long-term partnerships. BT has chosen to work with Cisco and is using its UC500 platform for this new service. The UC500 system offers functionality for up to 50 users, so is an ideal platform for BT to use to target SMBs. BT is already a technology partner and reseller for Cisco and it is set to further leverage Cisco’s strength in UC by this move.

Continue reading “BT and Cisco Team up to Launch “Communications Complete”” »