Kraft Bid for Cadbury May Face New Rival

Chocolatiers Hershey and Ferrero are said to be considering teaming up for a "friendly bid" on Cadbury, potentially trumping Kraft's hostile bid.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 19, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


That's a Lot of Big Macs

McDonald's, seemingly unaffected by the worldwide recession, plans to open 1,000 new restaurants in 2010, mostly in China, Australia, Russia, Germany, France and the U.S.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 13, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


Barcodes That Are Good Enough to Eat

Barcodes copy

Fast Company features the work of D-Barcode, a Japanese design firm that creates sophisticated designs out of ordinary barcodes for (mostly Japanese) packaged goods. A number of the ingenious designs have food themes, from a pizza to a pair of chopsticks picking up noodles.

An exclusive design can run as high as $4,000, but the company will license existing codes starting at $1,500 (plus an annual $200 fee).

 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 12, 2009 in Art and Design, Business, What's Fresh | Link |
 


Help Wanted: Flipping Big Macs at Gitmo

"Enjoy the perks," reads a help wanted ad for job opportunities at the McDonald's at Guantanamo Bay.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 11, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


Kraft Launches Hostile Takeover Bid for Cadbury

Kraft Foods Inc. has officially launched a hostile takeover bid for Cadbury PLC, valuing the company at $16.28 billion.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 9, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


Lawry's Settles Male Sex Discrimination Suit

The Lawry's steakhouse chain will pay more than $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit contending that it discriminated against men, hiring only women as servers.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Nov 3, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


Costco to Accept Food Stamps

Costco announced it will start accepting food stamps at its 420 stores nationwide. As of June, more than 35 million people received food stamps.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Oct 29, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


Target Accused of Selling Fake Organics

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy research group, has filed complaints with the USDA alleging that Target Corporation misled consumers into thinking some conventional food items it sells are organic.
 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Oct 22, 2009 in Appetizers, Business | Link |
 


walk-a·ways

Walkaway

walk-a·ways (noun): Retail customers so frustrated by store checkout lines that they leave a shop without completing their purchases (see also: queue management).

An October 16, 2009 article entitled "Smart retailers fight walk-aways at the checkout," published on the trade website retailcustomerexperience.com, defined the problem of walk-aways, potential causes, and their impact as lost revenue:

"Research suggests that retailers experience an average of 1.6 percent of customers leaves the checkout queue — and the store — without completing the purchase. While the percentage seems relatively small, consider a retailer with 500 stores throughout the U.S. that averages 500 transactions per store, per day with an average customer purchase of $30. That small percentage adds up to $280 per store per day, or, $100,800 per year. Multiply that by the retailers 500 stores and this retailer is losing $50,400,000 each year because its customers are opting to walk out of the store without completing the purchase. They’re dropping the items and are walking away. We call them walk-aways.

Why do walk-aways happen? It’s simple, really. In today’s fast-paced world, consumers are short on time and money. When shopping, consumers can navigate the store at their own pace, selecting the items they’d like to purchase; however, when moving toward the checkout queue there is an ingrained perception that there will be an inefficient and slow-moving line. It’s when perception meets reality that many consumers opt to walk away without completing the purchase."


 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Oct 21, 2009 in Business, Dictionary, What's Fresh | Link |
 


Coke Unveils Mini Can: Adorable or Abominable?

Cokemini
In December, Coca-Cola will debut the Coke "mini can," a smaller, sleeker container that will hold 7.5 ounces rather than the standard 12. The formula of the soda will go unchanged, but the smaller can will only contain 90 calories -- sort of like those "100 calorie" packs of snack foods that are so popular.

While a press release for the mini cans pitches the new packaging as supporting "moderation" and "healthy, active lifestyles," Slate is less sanguine, finding that it eerily echoes how tobacco companies marketed light cigarettes. Writer William Saletan argues, "You'll feel better about yourself, because now you're practicing 'portion control' and 'a healthy lifestyle.' Just like you felt better about smoking light cigarettes."

 
Posted by Josh Friedland on Oct 19, 2009 in Business, Health, Marketing, What's Fresh | Link |
 


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