Morrisons is feeling pretty chill about #Marmitegate, saying price rises will be “minimal” March 9, 2017 The chairman of Morrisons supermarket has reassured shoppers that he will be minimising any price rises on groceries following the Brexit vote. The price of a grocery basket became a source of controversy last year when Unilever demanded higher prices from supermarkets, but Tesco refused – leading to a stand-off that became known as #Marmitegate. But [...]
Food prices are increasing at the fastest rate for two and a half years March 1, 2017 Food prices are increasing at the fastest rate for two and a half years as the fall in the value of sterling has forced supermarkets to pass on some of their costs to shoppers. Prices for food rose 0.4 per cent year-on-year in February, according to figures from Nielsen and the British Retail Consortium (BRC). [...]
LSE-Deutsche Boerse merger thrown into chaos: Reactions from City analysts and Westminster February 27, 2017 Last night's announcement that the mega-merger between the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Deutsche Boerse may have been derailed entirely by competition concerns in Europe has left the City reeling. The £21bn merger, which had overcome the potentially devastating hurdle of Brexit without so much as a shrug, was thrown into chaos last night after it [...]
Unilever investors are gunning for it to be broken up after the Kraft Heinz deal failed February 26, 2017 Some of Unilever's largest shareholders have spoken out after the failed takeover attempt by Kraft Heinz, calling for a break-up of the consumer products giant which could lead to its food brands, including Marmite and Ben & Jerry's, being separated off from its personal care division. Matthew Tillman, fund manager at Allianz, Unilever's 14th biggest [...]
Zest for pests: Rentokil Initial’s profits creep up after 41 acquisitions worth £107m February 23, 2017 Rat-catcher and business services group Rentokil Initial's pre-tax profit crept up last year on the back of 41 acquisitions worth £107m. For the year to the end of December, the FTSE 250 firm's pre-tax profit stood at £208.5m from £159m the year before. Revenue hit £2.17bn, up from £1.8bn in the previous year. Rentokil Initial acquired 41 companies in 2016 for [...]
Krafty move: Unilever’s investors pocket £13.5bn as Anglo-Dutch giant shakes up business February 22, 2017 NULL
Milk giant behind Lurpak and Anchor increases prices for supermarkets February 22, 2017 The UK's largest dairy company, Arla Foods, has increased the prices of its products for supermarkets. The co-operative, which is behind brands such as Lurpak, Anchor and Cravendale, has been forced to hike prices due to the milk price rises in the last four months of 2016. Read more: Manufacturing giant Premier Foods considers price rises [...]
Unilever share price rises as it reveals plans for business review in wake of collapsed Kraft Heinz deal February 22, 2017 Consumer goods giant Unilever has pledged to shake-up its business on the back of a £113bn botched takeover attempt by rival Kraft Heinz. The FTSE 100-listed consumer products group issued a statement to the Stock Exchange in the wake of a collapsed potential deal with US rival Kraft Heinz, which is part-owned by Warren Buffett and [...]
This isn’t an M&A bubble: It’s the start of an unprecedented boom February 22, 2017 After a blistering final quarter of 2016, the first few weeks of 2017 have seen dealmakers continue to mine a rich seam of M&A, with big ticket transactions including Tesco’s acquisition of Booker and Reckitt Benckiser’s bid for Mead Johnson hitting headlines in the UK, and Luxottica and Essilor’s €50bn (£42.4bn) merger among many others [...]
Kraft Heinz’s withdrawn Unilever bid ranks as the world’s third largest collapsed M&A deal February 20, 2017 Kraft Heinz’s scrapped $140bn (£113bn) bid for Unilever marks the third biggest M&A collapse in history, according to Thomson Reuters figures. US food giant Kraft shocked the financial world on Sunday night, withdrawing the bid just two days after details of the deal leaked. Read more: Unilever share price plunges after deal talks with Kraft [...]