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  • Tesco places troubled Fresh & Easy business up for sale

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Tesco placed its U.S. supermarket business Fresh & Easy on the sales bloc Wednesday, in conjunction with an announcement that Fresh & Easy CEO Tim Mason has left the company. 

  • Pfizer closes deal, sells nutrition business to Nestlé for $11.9 billion

    NEW YORK — Pfizer on Friday announced that it has completed the sale of its nutrition business to Nestlé for $11.9 billion in cash, following the conclusion of the required regulatory process in most markets. In certain countries where completion will be delayed due to ongoing regulatory review, Pfizer will continue to operate the business on an interim basis.

  • Cerberus Capital Management in negotiations for Supervalu business

    MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Friday confirmed that a previously announced review of strategic alternatives is proceeding, sparking a slight run on the company's stock. As of early Monday afternoon, Supervalu was trading at $2.53 per share, up 6.3%. 

    "The company continues to be in active discussion with several parties," Supervalu stated. 

    The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that Cerberus Capital Management and Supervalu had been negotiating a potential acquisition deal through the weekend.

  • Draining devices demand heavy-duty power

    Sales of primary batteries used in consumer products should grow 2.4% each year, according to research from Freedonia Group.


    That’s good news for a category that has seen a fair share of decline in recent years. Freedonia Group sees a shift in the product mix toward more expensive primary batteries, particularly superpremium alkaline and primary 
lithium products.


    Alkaline batteries will continue to dominate the market, and should generate 84% of sales in 2015.

     

  • Discounter Fred's reports 1% sales decline for November

     MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's on Thurday reported a total sales decline of 1% to $150.4 million for the four weeks ended Nov. 24. Comparable store sales for the month declined 3.6% versus an increase of 1.5% in the same period last year.

  • Consumers using more OTCs for cost savings

    As many as 26% of consumers increased their usage of over-the-counter products in the past year, according to an online survey of more than 900 AccentHealth viewers conducted in September. Anticipated increases in OTC use for the upcoming year are driven by those who have already reported a rise in usage in the past year.


    To see more Patient Views, click here.

    The lower cost of OTCs was cited as the primary reason viewers have increased and plan to increase their OTC usage. 


  • Natural goes mainstream

    While the term homeopathy may remain as foreign to the American consumer as allopathy, as a relative “class” within each of the respective categories where homeopathic remedies exist, more and more shoppers are placing those homeopathic products in their baskets.

  • Prestige sets see double-digit gains

    Beauty market research company NPD Group recently reported that prestige gift sets were once again on the rise within U.S. department stores.


    While all prestige gift sets saw double-digit gains, the greatest lift was reported in makeup gift sets. Between January and October 2012, total makeup gift sets rose 26% to $116 million compared with the January to 
October 2011 period.


    Total skin care gift sets increased 23% compared with the year-ago period to reach $276 million.


    Total sales of fragrance gift sets climbed 10% to $479 million versus 
last year.


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