Another week has concluded as we delivered the breaking headlines in the Australian FMCG industry. Let’s take another look at what happened this week.
A soft drinks giant and start-up accelerator company selected Xcelerate finalists; supermarket giant launched a new cricket program; a snack company created ‘world’s largest’ Jurassic Doritos; a dairy giant addresses the malnutrition problem; Aussie wines were delayed in China; a pharmacy’s incubator program was launched, and a New Zealand poultry company was acquired by a conglomerate in the Philippines.
Coca-Cola Amatil, BlueChilli announced Xcelerate program finalists
Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) and start-up accelerator company BlueChilli have announced 12 finalists of the Australian and New Zealand business ideas for the six-month tech accelerator program Xcelerate. The 12 founders were chosen from a group of 40 participants. Chris Sullivan, group director Partners and Growth at CCA, said that they created the program as part of the Amatil X platform to find the best and the brightest business ideas in the start-up communities. Congratulations to the new startup founders!
Woolworths, Cricket Australia to support young Aussies
Supermarket giant Woolworths and Cricket Australia has launched the Woolworths Cricket Blast in 2018. Woolworths managing director Claire Peters said, “Cricket is a vital part of many Aussie communities, with thousands of families heading to their local oval each week as kids build vital skills by taking part in one of the country’s most popular participation sports.” The new sports program has been designed for children, to build their skills through fun, game-based activities as well as by playing modified games in a social setting.
Frito-Lay created the ‘world’s largest’ Jurassic Doritos
Snack giant Frito-Lay North America has created recently the world’s largest Doritos, Jurassic Doritos, in collaboration with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Rachel Ferdinando, vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America, said that the collaboration is set to give fans a new and awesome way to experience Doritos snacks. Exciting new product indeed!
Fonterra addresses malnutrition problem
Dairy giant Fonterra has address the ongoing issue of malnourishment in older people. About 24 scientific and nutritional organisations have joined the company in a major international project. It launched the five-year project, ‘The Prevention of Malnutrition in Senior Subjects in the EU’, which will investigate the impact of dieting and appetite in malnutrition and functional decline of people over 70 years.
More delays for Aussie wines in China
Australian wines were held up at Chinese ports. Six Australian wine companies have faced delays at Chinese customs. AAP said this came after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull complained of Chinese political interference in late 2017. A spokesman from Pernod Ricard, one of the affected companies, said, “We experienced some delays in China and we are actively working to resolve the issue.” Looks like this story will continue further next week.
Australian Pharmacy Alliance, DaigouSales.com partnered with incubator program
The Australian Pharmacy Alliance and DaigouSales.com has launched a new incubator program which aims to give emerging Australian products access to shelf space in over 650 pharmacies nationwide. They launched recently the Slingshot Brand Incubation Program. Dr Mathew McDougall, founder and managing director of DaigouSales.com, said “If you want to export your products overseas into markets such as China, your product’s brand awareness needs to be on the rise in Australia and you need to be achieving strong local retail sales.” Looks like win-win for Aussie businesses.
Tegel acquired Bounty Fresh
New Zealand poultry producer Tegel have announced it recommended that shareholders accept the takeover offer from Bounty Fresh Food. AAP reported the independent directors of Tegel urged shareholders to accept a $A405m takeover bid from Bounty Fresh Food of the Philippines. Tegel chairman David Jackson on Tuesday said that control of the company will pass to Bounty if the latter’s offer is declared unconditional. He said Bounty’s offer price was fair and included a premium on Tegel’s historic trading price.
That’s it for this week. We’ll be back on Monday morning to deliver the headlines!
