Ferré & Consulting Blog (English Version)

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the Spanish supplier of the baking industry Panrico SAU by US based alternative investment manager Oaktree Capital. The Commission found that the transaction would not raise competition concerns because there are no overlaps between the parties´ activities.

The proposed transaction does not result in horizontal overlaps between the parties activities, since Oaktree has no company in its portfolio that is active in the same markets as Panrico. The Commission examined the vertical relationship between one of Oaktree´s portfolio companies Nordenia with activities in flexible packaging and Panrico´s activities in bakery products.

However, due to Nordenia´s low market share in the upstream market for flexible packaging for bread, biscuits and cakes, the merged entity would lack the ability to shout out competitors from supplies. Moreover, the Commission´s investigation confirmed that the proposed transaction would not lead to any material change in the structure of the market.

The Commission therefore concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it. The transaction was notified to the Commission on 16 November 2011.

Oaktree is a global alternative and non-traditional investment manager engaged in businesses in a variety of industries, including packaging, manufacturing, healthcare, clothing, travel, real estate, exploration and mining, food, telecommunications, media and entertainment. Barcelona-based Panrico is active in the manufacture and wholesale distribution of bread, pastries and biscuits in Spain and Portugal.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Companies Oaktree, Panrico

Opening in Xi’An, China marks milestone in Dunkin’ Donuts’ worldwide growth; Dunkin’ Donuts also celebrates additional new restaurant openings this month around the world, including locations in Bogota, Colombia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Kingsland, Ga.

Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 80 restaurants in Greater China. The newest restaurant in China, the 10th in Xi’An and 10,000th in the world, is being opened by franchisee Shannxi Stellerich Food & Restaurant Management Co., Ltd. The opening of the 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts location will be celebrated in Xi’An with much fanfare, including a grand opening ceremony complete with local dignitaries, a traditional Chinese lion dance and a jazz band.

“We are proud to have opened the world’s 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant in China, a country which we believe offers tremendous opportunity to both our Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands,” said Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin’ Brands and President of Dunkin’ Donuts. “From its beginnings as a single restaurant in Quincy, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is today a global brand located in 32 countries around the world. Our geographic diversity is truly a testimony to the fact that customers everywhere, from China to Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Georgia, appreciate what Dunkin’ Donuts offers – high quality food and beverages served in a friendly, fast environment at a great value.”

During the first nine months of 2011, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, opened approximately 480 net new locations globally, including 230 net new Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants. Dunkin’ Brands has more than 16,500 restaurants in 56 countries and is one of the largest U.S. quick service restaurant (QSR) companies internationally by unit count.

Dunkin’ Donuts has maintained steady global growth over the past several years, opening new restaurants in the United States, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Russia, and Latin and South America. Earlier this year, Dunkin’ Donuts announced an agreement to enter India and plans to open more than 500 restaurants in the country over the next 15 years. Last month, Dunkin’ Donuts surpassed 100 restaurants in Saudi Arabia.

“Because of our strong brand recognition, our differentiated products, innovative marketing and nearly 100 percent franchise business model, we believe Dunkin’ Donuts has significant growth opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad,” concluded Travis. “We are delighted to celebrate the opening of our 10,000th Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant, and look forward to many more openings to come both in existing and new markets around the world.”

For more information about Dunkin’ Donuts, please visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts ) and Twitter ( www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts ).

About Dunkin’ Donuts Founded in 1950, Dunkin’ Donuts is America’s favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin’ Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories. Dunkin’ Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for five years running. The company has 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries worldwide. In 2010, Dunkin’ Donuts’ global system-wide sales were $6 billion. Based in Canton, Mass., Dunkin’ Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. DNKN +2.05% . For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com .

Source: Dunkin’ Brands

Companies Dunkin' Donuts

Bakery manufacturers face the threat of rising egg prices – and even shortages – when new Europe wide animal welfare legislation comes into force on 1 January. But they could avoid taking a hit by specifying egg replacers instead, according to Arla Foods Ingredients.

The Welfare of Laying Hens Directive will ban the use of cramped battery cages, forcing egg producers to use larger ‘enriched’ cages that allow laying hens more space to perch and move around.

However, as many as 13 countries across the European Union, including Spain, Italy and Poland, have admitted that their egg industries will not be ready to meet the new requirements in time for the New Year – sparking fears of availability problems and higher prices.

The looming crisis has prompted Arla Foods Ingredients to urge bakery manufacturers to consider using egg replacement products – such as Nutrilac – to protect themselves from growing uncertainty in the market.

John Gelley, sales director for EU Bakery at Arla Foods Ingredients, says, “No-one knows for sure what impact the Directive will have. But with so many member states admitting that they are unprepared for the changes, there are worrying signs that bakers could face difficulties sourcing sufficient eggs for their needs or, at the very least, significantly higher prices.”

He continues, “Egg replacement ingredients, such as our own Nutrilac range, offer the perfect solution to avoiding this uncertainty. They perform just like eggs in a host of bakery applications, and enable companies to maintain product quality and all-important clean label status.”

Manufactured from fractionated whey proteins, Nutrilac egg replacers offer several advantages over eggs. They are less expensive than eggs, they are lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol than eggs, they have a longer shelf life than eggs – up to 18 months – and they produce great tasting end products.

Gelley says, “We’re confident that bakers will be delighted by the benefits of egg free baking with Nutrilac – and there’s no doubt that the onset of the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive means now is the ideal time to make the switch.”

The Welfare of Laying Hens Directive comes into force across the EU on 1 January 2012. It prevents hens being kept in cages with less than 45cm of headroom and 750cm2 of floor space. It also obliges egg producers to provide perches and litter to allow the hens to nest, peck and scratch.

 Source: Confectionery Production

Ingredients directives, egg supply, prices

2012 is the 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich and to mark the occasion, the British Sandwich Association  is launching a national campaign to promote sandwiches – and it is designed to directly support sandwich businesses. Starting in January with the announcement of the anniversary, the campaign will build through the year. Some features of the campaign:

• A special logo has been produced and registered to mark the Anniversary which will feature in a major publicity and promotion campaign throughout the year. The logo can be reproduced on pack and on point-of-sale material in-store to highlight the anniversary and any promotions you may be doing.
• The Association is also launching a new consumer website in January  which will feature member outlets and any special promotions they are running. These will also be promoted through the BSA marketing campaign.
• From March the Association will be launching a «Sandwich of the Month» campaign supported by a massive PR programme designed to highlight the featured sandwich. This will include a substantial social media campaign each month using Facebook and Twitter to encourage consumers to try the «Sandwich of the Month». Recipes for the feature sandwiches will be distributed to retailers and manufacturers taking part well in advance so that they can include them in their ranges and take full advantage of the press campaign behind each sandwich.
• Point-of-sale material to support each featured sandwich will also be provided in advance and distributed to retailers and manufacturers taking part. They can either print this off to use in shops or use the artwork to create their own bespoke material.
• A monthly national competition is being launched from February which consumers can enter to win a number of prizes over the year. Each month there will be a major consumer prize to be won which will be presented via winner´s nominated shop and at the end of the year a major prize of a holiday in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) will be presented to one lucky winner. Point-of-sale material will be provided to support this competition, including simple entry details.
• Plus, those bakeries featuring the competition in store or on-pack will have the option of running their own bespoke competitions within the overall competition.
• Also in March, the Association will be launching a new on-line consumer magazine to promote the campaign as well as to generally promote sandwiches. Also featured will be details of activities by members.

In addition to this activity, the Association is also planning a major national event in May designed to grab headlines. There are also discussions about creating a TV programme about the history of the sandwich. Market research is also being planned to create a better understanding of the dynamics of the sandwich market.

Source: Bakenet:eu

Events anniversary, sandwich

The Swedish confectionery companies Cloetta and Leaf have announced a merger of the two companies. The combined company will take the well established name of Cloetta and become a leading Swedish confectionery company with a strong base in the Nordic region as well as in Italy and the Netherlands. The new Cloetta will manage a strong portfolio of iconic brands, long established brands including Kexchoklad, Läkerol, Polly, Ahlgrens bilar, Plopp, Malaco and Cloetta in Scandinavia, Jenkki in Finland, Sperlari and Saila in Italy and Red Band and Sportlife in the Netherlands.

Source: Confectionery Production

Companies Cloetta, Leaf

A new theme park made entirely of chocolate has just opened in China’s Shanghai.

Shanghai’s World Chocolate Wonderland welcomed visitors through its doors on Friday (December 16), into a theme park of lifelike chocolate exhibits.

According to Reuters, everything on display was made from chocolate, including a replica of ancient China’s famous Terracotta Warriors and the traditional Chinese symbol of the dragon.

Organisers say that the choice of delectable items on display was made based on an effort to unite the East and the West.

Tina Zheng, manager of the Beijing Artsource Group that is behind the mouth-watering project, said that the exhibit is the result of a ‘clever combination’ of both cultures.

‘The truth is, Western and Eastern cultures together can make a clever combination. So here at the exhibition, you can see that we have used Western chocolate, which has more than 3000 years of history. But Chinese culture has a history dating back over 5000 years. So blending both Western and Eastern cultures to make a clever and creative combination has brought about a creative spark.’

The exhibition has attracted visitors of all ages, young and old. 19-year old Chen Aobo (pronounced Chen Ow Boh) said that he was impressed by how lifelike the chocolate articles were.

‘I feel that it’s quite cosy here, plus most of the exhibition was extremely lifelike, and the dragon and terracotta warriors were so vivid and so well-made, so I think it’s all pretty good.’

Also on display were chocolate models of Chinese porcelain vases.

As much as adults may enjoy the novelty of being surrounded by chocolate objects, it is much more of a dream come true for sweet-toothed children.

‘I want to play here for a long, long time. I want to buy a huge box of chocolate here. If they have cakes I want to buy a huge cake too,’ a five-year old said.

A chocolate fashion show, in which models strut down the catwalk in fancy chocolate outfits, was hosted earlier on Thursday (December 15) ahead of the grand opening.

Entrance fee starts at 100 yuan ($16 US Dollars). The wonderland will remain open until February 19, 2012.

Chocolate, Events China, Chocolate, World Chocolate Wonderland