Canada: 7UP brand enters alcoholic drinks via vodka cocktail launch

Labatt Breweries, a leading Canadian drinks company, has announced the entry of the 7UP soft drinks brand into the alcoholic drinks space with the launch of SVNS Hard 7UP, a ready-todrink cocktail that is said to combine the lemon-lime flavour of PepsiCo’s 7Up with vodka-based alcohol. Designed to capture the attention and preferences of the […]
Brazil: Dia to close 343 stores

Spanish retailer Dia has announced plans to close 343 stores and three warehouses in Brazil as part of a strategic review of its business in the country, according to an ESM report. The closures would affect more than half of the roughly 600 stores Dia operates in the country. In a statement, the company said […]
India: Mother Dairy to invest $90 million to set up processing plants

Indian dairy giant Mother Dairy has announced plans to invest 750 crore INR ($90.36 million) to enhance dairy, fruit, and vegetable processing capacity across key locations. In a statement, the company said the investment would be used to establish a dairy plant in Nagpur, Maharashtra, with an investment of around 525 crore INR ($63.25 million), […]
Switzerland: Nestle sells dairy, juice business to Grupo Gloria

Nestle, the Swiss consumer goods giant, has announced plans to exit the dairy and juice sector in Ecuador through a deal with Gloria Foods, a subsidiary of the Peruvian business conglomerate Gloria Group, for Ecuajugos. According to Gloria Foods, the deal includes a factory and distribution centre in Cayambe, the local brands La Vaquita, Yogu […]
USA: Dollar Tree announces plans to close nearly 1,000 stores

Dollar Tree, the largest discount retailer in the US, has announced plans to close nearly 1,000 stores, following a “a store portfolio review”. The retailer said it intended to initially close 600 Family Dollar stores, with a further 370 Family Dollar outlets and 30 Dollar Tree stores also expected to be shuttered over the coming […]
Australia: Inghams to acquire New Zealand chicken producer Bostock Brothers

Australian poultry supplier Inghams Group has announced plans to buy Bostocks Brothers (BBL), a New Zealand producer of organic poultry, in a deal worth 35.3 million NZD ($21.8 million). The acquisition is said to include the brand, three freehold farming sites and the main processing plant. Founded in 2014, BBL has its primary operations in […]
Local provenance increasingly anchoring food and drink positioning

Insight by Gama Compass MANCHESTER – 14th March 2024: In this month’s Insight By Gama Compass, we turn our gaze towards the trend among FMCG suppliers and retailers to tout the use of locally-sourced and traceable ingredients, and explore some of the reasons why provenance is increasingly moving to ‘centre-of-pack’ when it comes to brand messaging. In particular, […]
UK: Asahi closes Greenwich brewery

Japanese brewer Asahi has announced plans to close a brewery in Greenwich, London that produces the Meantime and Dark Star beer ranges, with production transferred to the Fuller’s site in west London. According to reports, the Greenwich site will be retained but converted into a “standalone” consumer retail experience. In 2022, Asahi closed the Dark […]
Australia: Kimberly-Clark opens distribution centre in Victoria

Leading household paper firm Kimberly-Clark has announced an expansion of its operational capability in Australia with the opening of a “state-of-the-art” distribution centre in Ravenhall, Victoria. According to sources, the 23,000 sq m facility is the company’s second largest in Australia and the first of several investments planned to offer faster and more efficient services […]
UK: BAT opens innovation centre in Southampton

Multinational tobacco and nicotine products manufacturer British American Tobacco (BAT) has announced the opening of a £30 million ($38 million) “state-of-the-art” innovation centre in Southampton, on the UK’s south coast, to accelerate development of smokeless products. In a press release, the firm said it was committed to investing £300 million ($384 million) yearly in the […]