Vitaminwater has too much sugar to be accurately described as nutritious, Britain’s ad regulator ruled Wednesday, ordering brand owner Coca-Cola to stop running publicity carrying the claim. Get the full story »
Filed under: Beverages
Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
Starbucks letting customers pay with cell phones
Starbucks Corp. will allow customers at U.S. company-operated stores to use some smartphones to pay for their purchases in an effort to drive sales.
Customers with Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry or Apple Inc.’s iPhone or iPod touch will be able to pay using a Starbuck card mobile app at nearly 6,800 company-operated stores and 1,000 Starbucks in U.S. Target Corp. locations. Get the full story »
Starbucks to add 31-ounce ‘Trenta’ size May 3
Starbucks Corp. will roll out its biggest drink size yet — the 31-ounce ”Trenta” — in all of its U.S. coffee shops by May 3, the company said Sunday
The new size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks in the United States. The Trenta is 7 ounces larger than Starbucks’ “Venti” cup for iced drinks, which currently is its largest size on offer. Get the full story »
Miller to roll out MGD 64 Lemonade for summer
MillerCoors LLC plans to launch a lemonade-flavored version of low-calorie beer MGD 64, the latest effort by a big U.S. brewer to rejuvenate sales.
MillerCoors, the second-largest U.S. beer maker by revenue, will introduce MGD 64 Lemonade as a limited-edition summer brand in May. Get the full story »
Makers Mark head to step aside
For 35 years, Bill Samuels Jr. oversaw Maker’s Mark bourbon as it matured from a regional novelty started by his parents to an international brand recognizable by its red wax seal.
Now he’s planning to step aside for the next generation of his family to lead the rural Kentucky distillery, known for its distinctive square bottles that are sealed with red wax. Samuels, 70, will retire as president of Maker’s Mark on April 15, when he’ll become chairman emeritus of the brand owned by Fortune Brands Inc., the company announced. Get the full story »
Jan. 11 at 4:13 p.m.
Comments Off
Filed under: Beverages, Commercial real estate, Real estate, Updated Cicero gives thumbs up to Wirtz building proposal
The town of Cicero unanimously voted Tuesday to approve Wirtz Beverage Illinois’ request to build a $70-million, 600,000-square-foot distribution center at a location that used to be a racetrack. Wirtz’ new center will incorporate the company’s other offices and warehouses in Schaumburg, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.
The company had said in a statement last week that most of its 1,000 employees would move to the new center. Get the full story »
Gatorade taps top marketer as N. American head
Gatorade North America has named Sarah Robb O’Hagan as its new president and global chief marketing officer for sports nutrition. She succeeds Rich Beck, who will be senior vice president of global supply chain operations at PepsiCo, Gatorade’s parent.
Robb O’Hagan joined Gatorade in 2008 as chief marketing officer, spearheading the company’s launch of G Series, a three-product sales proposition for before, during and after workouts. Gatorade now offers a G Series for elite athletes and competitive high school athletes. The company is launching a G Series for fitness athletes in the spring, including energy bar bites. Get the full story »
Hawaiian Punch updates mascot, formula
Hawaiian Punch is giving Punchy more pop.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc., which owns Hawaiian Punch, is giving the fruity drink’s mascot a 21st-Century facelift with new computer-generated design. Punchy’s new three-dimensional surfer look, to be featured on packaging now being shipped and in Internet campaigns starting in February, will try to appeal more to the drink’s target audience of 13-year-olds, who have grown up watching cartoons like Pixar Animation Studio’s Toy Story. Get the full story »
Starbucks: Kraft interfering with grocery transition
Starbucks Corp. told a federal judge it gave Kraft Foods Inc. ample warning of its plans to end their grocery partnership and that the food maker is now standing in the way of an orderly break-up.
In legal filings on Thursday, the world’s biggest coffee chain asked U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel to deny Kraft’s request to stop Starbucks from ending their 12-year-old deal and moving the business to a new partner. Get the full story »
Sara Lee said to be moving ahead on break-up plan
Sara Lee Corp. is moving ahead with plans to split up its meats and coffee businesses into two separate companies after it rejected Brazilian beef processor JBS SA’s takeover offer last month, people familiar with the matter said.
JBS hasn’t ruled out its interest in buying the company, which has a market capitalization of about $11 billion, and could yet come back with a higher offer, these people said. But they cautioned that JBS, which has a market cap of about $10 billion, could have trouble securing financing for a deal. Get the full story »
Wirtz plans to build office and warehouse in Cicero
A view of Sportsman's Park in Cicero as it is demolished, Jan. 5, 2009. Wirtz Beverage Illinois has its eye on the now-vacant land there. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)
Wirtz Beverage Illinois announced Thursday that it plans to build a $70-million, 600,000-square-foot distribution center in Cicero, which would include 100,000 feet of office and conference center space. The new center, if approved, would incorporate Wirtz’s other offices and warehouses in Schaumburg, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.
Most of Wirtz’s 1,000 employees would move to the new center as well, the company said in a statement. Get the full story »
Recycling to put a Four Loko in your tank
Truckloads of Four Loko and other alcohol-laced energy drinks are being recycled into ethanol and other products after federal authorities told manufacturers the beverages were dangerous and caused users to become “wide-awake drunk.”
Wholesalers from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and other East Coast states started sending cases of the high-alcohol, caffeinated malt beverages to MXI Environmental Services in Virginia after the Food and Drug Administration cracked down on the sale of such beverages in November. Get the full story »
Starbucks gives logo a new look
Starbucks new logo design. (AP)
Starbucks Corp. is giving its siren a facelift. The world’s largest coffee company is unveiling a new logo Wednesday that drops the words encircling its iconic sea nymph and gives her a few subtle updates.
Starbucks says the changes amount to more than nips and tucks to its favorite lady. The fresh look goes with a new direction for the company as it makes its way back from its toughest times in its 40-year history. Get the full story »
Starbucks weighed down by Kraft’s Tassimo
From Bloomberg News | Starbucks Corp. is trying to break a 13-year-old deal that ties its single-cup home brewing business to Kraft Foods Inc.’s slow-selling Tassimo machine. Under the terms of the deal, Starbucks can’t put its coffee in the Keurig Home Brewer, which dominates the U.S. market for machines that make single cups of coffee in a minute or less. Get the full story>>
Anheuser, baseball renew Budweiser sponsorship
Anheuser-Busch Inc, the maker of Budweiser beer, and Major League Baseball announced a multi-year renewal of their sponsorship agreement, averting a possible end to a more than 30-year relationship. Get the full story »
