MEXICO: Heineken has completed the acquistion of the beer operations of Fomento Económico Mexicano, producer of Sol and Dos Equis. The Netherlands-based brewer will issue new shares to give Femsa a 20% stake in Heineken Group. Heineken distributes Femsa beers in the US but will assume responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution of Sol and Dos Equis in the UK from 4 October.
Walmart de Mexico has reported a 24% jump in Q2 profits on the back of strong performance from its Central American stores. Walmex, as the retailer is known, reported net profits of £235m in the April-June quarter, compared with £193m a year earlier.
FRANCE: Carrefour has reported a 6.3% increase in second-quarter revenue to £21bn. Revenue was boosted by strong growth in Latin America and Asia. Sales increased 34% in its Latin American stores, 21% in Asia and it also gained home market share with sales up 2.7% in France.
US: Strong growth in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America has led Coca-Cola to report higher-than-expected profits. Coke reported a 13% increase in Q2 operating profits to £1.8bn after enjoying quarterly volume gains in all areas except Europe, which saw a 1% decline. The Coca-Cola brand benefited from its FIFA World Cup sponsorship and a global marketing campaign, which boosted volumes and share gains.
Del Monte has pledged to reduce the sodium content in its branded portfolio by 20% by 2015. The initiative will include the Del Monte, S&W, Contadina and College Inn brands. The group first offered no-salt vegetable products under its Del Monte brand more than 20 years ago.
ASIA: Thai conglomerate Berli Jucker has expressed an interest in snapping up the Southeast Asian operations of Carrefour, which wants to sell its units in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand to focus on core markets where it holds leading positions, such as China and India.
The first round of bids for the assets are expected in early September. Berli is majority owned by Thai Charoen Corporation Group.
No comments yet