The recent rise of Japan’s Nikkei (up 20% in 2024) has set many hearts pumping. One surprising performer has been herbal medicine maker Tsumura whose stock has soared 40% this year. Unless you are a doctor or a heavy user of herbal medicine, Tsumura is not a familiar name, and written in Katakana (ツムラ）does not […]
Kao is a very large Japanese toiletry, cosmetics and chemical business listed on the Tokyo stock exchange. Many of its brands are household favourites, think Attack (laundry detergent) Kirei Kirei, Merries, Magiclean, Bioré or Kanebo cosmetics. Kao has recently been going through some house cleaning of its own. Many years ago it developed and entered
J&J’s consumer health business – Kenvue – is big pharma’s latest spinoff
Haleon is the spin off of GSK’s OTC (over the counter medicine) business. This month it was reborn as a stand-alone company independently listed on the London stock exchange. Haleon has a market valuation of £30.5b (US$36.2b) and a portfolio of brands including Sensodyne (oral care) and Panadol (pain relief). The company makes 63% gross
Headache? Toothache? Is Haleon’s OTC portfolio immune from attack? Read More »
Huel is an acronym for HUman FuEL. The company sells powder based meal replacements diluted with water. The ingredients are 100% vegan and include oats, pea, rice, flaxseed, coconut, and sunflower. It’s a brand for active and wealthy millennials, a target group similar to Peleton or even Go-Pro. Like the latter, it has a similar
This month I spent a week in West London before returning to the Far East. It was a mixture of work, pleasure and early morning work-outs by the Thames (much recommended!) I walked as much as possible but when using public transport rode the bus more than the tube. The view is better, the buses
Middle Eastern hummus grows in popularity; big food giants eye payday! Read More »
A new CEO started work at Danone this week. Antoine de Saint-Affrique was previously at Barry Callebaut, a specialist (and hugely successful) chocolatier and before that Unilever. Danone’s share price has not shown any positive momentum this year and the previous CEO was forced out in March. There were multiple reports of a boardroom power
It’s a brand that has yet reach its 10th birthday but has revenue over $1.8b. No mean achievement especially in a niche category: high end exercise bikes and treadmills. Peleton’s bikes sell for between $1900 and $4300, it has 5.4m members, and sells monthly memberships between $13 and $39. Peleton, listed on the Nasdaq, was
Is Peleton pedalling fast enough on exports to boost its share price? Read More »
In the West Governments have gone to war against sugar due to concerns about obesity and related life style diseases like diabetes. In the UK, according to the food standards agency, ‘the amount of sugar in food’ is currently the number one consumer concern, ahead of food waste, animal welfare and surprisingly (for me) the
Are sugar concerns the real reason Pepsico strips Tropicana and Naked? Read More »
As anyone who’s done segmentation studies knows, not all shoppers or consumers are the same. Marketeers love to cluster shoppers into groups based on demographics, lifestyle, shopping habits and of course spend. It’s a fundamental part of segmentation (and I have done a fair few of these studies!) The rise of apps like Yuka, Fooducate
Apps like Yuka, Fooducate and ToxFox are the new-age sages of the grocery aisle Read More »
