Route to Market

Graffiti and Declining Sales: Coca-Cola’s Vending Machine Struggles in Osaka

Japan, Route to Market, Vending / By

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan (CCBJ) oversees bottling, sales, and distribution across retail, vending, and foodservice channels. In Japanese business language, this frontline activity is known as the genba (現場) —the coal face, where strategy meets reality. As a publicly listed entity, CCBJ reports its financial results regularly. Its second-quarter (H1) earnings presentation drew attention online, as […]

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BYD Dolphin

BYD picks a fight with Nissan’s Sakura, Honda and Tesla. Can it win the affection of Japanese EV fans?

Cars, Japan, Route to Market / By

I’ll start with a confession. I love electric cars; I drive Tesla. Nissan was one of the first legacy automakers to launch an EV. Today its pioneer brand Leaf is still around, although its tech is jaded. Nissan remains king in Japan’s EV market, its newest model, the wittily named Sakura (cherry blossom), tops the

BYD picks a fight with Nissan’s Sakura, Honda and Tesla. Can it win the affection of Japanese EV fans? Read More »

retail hot spot

Controlling a store’s hotspot is key to driving gum sales. Can Perfetti muscle up against giant Mars?

merchandising, Route to Market, Shopper / By

Last week Perfetti van Melle completed its acquisition of Mondelez’s US, Canadian and European gum businesses. Perfetti paid US$1.35b and acquired a plethora of brands including Trident, Dentyne, Stimorol and Bubbalicious. Perfetti has annual revenues just shy of €3b, so this acquisition is very substantial. Managing the integration from an operational and commercial perspective will

Controlling a store’s hotspot is key to driving gum sales. Can Perfetti muscle up against giant Mars? Read More »

trade show

Anuga is the food industry’s Olympic showdown. How was 2023’s gourmet event?

Bakery, Route to Market, Strategy / By

Anuga is a bi-annual event held in Köln, Germany. For many in the food and beverage industry it’s the most important trade event to showcase new products, innovations and crucially find new customers. I travelled all the way from Japan for the October 2023 show. What did I find? First, even though the show is

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Smuckers splurges big time on Twinkies. Has the global hype for ‘healthy alternatives’ been over baked?

Market entry, Route to Market / By

J.M. Smucker otherwise known as ‘Smuckers’ is an American food juggernaut with revenue of $8.5b. However, the business has a weak international footprint, 96% of revenue is in the US (5% of sales are in Canada and only 1% elsewhere). Smuckers last week agreed to buy Hostess brands, famous for Twinkies, for a total value

Smuckers splurges big time on Twinkies. Has the global hype for ‘healthy alternatives’ been over baked? Read More »

Tupperware party’s cancelled. Management pulls full year guidance; analysts wrong footed

Route to Market, Strategy, Turnaround / By

Most of us know Tupperware. It’s an iconic brand marketing storage and serving containers for use in the kitchen and around the home. The company is well diversified. Although it’s a US business, Asia-Pacific was the biggest region in 2021 accounting for 28% of revenue. North America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) are

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Nestlé’s cash cow partnership with Starbucks: a dream made in heaven

Licence, Marketing, Route to Market / By

As some of you may know, I’m a former Nestlé executive. I learnt a lot there, met many great people and parted on good terms several years ago.  Whilst I follow many companies in the consumer products industry, one I follow very closely is my former employer. Last week Nestlé produced very strong third quarter

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