Capgemini

Walmart may not operate stores in New York but it managed to enlist the aid of the city’s top trash executive to reinforce the importance of accelerating recycling efforts.

360pi, a leader in retail price and product intelligence, has unveiled the latest generation of its 360comparables solution targeted to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by private label brands.

Chicago -- Consumer confidence rose significantly in the first quarter of 2014, according to a MarketPulse survey from IRI. All age groups are reporting a more positive outlook — especially Millennials. A distressed consumer segment since the economic downturn began, this age group is showing the greatest rise in confidence.

The challenges for a small/medium CPG company today, competing against the multibillion dollar conglomerates, are greater than ever before. With the skyrocketing cost of freight, manufacturing, raw materials, sales and marketing, the small/medium CPG company does not enjoy any of the economies of scale that the established multi nationals do. Competing in the low margin highly competitive beverage category, as we do at Celsius, only accentuates the challenge.

Miramar, Fla. - Elizabeth Arden has reportedly hired Goldman-Sachs Inc. to help contact private equity firms and other possible buyers. According to Bloomberg, Elizabeth Arden is undergoing a sales process but has not made any definitive deals and may not wind up selling itself.

The move to hire Goldman-Sachs comes after reports indicating that South Korean CPG firm LG Household & Health Care Ltd. was considering a takeover bid for the retailer.

Amazon continues to power ahead with record first quarter sales, solid bottom line improvement and intriguing new initiatives to drive future performance.

Sales increased 23% to $19.7 billion during the quarter ended March 31, compared to $16 billion the prior year. The sales figure was comprised of product sales which grew 18.3% to $15.7 billion and service sales which grew 44% to slightly more than $4 billion. The company’s fulfillment costs increased 29% to $2.3 billion.

Those looking to understand how the retail industry will perform in the second quarter and beyond can gain an interesting perspective from the outlook shared by one of the world’s largest diversified packaging companies.

Chobani Greek Yogurt is a young brand that has enjoyed tremendous success and to keep the momentum going the company is employing a classic CPG strategy of promoting consumption during different day parts and inspiring new usage occasions.

In essence, Chobani wants Americans to eat more yogurt and recently announced six new products to launch in July that extend the brand beyond breakfast.The new products include Chobani Greek Yogurt Oats, Chobani Indulgent, Chobani Kids, Chobani Seasonal, Chobani Kitchen and Chobani Simply 100 Greek Yogurt in key lime and pineapple Coconut.