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Mergers / Acquisitions 2

New arrival 2

Platinum clients 8

Research is what I’m doing when I

don’t know what I’m doing.

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Italy-based FMCG giant Bolton Group has acquired a majority stake in Spanish seafood company Garavilla from private-equity

firm MCH and investment fund Investment Portfolio Dularra.

Vimto owner Nichols PLC has acquired a 49% equity stake The Noisy Drinks Co. to enable it to grow its presence in the out of

home market across the UK and Europe.

GT&CO sealed a deal to acquire Belgian biscuit group Jules Destrooper yesterday.

France-based sugar refiner Tereos has struck a deal to buy Napier Brown, the sugar arm of UK group The Real Good Food Co.

Divine Chocolate, the farmer-owned chocolate company, has merged its UK and USA businesses.

Dr Oetker has announced the acquisition of Romanian baked goods brand Alex Desserts from Alex & Comp.

Weight Watchers is extending its range of iced desserts with the introduction

of two new lines – Greek Style Frozen Yogurt with Blueberries and Salted

Caramel Sundaes, both manufactured under license by frozen dessert and ice

cream specialist, Icefresh Foods Ltd. At only 100 calories, 3.1g of fat and a

ProPoints value of 3 per 100ml pot, Weight Watchers Greek Style Frozen

Yogurt with Blueberries boasts 30% less fat than a standard Greek style frozen

yogurt, while the indulgent Salted Caramel Sundaes, at 186 calories for a

180ml tub, also carries 30% less fat, making them both an appealing dessert

option to those looking for a healthier sweet treat.

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Nature Valley is launching a range of Popcorn Bars to meet the needs of

snackers looking for an alternative tasty treat, at home or on the go. On-shelf

from early May, the New Nature Valley Popcorn bars will be available in two

tasty flavours: Cranberry & Yoghurt and Peanut & Sunflower Seed (RRP £2.89).

Each popcorn bar has less than 100 calories and come in multipacks containing

five individually wrapped bars with Peanut & Sunflower Seed also launching in

20g single bars (RRP £0.69).

Persil, the fabric cleaner from Unilever UK, is

introducing it’s first-ever pouch format to the

small & mighty range. The New Persil small &

mighty Eco-Packs have been designed with the

price savvy shopper and eco-conscious

consumer in mind, offering added value with

five extra washes per pouch and using 78% less

plastic versus Persil’s 25 wash small and mighty

bottle. Rolling out from mid-April, the Eco-

Packs provide consumers with the same small

and mighty formulation in a new resealable

pouch format, offering incredible stain removal

even in a quick wash. The 30 wash Persil small

& mighty Eco-Refill pouches will be available

across bio, non-bio and colour.

Radox is set to expand its

shower gel offering with

the launch of its Feel

Indulged range. The new

pampering collection is

being released to coincide

with the re-launch of the

entire Radox shower gel

portfolio, which includes a

new pack design and

variant names. The new

range has a creamy

formulation, developed to

leave skin clean and

moisturised.

Dairy Crest is launching tailored butter and spread packs created specifically for the convenience

sector. The brand new Utterly Butterly 250g £1.00 PMPs case of eight has been launched to

specifically target shoppers on the top-up mission. Dairy Crest will also be re-launching Utterly

Butterly 500g PMP with an improved price point of £1.89 – down from £1.99 – in the eight pack

case.

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Dairy Crest is pleased to announce the expansion of the Clover portfolio with

the launch of a brand new range of healthy and flavorsome spray cooking

oils. Perfect for baking, frying and roasting, the new Clover Cooking Spray

range will be available in three delicious flavors – Buttery, Chili and Garlic – in

120ml bottles from mid-April 2015.

Nurishment has launched limited edition £1 price-marked packs of the four

best-selling SKUs of Nurishment Original. The special packs of vanilla,

chocolate, strawberry and banana flavors will be available from early May

until the end of June.

Old Orchard Brands has

launched two new tropical

variants in its Healthy Balance

reduced-sugar juice drink range.

Old Orchard Healthy Balance

Pineapple Orange and Peach

Mango contain 5g of sugar and

20 calories per 8oz serving, and

join a 12-strong range of Healthy

Balance juice drinks.

Arla has continued its push into

the added value category with

the launch of the UK’s first fresh

milk enriched with nutrients for

toddlers. Arla Big Milk is filtered,

made with 100% British whole

cow’s milk, naturally rich in

calcium, and contains added

vitamin D, iron and vitamin A.

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Batchelors will be adding incremental sales to

the Instant Soup, Instant Noodle and Pot Snacks

sectors with the introduction of a brand new

product – Batchelors Mugfull, a new Limited

Edition Super Noodles variant and strengthened

Deli Box range. The brand is launching the new

Batchelors Mugfull range of low fat, filling soups

containing rice, noodles or pasta, whilst

simultaneously unveiling improved recipes across

the existing portfolio of its popular Deli Box line-

up.

Pet food brand Webbox is launching its first

range of dog toys. The collection of 30 toys

launches tomorrow, exclusively in Asda. The

toys (rsp: £1- £6) are divided into five types:

Throw & Fetch, Tough & Tugger, Fun &

Squeaky, Puppy, and Soft & Comfort.

Scottish soft drinks maker Summerhouse Drinks

has launched a tonic water to target growing

demand for gin.

Kepak Convenience Foods is

continuing to broaden the appeal of

Rustlers, the micro-snacking brand,

with the launch of two panini

products. The new panini lines are

Chicken & Pesto (flame grilled

chicken with mozzarella and a pesto

mayonnaise) and Pepperoni (slices

of pepperoni with mozzarella and a

tomato and herb sauce).

Kettle Chips is introducing a new seasonal flavour to its

range of hand cooked, sharing chips in time for the

summer sales period. Available for a limited period, Kettle

Chips Thai Sweet Chilli, Lemongrass & Coriander is perfect

for barbecues, or simply for sharing with friends and

family this summer.

JJ Food Service has launched a range of crisp,

confectionery and snack lines to offer existing customers

a broader range of products while attracting business

from new market sectors.

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Arla Foods is gearing up to extend its

Arla Protein yoghurt brand into dairy

drinks in the UK. The company launched

Arla Protein in the UK earlier this year in

order to capitalise on growing demand

for protein dense snacks. Arla is

preparing to roll out a protein enhanced

dairy drink in the UK in a couple of

weeks.

Luxury cosmetics brand La Prairie has

added a new product to its Système Éclat

Caviar Nacré beauty collection in the

shape of Crème Hydratante Éclat Caviar

Nacré. Made using extracts of liquorice

root and watercress with a dash of

golden caviar the new cream is aimed at

mature skins and is designed to even out

skin pigmentation and target

discoloration for a younger appearance.

With the USA’s annual Independence Day just around the corner,

frozen food specialist, Iceland, is bringing a taste of the US to UK

freezers with the launch of its new American-inspired sweet and

savoury dishes.

Crewe-based Wrights Food Group has rolled out a sizzling hot

new product to hit the ‘Grab and Go’ sector – the Street Pie.

Evolving from its current range of pies and pasties, Wrights’ new

handheld Street Pie embraces the Street Food revolution with its

unique “urban” styled packaging and intense distinctive flavours.

Available in three flavours; Piri Piri Chicken, Cajun BBQ Pork and

Beef Adobo, the Street Pie comes wrapped in light authentic

golden pastry, with individual ingredients.

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First Milk owned sports nutrition brand CNP has expanded its range

with a high protein ready to drink shake. CNP ProShake Protein is

available in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla, and went on sale in 500

Tescos last week. The range contains 37g of protein per bottle and was

targeted at on the go consumers.

Walkers has announced that it is launching new price-

marked (PMP) multipacks at £1.50. The company said the

new Walkers core and Quavers six-pack PMP formats will

be available from the beginning of May and will offer great

value for price-conscious shoppers, whilst offering further

sales opportunities for retailers.

Wyke Farms has unveiled its new ‘Fabulous 5’ reduced fat

mature cheese. Named after the impressive 5% fat content,

the new cheese is available online at

http://www.wykeshop.com and locally at the farm shop in

Bruton.

Grace Foods has launched a

line of marinades under its

Encona brand in the UK.

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GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK Consumer

Healthcare) is recalling all bottles of its MaxiNutrition Cyclone

Milk 330ml ready-to-drink products. This is because the

product may contain creatine particles due to re-crystallization.

Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats has extended its celebration

cake range, with the introduction of the new Mars Bar Cake –

bringing fun, familiarity and even more choice to the category.

Cadbury Dairy Milk is bringing more joy to convenience retailers in

May, with the launch of £1 promotional price-marked tablets.

PepsiCo has launched a product under its Lay’s potato chip brand in India.

Mondelez International has added a "premium" line to its Philadelphia cream

cheese range in Spain.

Mondelez International has developed an "indulgent" whipped Philadelphia

Unilever skincare brand Simple has launched a wipes format of

its kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing water. The wipes, rolling out

now (rsp: £3.99), would provide consumers with the gentle,

‘clever cleansing’ of Micellar technology in a more convenient

format perfect for use on the go.

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The Double Cola Co has released a limited edition flavour extension to its Ski soft drink brand in the US.

Nordic meat producer HKScan has introduced a range of halal chicken products in the UK market.

Pesto maker Sacla is launching three recipe base sauces in the UK: Barolo, Cacciatora and Puttanesca.

Santa Maria is relaunching its Extra Fine line and introducing four new products to the range. The company is rolling out

Moroccan Ras El Hanout, Peruvian Chilli and Lime, Jamaican Jerk and Japanese Teriyaki in Tesco in May.

McCain launches roast potato range in Australia.

McCain Foods is to close a plant in the US state of Winscosin.

Bimbo's New York Bakery Co. launches thin bagels in UK.

General Mills to launch Nature Valley popcorn bars in UK.

Kerry Group has added a meat snacks brand - Meateors - to its portfolio of consumer-facing products in the UK.

Orkla is to distribute more PepsiCo products in the Nordic region, adding the US giant's cereal and snacks lines to its juice

brand Tropicana.

Grace Foods has launched a line of marinades under its Encona brand in the UK.

Dr Oetker adds Mug Cake range to the mix. The three-strong Mug Cake range will be in Asda and Sainsbury’s from June

in rich chocolate, chocolate chip and lemon flavours.

Swedish meatballs producer HKScan launches halal chicken range. Aafiyah - ‘good health’ in Arabic - is now in 80

Sainsbury’s stores in areas with a high Muslim customer base.