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Industry
News
Manufacturer, marketer and distributor of
branded food products, Pinnacle Foods Group Inc.
entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by
affiliates of The Blackstone Group for approximately
$2.16 billion in cash and the assumption of certain
obligations. Under the agreement and plan of merger,
an affiliate of The Blackstone Group is expected to
merge with Crunch Holding Corp., the direct owner of
Pinnacle Foods. Full
Story
Pizza Patrón, with 61 locations and same-store
sales for the final quarter of 2006 up 35% over the
year before has learned to sell pizza to Hispanics,
but not Hispanic pizza, notes The New York Times
Magazine on the Web. The chain, which evolved from
a single restaurant called Pizza Pizza in Dallas in
1986, catered to it Hispanic clientele by changing the
name, and hiring a bilingual staff. Full
Story
Latest
sales & earnings for food related companies
(Updated Daily)
Delek US Holdings, Inc.'s subsidiary, MAPCO Express,
Inc., signed a definitive agreement for the purchase
of 107 retail fuel and convenience stores from Calfee
Company of Dalton, Inc., for approximately $65 million
(excluding inventory). The stores, 71 owned and 36 leased,
are located primarily in eastern Tennessee and northern
Georgia and are operated under the trade name Favorite
Markets. Full
Story
The Coca-Cola Company and several of its key U.S.
Bottlers will work together to develop and test new
customer service and distribution systems to supplement
their direct store delivery system. The bottlers participating
in this initiative will dismiss current lawsuits pending
in U.S. District Court in Atlanta and Circuit Court
of Jefferson County in Birmingham, AL. Under the agreement,
Coca-Cola will join U.S. Coca-Cola Bottlers in testing
various new route to market service systems to bring
company products to customers who require special services.
Full
Story
 As
more and more chains come to Southwest Florida, independent
restaurant owners are banding together to attract more
customers and save money. The owner of Naples based-
Bamboo Café is starting a Naples chapter of Dine
Originals, a national association of locally owned and
operated restaurants. To encourage people to visit independents,
Dine Originals, with 17 regional chapters, educates
consumers about the differences between independents
and chains through marketing, events and web sites with
menus. The only other chapter of Dine Originals in Florida
is in Sarasota, according to Naples Daily News.
Full
Story (Free registration Required)
Rockelle Corp. signed a contract to acquire Stewart's
Original Root Beer from its current owner, Frosted
Mug Holdings, LLC. The agreement includes all of Stewart's
existing restaurants, plus its product trademarks. There
are approximately 50 licensed Stewart's locations across
nine states, plus some franchised sites, reported PrimeNewswire.
Full
Story
During the fourth quarter of 2006, Arby's Restaurant
Group, Inc. signed development agreements to open 51
Arby's restaurants throughout North America with
new and existing franchisees, bringing the total commitments
signed in 2006 to 168 Arby's restaurants. Full
Story
Mandarin Holdings agreed to purchase Asian restaurant
Leeann Chin Inc. from the venture capitalists who
own the majority stake. The company operates 22 carry-out
restaurants and 10 locations inside Rainbow Foods grocery
stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, reported Minneapolis
/ St. Paul Business Journal. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Restaurant real estate company, Cordish Co., will
open eight or nine new restaurants this year and at
least 10 per year during the next several years,
investing at least $50 million per year. The company
already invested more than $50 million in 30 restaurants
and clubs open or under development in five states,
reported Baltimore Business Journal. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Richard's Whole Foods is in the process of redesigning
its stores by marrying modern with the ambiance of a
country market. Richard's recently remodeled a new
store in Sarasota, FL and will begin remodeling the
other 10 stores as soon as possible, according to Bradenton
Herald. Full
Story
Associated Grocers, Incorporated and GVA Kidder
Mathews agreed to a sale/leaseback of its 55.27 acre
Seattle headquarters and distribution facility of
over 1 million-sq. ft. with Sabey Corporation of Seattle.
Full
Story
A new Martin's Food Market in Eldersburg,
MD became one of the first grocery stores in Maryland
to use hand-held scanners, allowing customers to
total their items and bag them while they shop, reported
The Baltimore Sun. Also in Maryland, two new
Food Lion-owned Bloom markets use the hand-held scanners,
and five other upscale Bloom stores in the state are
wired for the technology. In New England, some 16 Stop
& Shop grocery stores use IBM-designed personal scanners
and wireless tablet monitors attached to shopping carts.
The Kroger Co. recently employed IBM to equip its stores
with new technology, including personal scanners. Full
Story
 White
Castle will transform many of its outlets into romantic
restaurants, complete with candlelit tables and
servers for Valentine's Day. Although the occasion started
in 1990, it is the second year the chain will turn its
eateries nationwide into reservation-only spots for
couples, reported Freep.com. Full
Story
In an effort to increase its appeal, Russell
Stover is launching more-sophisticated lines, upscale
flavors, trendy packaging and a new marketing push,
reported Advertising Age. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Juan's Mexicali Cafe plans to open more than 200
locations nationally over the next five years. The
chain, which offers Mexican food with a California twist,
already has nine restaurants throughout the country,
reported Austin Business Journal. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
CSP Information Group and Leadership Network Corp.
announced the merger of the two organizations, which
brings together two information and networking resources
for the convenience store industry, reported CSP
Daily News. Full
Story
 Long-term,
loyal customers are a big part of the reason why last
year, Jimmie's Chocolates sold more than 16,000 pounds
of chocolate, about 10 times the volume than in
1997 when it was acquired. Jimmie's challenge now is
to continue to grow the business, including the addition
of a second shop in Pompano Beach, and to create an
internet presence, while keeping strong customer relationships
and Jimmie's traditions. Jimmie's chocolates cost $29.95
a pound, according to South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Full
Story
The Seattle Times examines new trends
in high-end chocolate production, such as
the emergence of "rustic" chocolate, whereby crafters
are minimally processing their beans and using less
refined sugars, and chocolate actually made where the
cacao is grown. Full
Story
International
News
Venezuela's government drafted a decree
allowing officials to take control of food distribution
chains, including supermarkets and storage depots,
if services are interrupted. The country's Industry
and Commerce Minister said the decree would help curb
supply problems that have caused severe shortages of
meats, milk and sugar in recent weeks. Shortages of
items ranging from milk to coffee have occurred since
early 2003, when Hugo Chavez began regulating prices
for 400 basic products as a way to counter inflation
and protect the poor, reported South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Full
Story
 South
Korea confirmed a fresh outbreak of bird flu in a province
near the South Korean capital, according to the
Agriculture Ministry. The outbreak, the sixth in South
Korea in recent months, was caused by the H5 strain
of the virus, but further tests are needed to determine
whether it has been caused by the N1 type. Full
Story
Entrepreneurs in Shanghai, China
are promoting the city's newest trend, a purple potato
grown from seeds taken on a space mission. Supporters
say space-grown produce can be more nutritious and hardier,
though skeptics say similar results can be obtained
in Earth-bound laboratories, reported BBC News.
Full
Story
Life expectancy in China should jump sharply over
the next several decades, hitting 85 years by 2050,
compared to 71.8 currently, as overall living standards
improve, according to China Daily. Full
Story
Washington News
Florida lawmakers
proposed the Healthy Dining Act, which requires
restaurants to display warning signs if they serve any
food containing trans-fats. The Florida Division of
Hotels and Restaurants, part of the Department of Business
and Professional Regulation, would enforce the proposed
law, with violations carrying both civil and criminal
penalties, reported Orlando Business Journal.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Market News
 California's
2006 grape crush totaled 3.5 million tons, down 20%
from the record 2005 crush. Red wine varieties accounted
for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 1.9
million tons, down 16% from 2005. View
Report
U.S. sugar farmers could see their shares of the
U.S. market cut back to make way for imports if
the Bush administration prevails, which has riled farmers
and some U.S. lawmakers. USDA, in preparing for the
possibility of large influxes of sugar from Mexico,
wants the ability to curtail domestic production by
modifying its complex price-support system, reported
The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
New Jersey officials are urging farmers to adopt
"good agricultural practices" and to undergo third-party
food-safety audits, which require farmers to document
safety procedures to prove the soundness of their operations.
Farmers and New Jersey state officials are worried that
national standards designed for massive California operations
could doom many of the much smaller New Jersey farms
that are part of the Philadelphia region's cultural
identity, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
A mysterious illness is
killing tens of thousands honeybee colonies across the
country, threatening honey production and possibly
crops that need bees for pollination. The reports of
colony deaths have come from at least 22 states, with
some commercial beekeepers losing more than 50% of their
bees, reported MSNBC. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service proposed to amend the regulations governing
the importation of animals and animal products by
adding the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
to the region of the European Union that is recognized
as low risk for classical swine fever. Full
Notice
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