During the 52 weeks ending Nov. 10, 2012, the sparkling wine category increased 4.6 percent in dollar sales, said Danny Brager, vice president of beverage and alcohol for Chicago-based market research firm Nielsen, in a Dec. 31 blog post.
Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. announced the formal closure of its acquisition of Atlanta-based Teavana Holdings Inc. on Dec. 31, 2012, making the brand a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks and the newest member of its emerging brands portfolio.
Buoyed by positive same-store sales and customer traffic results, the Washington, D.C.-based National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose in November. The RPI, a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry, stood at 99.9 in November, up 0.5 percent from October. However, November marked the second consecutive month in which the RPI stood below 100.
Bethesda, Md.-based Honest Tea, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, released its 2012 mission report, “Keeping it Honest.” The third annual report details how the company is working to live up to its mission “to create and promote great-tasting, healthier, organic beverages” and extend economic opportunities to help communities in need.
Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee announced a definitive merger agreement under which an affiliate of Joh. A. Benckiser Group (JAB), Ludwigshafen, Germany, will acquire Caribou Coffee for $16 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $340 million. The agreement, which was unanimously approved by Caribou Coffee’s independent directors, represents a premium of approximately 30 percent over Caribou Coffee’s closing stock price Dec. 14, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction.
According to the Carton Council, Vernon Hills, Ill., the number of households that have the ability to recycle cartons has increased 128 percent in three years.
The results of a study by Innova Market Insights, Duiven, the Netherlands, which tracked the number of global launches of food and beverage products that contain resveratrol, found that increasing consumer interest in health and the growing body of research about the antioxidant’s role and efficacy has helped the ingredient become more mainstream.