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Nestlé Waters
down and out?
Poland Spring, now Perrier
sold to vulture capitalists?
Nestlé sold its commodity water bottling business in 2021 following dodgy 'natural source' claims and competitive distribution pressure. Now it plans to exit its premium brands eg Perrier, again with a likely sale to a leading VC. CEO Philipp Navratil said recently "Our strategic evaluation is ongoing" seems to be concluding. Full story here first
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WBMason makes
major acquisition
Rapid integration into 'One
Source Wonderful' platform
WBMason the US#1 mega independent distributor has just completed its biggest acquisition in the Mid-Atlantic region. After an annual acquisition rate of 10/pa small OP/HyPac resellers, this was by far the largest. Incredibly, the whole deal will be integrated seamlessly into WB's systems platform by Friday! We spoke to a delighted ceo Leo Meehan about his progress and growth plans. Full story here, first
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Coke goes for broke
over Costa Coffee
Big VC's go cold even at
-70% off purchase price
Coca-Cola (ceo James Quincey) will meet private equity firm TDR Capital to salvage its proposed sale of Costa Coffee, which is at risk of falling apart. After rejection by Apollo and KKR it selected TDR, as its preferred bidder. Bought for $5Bn in 2018 the Costa brand has lost volume and market share and might accept a $1Bn fire sale? Full story here, first
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Coke chief out
post Costa crash?
Will 30yrs vet successor be
'new boss same as old boss'?
Coca Cola ceo James Quincey will step down in Mar'26 to be succeeded by 30yrs veteran coo Henrique Braun. Coke said " he will focus on identifying new growth opportunities around the world, better filling consumer needs and improving the company’s technology". Sounds familiar, but new venture investments in the 8yrs Quincey era have failed to produce positiuve results. Full analysis here, first
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United N a t u r a l
Foods' eases off
Ex-Staples ceo "Natural
Foods grow double digits"
United Natural Foods (UNFI) the US#1 broadline foodservice wholesaler continued its slow sales growth in Q1'26. “We delivered another solid quarter with benefits of recent supply chain investments enabling us to strengthen service levels" said ex-Staples ceo Sandy Douglas. Full analysis here, first F
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PFG pulls plug on
US Foods merger
Merger combo $100Bn sales
aborted with risk of duopoly?
As speculated first by Proficiency Post in early July. US Foods the $40Bn #3 in sales, foodservice provider, approached #2Performance Foods Group ($60Bn sales inc Vistar) in takeover talks. Now, 4 months later, the giants have mutually agreed to terminate talks. We argued then, this mighty move could create a duopoly? Full story here, first.
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Foodservice mkt
momentum slows?
'USFoods' volume maintained
outpaces Sysco, gains share?
Foodservice supply leaders to restaurants & business #1 Sysco & #3 USFoods reported slowing growth in volume offset by prices, USFoods ceo Dave Flitman commented "our performance reflects ability to consistently deliver share gains and margin expansion". Full analysis here, first
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PFG:Powerful Food
Service G r o w t h
Acqu'ns boost growth. Case
volumes up double digit %'s
Performance Food Group inc.Vistar, the $63Bn US food & beverage services wholesaler reported powerful sales growth in Q1'26 in restaurants and biz markets. CEO George Holm commented "we made share gains across our business segments. Meanwhile, it is considering a takeover move by USFoods. Full analysis here, first
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Back to Starbucks?
Transition too slow?
Niccol nails service issues but
turnaround still yet to happen
Starbucks new boss Brian Niccol in his Q4'25 report said “We’re a year into our ‘Back to Starbucks’ strategy, and it’s clear that our turnaround is taking hold,. He wants to re-establish the "brand's upscale, premium vibe". On the ground evidence is not there yet? Full analysis here, first
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Mondelez snacks
down, prices up!
Global WFH boosts sales
Dev't push into hi-protein
Mondelez International, the $30Bn in sales, international brand snackmaker (e.g. Cadbury, Ritz, Belvita, Oreo), reported weaker volume demand offset by higher pricing in Q3'25. CEO Dirk van de Put reported "We delivered growth despite the impact of record-high cocoa costs" Full report analysis here, first
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