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The company was formed in 2012 by a demerger from Kraft Foods Inc., which in turn was renamed [[Mondelēz International]]. The new Kraft Foods Group is a North American grocery business, while Mondelēz is a multinational snack and confectionary company. Kraft Foods Group is an independent [[public company]]; it is listed on the [[NASDAQ]]. |
The company was formed in 2012 by a demerger from Kraft Foods Inc., which in turn was renamed [[Mondelēz International]]. The new Kraft Foods Group is a North American grocery business, while Mondelēz is a multinational snack and confectionary company. Kraft Foods Group is an independent [[public company]]; it is listed on the [[NASDAQ]]. |
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==History== |
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===Origin of the firm=== |
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The company has its origin as National Dairy Products Corporation (National Dairy), formed on December 10, 1923, by Thomas H. McInnerney.<ref name="Wall Street Journal, Dec 13 1923">Wall Street Journal, Dec 13 1923{{Page needed|date=August 2011}}</ref> The firm was initially set up to execute on a [[rollup]] strategy in the then fragmented United States [[ice cream]] industry. Through acquisitions it expanded into a full range of dairy products. By 1930 it was the largest dairy company in the United States and the world, exceeding [[Borden (company)|Borden]]. |
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McInnerney operated the Hydrox Corporation, an ice cream company located in Chicago, Illinois. In 1923 he went to Wall Street to convince [[investment banker]]s there to finance his scheme for consolidating the United States ice cream industry. He initially found "hard sledding"<ref>[http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hard_sledding Wiktionary definition of "sledding"]</ref> with one banker saying the dairy industry "lacked dignity." He persevered and convinced a consortium including [[Goldman Sachs]] and [[Lehman Brothers]] to finance a rollup strategy.<ref>Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1929{{Page needed|date=August 2011}}</ref> |
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As a result of his efforts, National Dairy Products Corporation was formed in 1923 in a merger of McInnerney's Hydrox with Rieck McJunkin Dairy Co of [[Pittsburgh]], [[Pennsylvania]]. The resulting firm was then listed on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] with the offer of 125,000 shares having been oversubscribed.<ref name="Wall Street Journal, Dec 13 1923"/> |
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The firm grew quickly through a large number of acquisitions. As it is typical in a rollup strategy, acquisitions were primarily for stock in National Dairy rather than cash. National Dairy Products Corporation acquired more than 55 firms between 1923 and 1931, with a few notable entities among those: |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! Year |
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! Firm |
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! Sector |
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! Location |
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|- |
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| 1924 |
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| W.E. Hoffman |
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| Ice cream |
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| Pennsylvania |
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|- |
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| 1925 |
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| Dunkin Ice Cream |
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| Ice cream |
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| Illinois |
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|- |
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| 1925 |
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| [[Sheffield Farms]] |
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| Fluid milk, ice cream, other |
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| New York |
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|- |
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| 1926 |
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| [[Breyers]] Ice Cream (dessert products currently owned by [[Unilever]]) |
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| Ice cream |
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| Pennsylvania |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| Breakstone Brothers |
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| Fluid milk, cheese |
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| New York |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| General Ice Cream |
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| Ice cream |
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| New York, East Coast |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| Hiland Dairy |
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| Fluid milk, other |
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| Kentucky |
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|- |
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| 1930 |
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| Kraft-Phenix |
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| Cheese, other |
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| US, international |
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|- |
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| 1931 |
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| Consolidated Dairy Products |
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| Ice cream, other dairy |
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| New York, New Jersey |
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|} |
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===Beginnings for Kraft=== |
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[[Image:Kraft logo.svg|thumb|Kraft Foods consumer product logo: Used on Kraft branded products]] |
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Born in [[Stevensville, Ontario|Stevensville]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] in 1874, [[James L. Kraft]] [[Immigration to the United States|immigrated]] to the [[United States]] in 1903 and started a [[wholesale]] [[door-to-door]] [[cheese]] business in Chicago; its first year of operations was "dismal", losing [[United States dollar|US$]]3,000 and a horse. However, the business took hold and Kraft was joined by his four brothers to form '''J.L. Kraft and Bros. Company''' in 1909. As early as 1911, circulars and advertisements were in use by the company. |
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In 1912, the company established its New York City, New York, headquarters to prepare for its international expansion. By 1914, thirty-one varieties of cheeses were being sold around the U.S. because of heavy [[New product development|product development]], expansion by [[marketing]], and opening a [[subsidiary|wholly owned]] cheese [[factory]] in Illinois.<ref name="kficompany">{{cite web |url= https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Kraft-Foods-Inc-Company-History.html|title= Kraft Foods Inc.|accessdate= 2008-03-10|year= 2002|publisher= ''Funding Universe''|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6ATYI1FLB |archivedate=August 19, 2010}}</ref> |
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In 1915, the company had invented [[Pasteurization|pasteurized]] [[processed cheese]] that did not need [[refrigeration]], thus giving a longer [[shelf life]] than conventional cheese.<ref name="kficompany"/> The process was [[patent]]ed in 1916 and about six million pounds of the product were sold to the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] for military rations during [[World War I]]. |
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In 1916, the company began national advertising and had made its first acquisition—a Canadian cheese company.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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In 1924, the company changed its name to '''Kraft Cheese Company''' and listed on the [[Chicago Stock Exchange]].<ref name="kficompany"/> In 1926, it was listed on the NYSE. The firm then began to consolidate the United States dairy industry through acquisition, in competition with National Dairy and Borden. Firms acquired included: |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! Year |
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! Firm |
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! Sector |
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! Location |
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|- |
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| 1927 |
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| A.E. Wright |
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| Salad dressings |
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| n/a |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| Phenix Cheese |
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| Cheese, other dairy products |
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| National |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| Southern Dairies |
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| Fluid milk, milk powder, other dairy products |
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| U.S. South |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| 10 "cheese dealers" |
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| Cheese, other dairy products |
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| New York |
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|- |
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| 1928 |
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| Henard Mayonnaise Co |
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| Mayonnaise |
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| U.S. South |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| D.J. Easton |
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| Mayonnaise |
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| New Jersey |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| 2 other mayonnaise companies |
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| Mayonnaise |
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| n/a |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| 10 companies |
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| Cheese, other dairy products |
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| various regional |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| International Wood Products |
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| n/a |
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| n/a |
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|- |
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| 1929 |
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| Gelfand Manufacturing |
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| n/a |
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| n/a |
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|} |
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Later, in 1927, it established its London, United Kingdom, and [[Hamburg]], Germany, sales offices—its first forays outside North America. Sales for 1927 were $60.4m. |
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In 1928, it acquired Phenix Cheese Company, the maker of a [[cream cheese]] branded as [[cream cheese#Origin|Philadelphia cream cheese]], and the company changed its name to '''Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company'''. |
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In 1929, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that Kraft Phenix, [[The Hershey Company]] and [[Colgate-Palmolive|Colgate]] were looking at merging.<ref>New York TImes, October 16, 1929</ref> In the same year, it was reported that National Dairy, Borden and [[Standard Brands]] (a firm that is now part of Kraft Foods) were all looking at acquiring the firm. |
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By 1930, it had captured forty percent of the cheese market in the U.S. and was the third largest dairy company in the United States after National Dairy and Borden. In 1930, the company also began operating in Australia following a merger with [[Fred Walker (entrepreneur)|Fred Walker]] & Co.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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===After National Dairy acquisition of Kraft-Phenix=== |
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At the time of the acquisition in 1930, National Dairy had sales of $315m compared with $85m for Kraft Phenix. National Dairy management ran the combined business. Following the Kraft-Phenix acquisition, the firm continued to be called National Dairy until 1969 when it changed its name to Kraftco.<ref>Kraftco Corporation Annual Report 1969.</ref> |
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Historically, all of the firm's sales came from dairy products. However, the firm's product lines began to diversify away from dairy products to caramel candies, macaroni and cheese dinners and margarines. From the 1950s onward, the firm began to move away from low value added commodity dairy products, such as fluid milk.<ref>Compare National Dairy annual report 1938, 1958 and 1976 sales mix data</ref> This trend would continue for the firm, through neglect and divestiture, until the primary remaining dairy product produced by the firm would be cheese. As a result, the modern history of the firm emphasizes the cheese history. |
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In 1933, the company began marketing by radio sponsorship. In 1935, the Sealtest brand of ice cream was launched as a unified national brand to replace the firm's numerous regional brands.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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During World War II, the company sent four million pounds of cheese to Britain weekly.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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Product development and advertising helped the company to grow during the postwar years, launching sliced process cheese and [[Cheez Whiz]], a brand of process cheese sauce, in the 1950s. |
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During these years, Thomas McInnerney, National Dairy's founder, and James L. Kraft, Kraft's founder, died, and at the end of the decade, the divisions became less autonomous and even diversified to the glass-packaging business with the acquisition of Metro Glass in 1956.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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In 1947, the company tested the marketing power of the emerging medium of television by producing an hour-long drama/anthology series, the [[Kraft Television Theatre]]. The product advertised on the program, ''MacLaren’s Imperial Cheese'', was selected because "... [it had] not only had no advertising appropriation whatsoever, but had not even been distributed for several years." As described by internal documents of [[J. Walter Thompson]]—the advertising firm which conceived of the marketing test—the result was "although there was no other advertising support for it whatsoever, still grocery stores could not keep up with the demand."<ref>{{cite web| title='Kraft'-ing a Durable Business Model| publisher= TelevisionWeek | date=2008-04-27 | url= http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/04/krafting_a_durable_business_mo.php | accessdate=2008-06-01}}</ref> |
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In the 1960s, product development became intense, launching fruit jellies, fruit preserves, marshmallows, barbecue sauces and ''Kraft Singles'', a brand of individually wrapped cheese slices.<ref name="kficompany"/> During this decade, the company also expanded in many markets worldwide. |
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In 1961, the firm acquired Dominion Dairies of Canada, marking the first effort by the firm to expand into fluid milk and ice cream outside the United States.<ref>National Dairy annual report 1961, p. 6.</ref> In the same year it also acquired The Southern Oil Company in [[Manchester]], England. |
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===National Dairy becomes Kraft=== |
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In 1969, the firm changed its name from National Dairy to '''Kraftco Corporation'''. The reason for the name change was given at the time: "Expansion and innovation have taken us far afield from the regional milk and ice cream business we started with in 1923. Dollar sales of these original products have remained relatively static over the past ten years and, in 1969 accounted for approximately 25% of our sales."<ref>Kraftco annual report 1969, p. 3.</ref> |
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At the same time, the firm transferred to [[Glenview, Cook County, Illinois|Glenview]], Illinois, in 1972.<ref name="kficompany"/> In 1976, its name changed to '''Kraft, Inc.''' to emphasize the trademark the company had been known for and as a result of the fact that dairy, other than cheese, was now only a minor part of the company's sales. Reorganization also occurred after the name change.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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===Dart merger=== |
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In 1980, Kraft merged with [[Justin Whitlock Dart|Dart Industries]]—makers of the [[Duracell]] brand of [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]], [[Tupperware]] brand of plastic containers, [[West Bend (appliances)|West Bend]] brand of [[home appliance]]s, [[Wilsonart]] brand of plastics and [[Thatcher (glass manufacturer)|Thatcher]] glass—to form '''Dart & Kraft'''.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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During the 1980s, Dart & Kraft offered mixed results to its shareholders, as new acquisitions in the food business—such as Churny premium cheeses, [[Lender's Bagels]], [[Frusen Gladje]] ice cream and [[Celestial Seasonings]] tea—slightly offset the lagging nonfood business—Tupperware's decrease in sales and [[KitchenAid]]'s (acquired soon after the merger) slide in market share—leading Dart & Kraft to spin off its nonfood business (except [[Duracell]] batteries) into a new entity ([[Premark International, Inc.]]) while changing its name back to Kraft, Inc. Premark was bought by [[Illinois Tool Works]] in 1999. In 1988, Kraft sold [[Duracell]] to private equity firm [[Kohlberg Kravis Roberts]], who then put it into an [[initial public offering]] in 1989. [[Gillette (brand)|Gillette]]<ref name="kficompany"/> bought Duracell in 1996, and itself was acquired by [[Procter and Gamble]] in 2005. |
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===Philip Morris acquisition and merger with General Foods=== |
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[[File:Kraft Banbutry.jpg|thumb|right|The Kraft Foods factory in [[Banbury]]'s [[Ruscote]] estate. It has been a major employer in the town since 1965.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63792 |title=Banbury - Economic history | A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 10 (pp. 49-71) |publisher=British-history.ac.uk |date=1923-03-22 |accessdate=2011-08-04}}</ref>]] |
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At the end of 1988, [[Altria Group|Philip Morris Companies]] purchased Kraft for $12.9 billion. In 1989, Kraft merged with Philip Morris's [[General Foods]] unit—makers of [[Oscar Mayer]] meats, [[Maxwell House]] coffee, [[Jell-O]] gelatin, Budget Gourmet frozen dinners, [[Entenmann's]] baked goods, [[Kool-Aid]], [[Crystal Light]] and Tang powdered [[beverage mix]]es, [[Post Cereals]], [[Shake 'n Bake]] flavored coatings and numerous other packaged foods—as Kraft General Foods. Its aggressive product development was reversed after the merger, as it became slow in addressing issues on its product lines due to its size, and also company politics.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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In 1990, the company acquired [[Jacobs (coffee)|Jacobs]] [[Philippe Suchard|Suchard]] (a European coffee and confectionery giant) and [[Marabou (chocolate)|Freia Marabou]] (a Scandinavian confectionery maker) to expand overseas as its business was heavily dependent on the U.S. In 1993, it acquired RJR Nabisco's cold cereal business (mainly [[Shredded Wheat]] and Shreddies cereals) while selling its Breyers ice-cream division to [[Unilever]] and its [[Birds Eye]] unit to [[Dean Foods]]. In 1994, it sold its frozen dinners unit to [[H.J. Heinz]] and in 1995, it sold its foodservice unit.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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In 1995, it changed its name to Kraft Foods Inc. The same year, it sold its bakery division (except Lender's Bagels, which was sold in 1996 to [[CPC International]]), its candy division and its tablespreads division. [[Log Cabin Syrup|Log Cabin]] [[syrup]] was sold in 1997.<ref name="kficompany"/> |
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Kraft began a major restructuring process in January 2004, following a year of declining sales (blamed largely on the rising health consciousness of Americans) and the sacking of co-CEO [[Betsy Holden]]. The company announced closures of 19 production facilities worldwide and the reduction of 5,500 jobs, as well as the sale of 10% of its branded products. |
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As of 2007, Philip Morris (now Altria Inc.) had sold its stake in Kraft foods and the two companies are no longer affiliated. |
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===Financial expansion=== |
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In 2000, [[Altria Group|Philip Morris]] (renamed Altria in 2003) acquired [[Nabisco Brands, Inc.|Nabisco Holdings]] for $18.9 billion and merged the company with Kraft Foods the same year.<ref name="kficompany"/> In 2001, Philip Morris sold 280 million Kraft shares via the third-largest [[Initial public offering|IPO]] of all time, retaining an 88.1% stake in the company. |
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In 2004, it sold its sugar confectionery division to [[Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company|Wrigley]], while doing minor divestitures—including its [[hot cereal]]s division ([[Cream of Wheat]]) in 2007, its pet snacks division ([[Milk-Bone]]) in 2006, juice drinks and [[Fruit2o]] in 2007 and some grocery brands in 2006.{{Clarify|date=December 2011}} |
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Investor [[Nelson Peltz]] bought a three-percent stake at Kraft Foods and was talking with the executives on revitalizing the business,<ref name="econketchup">{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9443091 |title= No ketchup, please |accessdate= 2007-07-17 |date= 2007-07-05 |publisher= ''The Economist''}}</ref> with options such as buying [[Wendy's]] fast food chain or selling off [[Post Cereals|Post]] cereals and [[Maxwell House]] coffee.<ref name="econketchup"/> |
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On January 31, 2007, after months of speculation, the company announced that its 88.1% stake would be spun off to Altria shareholders at the end of March 2007; each would be given approximately 0.7 shares of Kraft for every Altria share they owned. Kraft became an independent publicly held company. |
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In July 2007, the company bought [[Groupe Danone]]'s biscuit (cookie) and cereal division for $7.2 billion, including iconic French biscuit brand [[Lefèvre-Utile]].<ref name="econketchup"/><ref name="economistbetter">{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9476097 |title= Getting better? |accessdate= 2007-07-22 |date= 2007-07-12 |publisher= ''The Economist''}}</ref> While two years earlier firestorms of protest had arisen over plans for American [[PepsiCo|PepsiCo's]] hostile takeover of the French company, Kraft's announcement was not met with the same protests, in part because Kraft agreed not to close French factories and keep the new merged divisions headquarters near Paris for at least three years.<ref name="econketchup"/> |
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In November 2007, Kraft agreed to sell its [[Post Cereals|cereal]] unit to [[Ralcorp Holdings]], a major private-label food maker, for $2.6 billion in a form of a spin-off merger. This would add 50% to Ralcorp's sales, to $3.3 billion, and will be used for Kraft's debt payment, which was at $13.4 billion, in danger of a downgrade by Standard and Poor's.<ref>[http://www.rrstar.com/homepage/x9498454 Rrstar.com] Rockford Register article</ref>{{Clarify|date=October 2009}}<!--"agreed to sell" was sale consumated? if so, should so state (and probably requires a fresher source)--> |
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In February 2008, [[Berkshire Hathaway]] run by billionaire investor [[Warren E. Buffett]] announced that it had acquired an 8% stake in Kraft then worth over $4 billion. Buffett's business partner [[Charles Munger]] had also invested over $300 million in Kraft. Berkshire Hathaway owned 5.6% of the outstanding stock of Kraft Foods, as reported in the holding company's 2010 [[annual report]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/2010ar/2010ar.pdf |title= 2010 Annual Report | publisher= Berkshire Hathaway |format=PDF | accessdate=July 20, 2011}}</ref> |
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On September 22, 2008, the company replaced the troubled insurance company, American International Group in the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]].<ref name = "DJIA">{{cite news |url = http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/2008-09-18-dow-adds-kraft_N.htm |title = Kraft replaces AIG in Dow Jones Industrial Average |accessdate = 2008-09-18 |date = 2008-09-18 |agency= Associated Press| publisher= USA Today}}</ref> |
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On September 10, 2010, a disgruntled employee angered over a recent suspension, Yvonne Hiller, opened fire inside the Philadelphia Factory where she had worked for 15 years. Armed with a .357, Hiller shot 3 co-workers, killing 2 of them. Philadelphia Police responded within minutes of the 911 call. SWAT took Hiller into custody at 8:30pm.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20016064-504083.html | work=CBS News | title=Yvonne Hiller Suspect in Kraft Shooting: Two Killed, One Wounded at Philadelphia Plant}}</ref> |
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In March 2011, in the US, Kraft Foods introduced [[MiO]], a liquid flavoring product with zero calories and sugar-free geared to 18 to 39-year-old consumers.<ref>Packaging Digest, Kraft's new mio liguid flavoring, March 30, 2011, http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/517582-Kraft_s_new_MiO_liquid_flavoring_stays_handy_in_a_portable_pod.php</ref> MiO has no artificial flavors but it does have artificial colors, artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives, unlike some competing flavoring products, according to USA Today.<ref>USA Today, Feb 22 2011, Kraft Hopes to Make Splash with New Mio Water Flavoring, http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-02-22-watertweaks22_ST_N.htm</ref> |
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====Purchase of Cadbury==== |
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On September 7, 2009, Kraft made a £10.2 billion takeover offer for the long-established British confectionery group [[Cadbury]], makers of Dairy Milk and Bournville chocolate.<ref name="Cadbury">{{cite web |url = http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MTQ1ODZ8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1 |accessdate = 2009-09-07 |title = Kraft Foods Inc. proposes combination with Cadbury PLC. |date = 2009-09-07 |publisher = Kraft Foods}}</ref> On November 9, 2009 Kraft's £9.8bn takeover bid was rejected by Cadbury. Cadbury stated that the takeover bid was a "derisory" offer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Dairy-Milk-Maker-Cadbury-Rejects-Hostile-Takeover-Bid-From-Kraft-After-It-Rejected-Proposal/Article/200911215445594?lpos=Business_Carousel_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15445594_Dairy_Milk_Maker_Cadbury_Rejects_Hostile_Takeover_Bid_From_Kraft_After_It_Rejected_Proposal |title=Cadbury Rejects Kraft's 'Derisory' Takeover Bid |publisher=Sky News |date= |accessdate=2011-08-04}}</ref> Kraft renewed the offer under the same terms on December 4, 2009.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7017180104?Kraft%20Formalizes%20Bid%20For%20UK%20Candy%20Maker%20Cadbury |title=Kraft Formalizes Bid For UK Candy Maker Cadbury|publisher=Allheadlinenews.com |accessdate=2011-08-04}}</ref> The offer generated significant political and public opposition in the United Kingdom and abroad, even leading to calls for the government to implement a policy of economic [[protectionism]] in cases of takeovers of large companies.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/dan-roberts-on-business-blog/2010/jan/19/kraft-cadbury-takeover |work=The Guardian |location=London |title=50 reasons to fight Kraft |date=January 19, 2010 |accessdate=May 7, 2010 |first=Dan |last=Roberts}}</ref> |
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On January 19, 2010, Cadbury finally approved a revised offer from Kraft, valuing the confectionery business at $19.5 billion (£11.5 billion). The funding for the takeover was partially provided by the [[Royal Bank of Scotland]], the British part-state-owned bank.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/business-food-and-drink/2010/01/company-kraft-cadbury-bid |title=Kraft to take over Cadbury |publisher=New Statesman |date=2010-01-19 |accessdate=2010-01-19}}</ref> |
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The Cadbury purchase was part of the long-term strategy of [[Irene Rosenfeld]], CEO and Kraft Chairman since March 2007, who developed a three-year turnaround plan designed to drive the profitable growth of Kraft Foods.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jose|first=Joshi|title=Irene Rosenfeld’s strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft|url=http://wowelle.com/2010/08/18/irene-rosenfelds-strategy-is-packing-more-nutrition-into-kraft/|work=Wowelle.com|accessdate=August 18, 2010}}</ref> Rosenfeld wanted to develop new markets and expand product range when she assumed the role of chairman. It was assumed that the purchase of Cadbury would help Kraft products develop in new markets such as Brazil and India because of Cadbury’s current strong presence in those markets.<ref>{{cite web|last=Namazi|first=N.|title=Kraft: Plans to make it big in India with confectionery| url= http://www.businessreviewindia.in/sectors/food-manufacturing/kraft-plans-make-it-big-india-confectionery|work=Business Review India|accessdate=Jun 23, 2010}}</ref> India is one of its most resilient markets with sales growth of 20% and profits growing at 30% in a competitive market.<ref>{{cite web| last=Jose| first=Joshi| title=Irene Rosenfeld’s strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft|url=http://wowelle.com/2010/08/18/irene-rosenfelds-strategy-is-packing-more-nutrition-into-kraft/|work=Wowelle.com|accessdate=August 18, 2010}}</ref> Kraft believed the Cadbury purchase was also necessary because of the likelihood of Nestle and Hershey joining together.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}} Kraft also believed it could squeeze savings of at least $675m annually by the end of the third year.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ruddick|first=Graham|title=Kraft buys Cadbury for £11.9bn: a Q&A|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/7027042/Kraft-buys-Cadbury-for-11.9bn-a-QandA.html|work=The Telegraph|accessdate=19 Jan 2010|location=London|date=January 19, 2010}}</ref> Irene Rosenfeld saw the Kraft Cadbury merger as the "logical next step in our transformation toward a high-growth, higher-margin company." She also justified the merger in order to build a "global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals."<ref>{{cite web|title=A Warning To Kraft: If You Eat Cadbury You'll Get Indigestion|url=http://sinekpartners.typepad.com/refocus/2010/01/if-kraft-eats-cadburys-indigestion-will-result.html|accessdate=20 January 2010}}</ref> |
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Following the purchase of Cadbury, Kraft commanded 14.8% of the global candy and gum market. Kraft argued that it could take advantage of the Cadbury distribution in developing markets of India, Brazil and Mexico.<ref name="Awal">{{cite web|last=Awal|first=Akanksha|title=Oreo cookies and India’s sweet tooth|url=http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2011/03/07/oreo-cookies-and-indias-sweet-tooth/|work=THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2011|accessdate=March 7, 2011<!-- 2:40 pm-->}}</ref> As incomes rose in these developing nations, Kraft hoped that products such as Oreo would become impulse buys for children.<ref name="Awal"/> [[Mars, Inc.]] is second in the confectionery market with 14.6% share, followed by [[Nestle]] with 7.8%.<ref>{{cite web|first=LYNDIE|title=Cadbury’s bought out by Kraft|url=http://www.leafandbean.org/wordpress/2010/01/19/cadburys-bought-out-by-kraft/|work=Leaf and Bean|accessdate=JANUARY 19, 2010}}</ref> |
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At the time of the purchase, the chocolate and sugar industry had been growing rapidly at 15% over the previous three years and was valued at $113 billion.<ref>{{cite web|title=ME confectionary market worth $113bn|url=http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/food/100148738-1-me-confectionary-market-worth-%2524113bn.html|publisher=Alibaba.com Hong Kong|accessdate=03 Aug 2009}}</ref> The purchase of Cadbury was considered strange because they did not have a strong foothold on the confectionery market, but at the time Kraft noted their production of confectionery foods like Toblerone and candy foods like Oreo. Cadbury also owned popular gum brands such as [[Stride (gum)|Stride]], [[Trident (gum)|Trident]], [[Dentyne]], and [[Chiclets]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Featured Brands|url=http://collaboration.cadbury.com/allaboutus/ourbrands/featurebrands/Pages/featurebrands.aspx|work=Cadbury - The Collaboration Factory}}</ref> [[Roger Carr (businessman)|Roger Carr]], chairman of Cadbury, discussed his approval of the takeover by Kraft by saying, "We believe the offer represents good value for Cadbury shareholders and are pleased with the commitment that Kraft Foods has made to our heritage, values and people throughout the world."<ref>{{cite news|last=Swanekamp|first=Kelsey|title=Kraft Swallows Cadbury|url=http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/19/kraft-cadbury-takeover-markets-equities-candy.html?boxes=Homepagechannels|publisher=Forbes|accessdate=9 January 2010}}</ref> |
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====Acquisition fallout==== |
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Cadbury sales were flat after Kraft’s acquisition. Despite the Cadbury takeover helping boost sales by 30%, Kraft's net profit for the fourth quarter fell 24% to $540m due to costs associated with integrating the UK business after the acquisition.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">{{cite news|title=Kraft Foods' profits hit by Cadbury costs|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12427830|publisher=BBC|accessdate=11 February 2011|date=February 11, 2011}}</ref> Kraft spent a one-time $1.3 billion in integration costs to achieve $675 million in recurring annual synergy savings by the end of 2012 (estimated).<ref>{{cite web|last=STEUBER|first=ERIN|title=Kraft, Cadbury not such a sweet deal?|url=http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=163092|publisher=Medill Reports|accessdate=APRIL 15, 2010}}</ref> |
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Kraft was forced to increase prices to offset rising commodity costs in North America and Europe. Kraft has had to contend with the higher cost of ingredients such as corn, sugar and cocoa. Kraft chief executive [[Irene Rosenfeld]] said, “We expect it will remain weak for the foreseeable future.” Taking into account integration costs, the acquisition knocked about 33% off Kraft's earnings per share immediately after the purchase of Cadbury.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> In March 2011, Kraft caused national outrage when they sold the site of a historic Cadbury factory it vowed not to close for £50million after initially publically promising the continuity of production within the UK in order to win over support for the deal from shareholders. Instead, production was immediately outsourced to Poland. The [[Somerdale Factory]] was closed just days after the takeover by Kraft Foods in 2009. Former Cadbury workers demanded an apology for the abrupt selling of the plant, but Kraft’s CEO [[Irene Rosenfeld]] refused to explain her actions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kraft to sell Cadbury factory for £50 million|url=http://swns.com/kraft-to-sell-cadbury-factory-for-50-million-221318.html|publisher=Small World News Service|accessdate=22 March 2011}}</ref> Kraft continues to use Cadbury brands in emerging markets to expand all of its products. In April 2011, Kraft set to invest $150 million in South Africa’s manufacturing plants over three years. President [[Sanjay Khosla]] said, "[[South Africa]] is a priority market for us, where we focus on power brands like Cadbury chocolate."<ref>{{cite web| last=Daniels |first=Kurt| title=Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) In Huge Manufacturing Investment| url= http://www.emoneydaily.com/kraft-foods-nysekft-in-huge-manufacturing-investment/69812656|publisher=eMoneyDaily|accessdate=22 April 2011}}</ref> |
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On March 17, 2010, Kraft Foods said it was "truly sorry" over its closure of Cadbury's [[Somerdale Factory]]. Senior Kraft executive Marc Firestone made the public apology to MPs at a parliamentary select committee hearing.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/business-food-and-drink/2010/03/cadbury-factory-plant-kraft |title=Kraft apologises for closing Cadbury plant |date=March 17, 2010 |publisher=NewStatesman |accessdate=March 18, 2010}}</ref> |
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====Sale of frozen pizza division to Nestlé==== |
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On March 1, 2010, [[Nestlé]] concluded the purchase of Kraft's North American frozen pizza business for $3.7 billion. Kraft left the door open to repurchase with a buyback option not before one year and not after three years for the original sale price of $3.7 billion; but they did not take advantage of the option. The sale included [[DiGiorno]], [[Tombstone (pizza)|Tombstone]] and [[Jack's (pizza)|Jack's]] brands in the United States, the [[Delissio]] brand in Canada and the [[California Pizza Kitchen]] trademark license. It also includes two Wisconsin manufacturing facilities in [[Medford, Wisconsin|Medford]] and [[Little Chute]]. The business generated 2009 net revenues of $1.6 billion, with 3,400 employees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=129070&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1370544&highlight= |title=Kraft Foods Announces Agreement to Sell Pizza Business to Nestlé |publisher=Kraft Foods |date=2010-01-05 |accessdate=2010-01-05}}</ref> |
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====Spinoff of Kraft Foods Group==== |
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[[File:Kraft Foods logo.svg|thumb|right|Former Kraft Foods corporate logo]] |
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In August 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to split into two publicly traded companies—a snack food company and a grocery company.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=129070&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1593014 |title=Kraft Foods - Investor Center - Financial News Release |publisher=Phx.corporate-ir.net |date= |accessdate=2011-08-04}}</ref> |
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In October 2012, Kraft Foods Inc changed its name to Mondelēz International. Shortly thereafter it spun-off the [[Kraft Foods|Kraft Foods Group]] to its shareholders. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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On November 19, 2013, it was ruled that Starbucks will have to pay Kraft Foods Inc. $2.7 billion because of an early contract termination. The money will go to Mondelez International, Inc.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=737C17AB0E09499F90660557C93983AD&nm=Articles&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=E5C29EEEEAC84593A0918D8F3BBFDEC4 | title=Starbucks To Pay Kraft $2.7 Billion For Early Contract Termination | work=Vending Machine News | accessdate=November 19, 2013}}</ref> |
On November 19, 2013, it was ruled that Starbucks will have to pay Kraft Foods Inc. $2.7 billion because of an early contract termination. The money will go to Mondelez International, Inc.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=737C17AB0E09499F90660557C93983AD&nm=Articles&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=E5C29EEEEAC84593A0918D8F3BBFDEC4 | title=Starbucks To Pay Kraft $2.7 Billion For Early Contract Termination | work=Vending Machine News | accessdate=November 19, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Sponsorships and promotions== |
==Sponsorships and promotions== |
Revision as of 06:28, 4 March 2014
![]() | |
Company type | Public |
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Nasdaq: KRFT S&P 500 Component NASDAQ-100 Component[1] | |
ISIN | US50076Q1067 ![]() |
Industry | Food processing |
Founded | 2012 |
Headquarters | Northfield, Illinois, U.S. |
Area served | United States and Canada |
Key people | John Cahill (Executive Chairman) Tony Vernon (CEO) |
Products | List of products |
Revenue | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | |
Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Number of employees | 23,000 (2012)[3] |
Website | www |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Kraft_Foods_HQ_Northfield_IL.jpg/220px-Kraft_Foods_HQ_Northfield_IL.jpg)
Kraft Foods Group Inc. (Nasdaq: KRFT) is an American grocery manufacturing and processing conglomerate[4] headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Northfield, Illinois.[5]
The company was formed in 2012 by a demerger from Kraft Foods Inc., which in turn was renamed Mondelēz International. The new Kraft Foods Group is a North American grocery business, while Mondelēz is a multinational snack and confectionary company. Kraft Foods Group is an independent public company; it is listed on the NASDAQ.
History
Origin of the firm
The company has its origin as National Dairy Products Corporation (National Dairy), formed on December 10, 1923, by Thomas H. McInnerney.[6] The firm was initially set up to execute on a rollup strategy in the then fragmented United States ice cream industry. Through acquisitions it expanded into a full range of dairy products. By 1930 it was the largest dairy company in the United States and the world, exceeding Borden.
McInnerney operated the Hydrox Corporation, an ice cream company located in Chicago, Illinois. In 1923 he went to Wall Street to convince investment bankers there to finance his scheme for consolidating the United States ice cream industry. He initially found "hard sledding"[7] with one banker saying the dairy industry "lacked dignity." He persevered and convinced a consortium including Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers to finance a rollup strategy.[8]
As a result of his efforts, National Dairy Products Corporation was formed in 1923 in a merger of McInnerney's Hydrox with Rieck McJunkin Dairy Co of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The resulting firm was then listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the offer of 125,000 shares having been oversubscribed.[6]
The firm grew quickly through a large number of acquisitions. As it is typical in a rollup strategy, acquisitions were primarily for stock in National Dairy rather than cash. National Dairy Products Corporation acquired more than 55 firms between 1923 and 1931, with a few notable entities among those:
Year | Firm | Sector | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1924 | W.E. Hoffman | Ice cream | Pennsylvania |
1925 | Dunkin Ice Cream | Ice cream | Illinois |
1925 | Sheffield Farms | Fluid milk, ice cream, other | New York |
1926 | Breyers Ice Cream (dessert products currently owned by Unilever) | Ice cream | Pennsylvania |
1928 | Breakstone Brothers | Fluid milk, cheese | New York |
1928 | General Ice Cream | Ice cream | New York, East Coast |
1929 | Hiland Dairy | Fluid milk, other | Kentucky |
1930 | Kraft-Phenix | Cheese, other | US, international |
1931 | Consolidated Dairy Products | Ice cream, other dairy | New York, New Jersey |
Beginnings for Kraft
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Kraft_logo.svg/220px-Kraft_logo.svg.png)
Born in Stevensville, Ontario, Canada in 1874, James L. Kraft immigrated to the United States in 1903 and started a wholesale door-to-door cheese business in Chicago; its first year of operations was "dismal", losing US$3,000 and a horse. However, the business took hold and Kraft was joined by his four brothers to form J.L. Kraft and Bros. Company in 1909. As early as 1911, circulars and advertisements were in use by the company.
In 1912, the company established its New York City, New York, headquarters to prepare for its international expansion. By 1914, thirty-one varieties of cheeses were being sold around the U.S. because of heavy product development, expansion by marketing, and opening a wholly owned cheese factory in Illinois.[4]
In 1915, the company had invented pasteurized processed cheese that did not need refrigeration, thus giving a longer shelf life than conventional cheese.[4] The process was patented in 1916 and about six million pounds of the product were sold to the U.S. Army for military rations during World War I.
In 1916, the company began national advertising and had made its first acquisition—a Canadian cheese company.[4]
In 1924, the company changed its name to Kraft Cheese Company and listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange.[4] In 1926, it was listed on the NYSE. The firm then began to consolidate the United States dairy industry through acquisition, in competition with National Dairy and Borden. Firms acquired included:
Year | Firm | Sector | Location |
---|---|---|---|
1927 | A.E. Wright | Salad dressings | n/a |
1928 | Phenix Cheese | Cheese, other dairy products | National |
1928 | Southern Dairies | Fluid milk, milk powder, other dairy products | U.S. South |
1928 | 10 "cheese dealers" | Cheese, other dairy products | New York |
1928 | Henard Mayonnaise Co | Mayonnaise | U.S. South |
1929 | D.J. Easton | Mayonnaise | New Jersey |
1929 | 2 other mayonnaise companies | Mayonnaise | n/a |
1929 | 10 companies | Cheese, other dairy products | various regional |
1929 | International Wood Products | n/a | n/a |
1929 | Gelfand Manufacturing | n/a | n/a |
Later, in 1927, it established its London, United Kingdom, and Hamburg, Germany, sales offices—its first forays outside North America. Sales for 1927 were $60.4m.
In 1928, it acquired Phenix Cheese Company, the maker of a cream cheese branded as Philadelphia cream cheese, and the company changed its name to Kraft-Phenix Cheese Company.
In 1929, The New York Times reported that Kraft Phenix, The Hershey Company and Colgate were looking at merging.[9] In the same year, it was reported that National Dairy, Borden and Standard Brands (a firm that is now part of Kraft Foods) were all looking at acquiring the firm.
By 1930, it had captured forty percent of the cheese market in the U.S. and was the third largest dairy company in the United States after National Dairy and Borden. In 1930, the company also began operating in Australia following a merger with Fred Walker & Co.[4]
After National Dairy acquisition of Kraft-Phenix
At the time of the acquisition in 1930, National Dairy had sales of $315m compared with $85m for Kraft Phenix. National Dairy management ran the combined business. Following the Kraft-Phenix acquisition, the firm continued to be called National Dairy until 1969 when it changed its name to Kraftco.[10]
Historically, all of the firm's sales came from dairy products. However, the firm's product lines began to diversify away from dairy products to caramel candies, macaroni and cheese dinners and margarines. From the 1950s onward, the firm began to move away from low value added commodity dairy products, such as fluid milk.[11] This trend would continue for the firm, through neglect and divestiture, until the primary remaining dairy product produced by the firm would be cheese. As a result, the modern history of the firm emphasizes the cheese history.
In 1933, the company began marketing by radio sponsorship. In 1935, the Sealtest brand of ice cream was launched as a unified national brand to replace the firm's numerous regional brands.[4]
During World War II, the company sent four million pounds of cheese to Britain weekly.[4]
Product development and advertising helped the company to grow during the postwar years, launching sliced process cheese and Cheez Whiz, a brand of process cheese sauce, in the 1950s.
During these years, Thomas McInnerney, National Dairy's founder, and James L. Kraft, Kraft's founder, died, and at the end of the decade, the divisions became less autonomous and even diversified to the glass-packaging business with the acquisition of Metro Glass in 1956.[4]
In 1947, the company tested the marketing power of the emerging medium of television by producing an hour-long drama/anthology series, the Kraft Television Theatre. The product advertised on the program, MacLaren’s Imperial Cheese, was selected because "... [it had] not only had no advertising appropriation whatsoever, but had not even been distributed for several years." As described by internal documents of J. Walter Thompson—the advertising firm which conceived of the marketing test—the result was "although there was no other advertising support for it whatsoever, still grocery stores could not keep up with the demand."[12]
In the 1960s, product development became intense, launching fruit jellies, fruit preserves, marshmallows, barbecue sauces and Kraft Singles, a brand of individually wrapped cheese slices.[4] During this decade, the company also expanded in many markets worldwide.
In 1961, the firm acquired Dominion Dairies of Canada, marking the first effort by the firm to expand into fluid milk and ice cream outside the United States.[13] In the same year it also acquired The Southern Oil Company in Manchester, England.
National Dairy becomes Kraft
In 1969, the firm changed its name from National Dairy to Kraftco Corporation. The reason for the name change was given at the time: "Expansion and innovation have taken us far afield from the regional milk and ice cream business we started with in 1923. Dollar sales of these original products have remained relatively static over the past ten years and, in 1969 accounted for approximately 25% of our sales."[14] At the same time, the firm transferred to Glenview, Illinois, in 1972.[4] In 1976, its name changed to Kraft, Inc. to emphasize the trademark the company had been known for and as a result of the fact that dairy, other than cheese, was now only a minor part of the company's sales. Reorganization also occurred after the name change.[4]
Dart merger
In 1980, Kraft merged with Dart Industries—makers of the Duracell brand of batteries, Tupperware brand of plastic containers, West Bend brand of home appliances, Wilsonart brand of plastics and Thatcher glass—to form Dart & Kraft.[4]
During the 1980s, Dart & Kraft offered mixed results to its shareholders, as new acquisitions in the food business—such as Churny premium cheeses, Lender's Bagels, Frusen Gladje ice cream and Celestial Seasonings tea—slightly offset the lagging nonfood business—Tupperware's decrease in sales and KitchenAid's (acquired soon after the merger) slide in market share—leading Dart & Kraft to spin off its nonfood business (except Duracell batteries) into a new entity (Premark International, Inc.) while changing its name back to Kraft, Inc. Premark was bought by Illinois Tool Works in 1999. In 1988, Kraft sold Duracell to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, who then put it into an initial public offering in 1989. Gillette[4] bought Duracell in 1996, and itself was acquired by Procter and Gamble in 2005.
Philip Morris acquisition and merger with General Foods
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Kraft_Banbutry.jpg/220px-Kraft_Banbutry.jpg)
At the end of 1988, Philip Morris Companies purchased Kraft for $12.9 billion. In 1989, Kraft merged with Philip Morris's General Foods unit—makers of Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Jell-O gelatin, Budget Gourmet frozen dinners, Entenmann's baked goods, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light and Tang powdered beverage mixes, Post Cereals, Shake 'n Bake flavored coatings and numerous other packaged foods—as Kraft General Foods. Its aggressive product development was reversed after the merger, as it became slow in addressing issues on its product lines due to its size, and also company politics.[4]
In 1990, the company acquired Jacobs Suchard (a European coffee and confectionery giant) and Freia Marabou (a Scandinavian confectionery maker) to expand overseas as its business was heavily dependent on the U.S. In 1993, it acquired RJR Nabisco's cold cereal business (mainly Shredded Wheat and Shreddies cereals) while selling its Breyers ice-cream division to Unilever and its Birds Eye unit to Dean Foods. In 1994, it sold its frozen dinners unit to H.J. Heinz and in 1995, it sold its foodservice unit.[4]
In 1995, it changed its name to Kraft Foods Inc. The same year, it sold its bakery division (except Lender's Bagels, which was sold in 1996 to CPC International), its candy division and its tablespreads division. Log Cabin syrup was sold in 1997.[4]
Kraft began a major restructuring process in January 2004, following a year of declining sales (blamed largely on the rising health consciousness of Americans) and the sacking of co-CEO Betsy Holden. The company announced closures of 19 production facilities worldwide and the reduction of 5,500 jobs, as well as the sale of 10% of its branded products.
As of 2007, Philip Morris (now Altria Inc.) had sold its stake in Kraft foods and the two companies are no longer affiliated.
Financial expansion
In 2000, Philip Morris (renamed Altria in 2003) acquired Nabisco Holdings for $18.9 billion and merged the company with Kraft Foods the same year.[4] In 2001, Philip Morris sold 280 million Kraft shares via the third-largest IPO of all time, retaining an 88.1% stake in the company.
In 2004, it sold its sugar confectionery division to Wrigley, while doing minor divestitures—including its hot cereals division (Cream of Wheat) in 2007, its pet snacks division (Milk-Bone) in 2006, juice drinks and Fruit2o in 2007 and some grocery brands in 2006.[clarification needed]
Investor Nelson Peltz bought a three-percent stake at Kraft Foods and was talking with the executives on revitalizing the business,[16] with options such as buying Wendy's fast food chain or selling off Post cereals and Maxwell House coffee.[16] On January 31, 2007, after months of speculation, the company announced that its 88.1% stake would be spun off to Altria shareholders at the end of March 2007; each would be given approximately 0.7 shares of Kraft for every Altria share they owned. Kraft became an independent publicly held company.
In July 2007, the company bought Groupe Danone's biscuit (cookie) and cereal division for $7.2 billion, including iconic French biscuit brand Lefèvre-Utile.[16][17] While two years earlier firestorms of protest had arisen over plans for American PepsiCo's hostile takeover of the French company, Kraft's announcement was not met with the same protests, in part because Kraft agreed not to close French factories and keep the new merged divisions headquarters near Paris for at least three years.[16]
In November 2007, Kraft agreed to sell its cereal unit to Ralcorp Holdings, a major private-label food maker, for $2.6 billion in a form of a spin-off merger. This would add 50% to Ralcorp's sales, to $3.3 billion, and will be used for Kraft's debt payment, which was at $13.4 billion, in danger of a downgrade by Standard and Poor's.[18][clarification needed]
In February 2008, Berkshire Hathaway run by billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett announced that it had acquired an 8% stake in Kraft then worth over $4 billion. Buffett's business partner Charles Munger had also invested over $300 million in Kraft. Berkshire Hathaway owned 5.6% of the outstanding stock of Kraft Foods, as reported in the holding company's 2010 annual report.[19]
On September 22, 2008, the company replaced the troubled insurance company, American International Group in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.[20]
On September 10, 2010, a disgruntled employee angered over a recent suspension, Yvonne Hiller, opened fire inside the Philadelphia Factory where she had worked for 15 years. Armed with a .357, Hiller shot 3 co-workers, killing 2 of them. Philadelphia Police responded within minutes of the 911 call. SWAT took Hiller into custody at 8:30pm.[21]
In March 2011, in the US, Kraft Foods introduced MiO, a liquid flavoring product with zero calories and sugar-free geared to 18 to 39-year-old consumers.[22] MiO has no artificial flavors but it does have artificial colors, artificial sweeteners and artificial preservatives, unlike some competing flavoring products, according to USA Today.[23]
Purchase of Cadbury
On September 7, 2009, Kraft made a £10.2 billion takeover offer for the long-established British confectionery group Cadbury, makers of Dairy Milk and Bournville chocolate.[24] On November 9, 2009 Kraft's £9.8bn takeover bid was rejected by Cadbury. Cadbury stated that the takeover bid was a "derisory" offer.[25] Kraft renewed the offer under the same terms on December 4, 2009.[26] The offer generated significant political and public opposition in the United Kingdom and abroad, even leading to calls for the government to implement a policy of economic protectionism in cases of takeovers of large companies.[27] On January 19, 2010, Cadbury finally approved a revised offer from Kraft, valuing the confectionery business at $19.5 billion (£11.5 billion). The funding for the takeover was partially provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland, the British part-state-owned bank.[28]
The Cadbury purchase was part of the long-term strategy of Irene Rosenfeld, CEO and Kraft Chairman since March 2007, who developed a three-year turnaround plan designed to drive the profitable growth of Kraft Foods.[29] Rosenfeld wanted to develop new markets and expand product range when she assumed the role of chairman. It was assumed that the purchase of Cadbury would help Kraft products develop in new markets such as Brazil and India because of Cadbury’s current strong presence in those markets.[30] India is one of its most resilient markets with sales growth of 20% and profits growing at 30% in a competitive market.[31] Kraft believed the Cadbury purchase was also necessary because of the likelihood of Nestle and Hershey joining together.[citation needed] Kraft also believed it could squeeze savings of at least $675m annually by the end of the third year.[32] Irene Rosenfeld saw the Kraft Cadbury merger as the "logical next step in our transformation toward a high-growth, higher-margin company." She also justified the merger in order to build a "global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals."[33]
Following the purchase of Cadbury, Kraft commanded 14.8% of the global candy and gum market. Kraft argued that it could take advantage of the Cadbury distribution in developing markets of India, Brazil and Mexico.[34] As incomes rose in these developing nations, Kraft hoped that products such as Oreo would become impulse buys for children.[34] Mars, Inc. is second in the confectionery market with 14.6% share, followed by Nestle with 7.8%.[35]
At the time of the purchase, the chocolate and sugar industry had been growing rapidly at 15% over the previous three years and was valued at $113 billion.[36] The purchase of Cadbury was considered strange because they did not have a strong foothold on the confectionery market, but at the time Kraft noted their production of confectionery foods like Toblerone and candy foods like Oreo. Cadbury also owned popular gum brands such as Stride, Trident, Dentyne, and Chiclets.[37] Roger Carr, chairman of Cadbury, discussed his approval of the takeover by Kraft by saying, "We believe the offer represents good value for Cadbury shareholders and are pleased with the commitment that Kraft Foods has made to our heritage, values and people throughout the world."[38]
Acquisition fallout
Cadbury sales were flat after Kraft’s acquisition. Despite the Cadbury takeover helping boost sales by 30%, Kraft's net profit for the fourth quarter fell 24% to $540m due to costs associated with integrating the UK business after the acquisition.[39] Kraft spent a one-time $1.3 billion in integration costs to achieve $675 million in recurring annual synergy savings by the end of 2012 (estimated).[40] Kraft was forced to increase prices to offset rising commodity costs in North America and Europe. Kraft has had to contend with the higher cost of ingredients such as corn, sugar and cocoa. Kraft chief executive Irene Rosenfeld said, “We expect it will remain weak for the foreseeable future.” Taking into account integration costs, the acquisition knocked about 33% off Kraft's earnings per share immediately after the purchase of Cadbury.[39] In March 2011, Kraft caused national outrage when they sold the site of a historic Cadbury factory it vowed not to close for £50million after initially publically promising the continuity of production within the UK in order to win over support for the deal from shareholders. Instead, production was immediately outsourced to Poland. The Somerdale Factory was closed just days after the takeover by Kraft Foods in 2009. Former Cadbury workers demanded an apology for the abrupt selling of the plant, but Kraft’s CEO Irene Rosenfeld refused to explain her actions.[41] Kraft continues to use Cadbury brands in emerging markets to expand all of its products. In April 2011, Kraft set to invest $150 million in South Africa’s manufacturing plants over three years. President Sanjay Khosla said, "South Africa is a priority market for us, where we focus on power brands like Cadbury chocolate."[42]
On March 17, 2010, Kraft Foods said it was "truly sorry" over its closure of Cadbury's Somerdale Factory. Senior Kraft executive Marc Firestone made the public apology to MPs at a parliamentary select committee hearing.[43]
Sale of frozen pizza division to Nestlé
On March 1, 2010, Nestlé concluded the purchase of Kraft's North American frozen pizza business for $3.7 billion. Kraft left the door open to repurchase with a buyback option not before one year and not after three years for the original sale price of $3.7 billion; but they did not take advantage of the option. The sale included DiGiorno, Tombstone and Jack's brands in the United States, the Delissio brand in Canada and the California Pizza Kitchen trademark license. It also includes two Wisconsin manufacturing facilities in Medford and Little Chute. The business generated 2009 net revenues of $1.6 billion, with 3,400 employees.[44]
Spinoff of Kraft Foods Group
In August 2011, Kraft Foods announced plans to split into two publicly traded companies—a snack food company and a grocery company.[45]
In October 2012, Kraft Foods Inc changed its name to Mondelēz International. Shortly thereafter it spun-off the Kraft Foods Group to its shareholders.
History
On April 2, 2012, Kraft Foods Inc. announced that it had filed a Form 10 Registration Statement to the SEC to split the company into two companies to serve the "North American grocery business".[46]
On October 1, 2012, Kraft Foods Inc. spun off its North American grocery business to a new company called Kraft Foods Group, Inc. The remainder of Kraft Foods Inc. was renamed Mondelēz International, Inc. and was refocused as an international snack and confection company.[47]
On November 19, 2013, it was ruled that Starbucks will have to pay Kraft Foods Inc. $2.7 billion because of an early contract termination. The money will go to Mondelez International, Inc.[48]
Sponsorships and promotions
Kraft is an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer and sponsors the Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the four "majors" on the LPGA tour. The company also sponsored the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, a post-season college football bowl game, from 2010-2012.
Kraft HockeyVille is a Canadian reality television series developed by CBC/SRC Sports and sponsored by Kraft Foods in which communities across Canada compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The contest revolves around a central theme of community spirit in Canada and is directed by Mike Dodson.
Kraft has released an iPad app called "Big Fork Little Fork" which, in addition to games and other distractions, has information regarding how to use Kraft foods in nutritious ways.[49][50] This app costs $1.99; a version for home computers is available on Apple's App Store.
Kraft is also involved in political sponsorship. According to The Guardian, Kraft helps to finance the State Policy Network. The State Policy Network characterizes itself as "made up of free market think tanks - at least one in every state - fighting to limit government and advance market-friendly public policy".[51][52]
Brands
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Kraft_logo.svg/220px-Kraft_logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f9/Planters_Peanuts.jpg/220px-Planters_Peanuts.jpg)
The company's core businesses are in beverage, cheese, dairy foods, snack foods, and convenience foods. A selection of Kraft's main brands are as follows:[53]
- Capri Sun US License
- Jell-O
- Kraft, including Kraft Dinner, Kraft Singles, Kraft Mayo
- Maxwell House
- Oscar Mayer
- Philadelphia
- Polly-O
- Velveeta
- RIDG's Finer Foods, licensing name used by Kraft addressing Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
- Kool-Aid
- Boca Burger
Corporate social responsibility
For years, Kraft purchased paper for its packaging from Asia Pulp & Paper, the third largest paper producer in the world, which was labeled as a “forest criminal” for destroying “precious habitat” in Indonesia’s rainforest.[54] In 2011, when Kraft cancelled its contract with Asia Pulp & Paper, Greenpeace Executive Director Phil Radford commended Kraft for efforts made towards forest protection, for "taking rainforest conservation seriously."[55]
Controversy
In 2013, food blogger and activist Vani Hari and 100 Days of Real Food blogger Lisa Leake launched an online petition drive to compel Kraft Foods Group, Inc. to remove controversial synthetic dyes Yellow 5 (labeled as Tartrazine) and Yellow 6 from its macaroni and cheese products.[56][57] According to Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the dyes have been shown to “promote hyperactivity and other behavior problems in some children and may even pose a cancer risk.”[58]
In April 2013, Hari and Leake delivered a petition with some 270,000 signatures to Kraft headquarters in Chicago, IL, and asked the company to change its macaroni and cheese recipes.[59][60]
Hari said that stock of Annie’s, an organic macaroni and cheese producer, skyrocketed after she took on Kraft for its artificial dyes in its macaroni and cheese products.[61]
In October 2013, Kraft announced that it would remove artificial dyes from three macaroni and cheese varieties made in kid-friendly shapes, but not its plain elbow-shaped Kraft Macaroni and Cheese product with "original flavor."[62]
Dr. Mehmet Oz saluted Hari’s successful campaign on his national TV program, “Dr. Oz.”[63]
See also
References
- ^ "Kraft Foods Group to Join Nasdaq 100". Fox Business. March 8, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Kraft Foods Group, Inc. Form 10-K, Securities and Exchange Commission, February 21, 2014
- ^ "About Us". Kraft Foods. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Kraft Foods Inc". Funding Universe. 2002. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2008. Cite error: The named reference "kficompany" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "2009 Fact Sheet." Kraft Foods. 6/7. Retrieved January 30, 2011. "Corporate Offices Kraft Foods Inc. Three Lakes Drive Northfield, IL 60093"
- ^ a b Wall Street Journal, Dec 13 1923[page needed]
- ^ Wiktionary definition of "sledding"
- ^ Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1929[page needed]
- ^ New York TImes, October 16, 1929
- ^ Kraftco Corporation Annual Report 1969.
- ^ Compare National Dairy annual report 1938, 1958 and 1976 sales mix data
- ^ "'Kraft'-ing a Durable Business Model". TelevisionWeek. April 27, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ^ National Dairy annual report 1961, p. 6.
- ^ Kraftco annual report 1969, p. 3.
- ^ "Banbury - Economic history | A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 10 (pp. 49-71)". British-history.ac.uk. March 22, 1923. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "No ketchup, please". The Economist. July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
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(help) - ^ "Getting better?". The Economist. July 12, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
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(help) - ^ Rrstar.com Rockford Register article
- ^ "2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Berkshire Hathaway. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "Kraft replaces AIG in Dow Jones Industrial Average". USA Today. Associated Press. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2008.
- ^ "Yvonne Hiller Suspect in Kraft Shooting: Two Killed, One Wounded at Philadelphia Plant". CBS News.
- ^ Packaging Digest, Kraft's new mio liguid flavoring, March 30, 2011, http://www.packagingdigest.com/article/517582-Kraft_s_new_MiO_liquid_flavoring_stays_handy_in_a_portable_pod.php
- ^ USA Today, Feb 22 2011, Kraft Hopes to Make Splash with New Mio Water Flavoring, http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-02-22-watertweaks22_ST_N.htm
- ^ "Kraft Foods Inc. proposes combination with Cadbury PLC". Kraft Foods. September 7, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
- ^ "Cadbury Rejects Kraft's 'Derisory' Takeover Bid". Sky News. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ "Kraft Formalizes Bid For UK Candy Maker Cadbury". Allheadlinenews.com. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ Roberts, Dan (January 19, 2010). "50 reasons to fight Kraft". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Kraft to take over Cadbury". New Statesman. January 19, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ Jose, Joshi. "Irene Rosenfeld's strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft". Wowelle.com. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ^ Namazi, N. "Kraft: Plans to make it big in India with confectionery". Business Review India. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ Jose, Joshi. "Irene Rosenfeld's strategy is packing more goodness into Kraft". Wowelle.com. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
- ^ Ruddick, Graham (January 19, 2010). "Kraft buys Cadbury for £11.9bn: a Q&A". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
- ^ "A Warning To Kraft: If You Eat Cadbury You'll Get Indigestion". Retrieved January 20, 2010.
- ^ a b Awal, Akanksha. "Oreo cookies and India's sweet tooth". THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2011. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ "Cadbury's bought out by Kraft". Leaf and Bean. Retrieved JANUARY 19, 2010.
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(help) - ^ "ME confectionary market worth $113bn". Alibaba.com Hong Kong. Retrieved 03 Aug 2009.
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(help) - ^ "Featured Brands". Cadbury - The Collaboration Factory.
- ^ Swanekamp, Kelsey. "Kraft Swallows Cadbury". Forbes. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Kraft Foods' profits hit by Cadbury costs". BBC. February 11, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2011.
- ^ STEUBER, ERIN. "Kraft, Cadbury not such a sweet deal?". Medill Reports. Retrieved APRIL 15, 2010.
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(help) - ^ "Kraft to sell Cadbury factory for £50 million". Small World News Service. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ^ Daniels, Kurt. "Kraft Foods (NYSE:KFT) In Huge Manufacturing Investment". eMoneyDaily. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ "Kraft apologises for closing Cadbury plant". NewStatesman. March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
- ^ "Kraft Foods Announces Agreement to Sell Pizza Business to Nestlé". Kraft Foods. January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
- ^ "Kraft Foods - Investor Center - Financial News Release". Phx.corporate-ir.net. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ "Financial News Release: Kraft Foods Announces Filing Of Form 10 Registration Statement For Planned Spin-Off Of North American Grocery Company". PR Newswire. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
- ^ Rushe, Dominic (March 21, 2012). "Kraft spins off snacks business into new Mondelez International company". The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Starbucks To Pay Kraft $2.7 Billion For Early Contract Termination". Vending Machine News. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ^ "Big Fork Little Fork". KraftRecipes.Com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ Kleinberg, Adam (January 4, 2011). "Why Every Brand Needs an Open API for Developers". Mashable.Com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed; Goldenberg, Suzanne (December 5, 2013). "State conservative groups plan US-wide assault on education, health and tax". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
- ^ State Policy Network, retrieved December 23, 2013
- ^ "Largest Brands". Kraft Foods Group. 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
- ^ "Paper Giant Pledges to Leave the Poor Rainforest Alone. Finally. Asia Pulp & Paper—the notorious destroyer of pristine tiger and orangutan habitat—says it's changing its ways". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ^ Phil Radford. "Hasbro Turns Over a New Leaf, Steps Up for Rainforests". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ^ Bachai, Sabrina. "Kraft To Remove Artificial Dyes From Mac And Cheese: Yellow Dye Linked To Hyperactivity In Children". Medical Daily. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ "Kraft: Stop Using Dangerous Food Dyes in Our Mac & Cheese". Change.org. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ Jacobson, Michael F. "Kraft Takes Food Dyes out of Some, But Not Most, Macaroni and Cheese". Center for Science in the Public Interest. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ Harris, Paul. "Kraft meets with bloggers protesting chemical additives in mac'n'cheese". theguardian.com. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ Wilson, Jacque. "Kraft removing artificial dyes from some mac and cheese". CNN. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ Taylor, Kate. "How This Food Blogger Convinced Chick-fil-A to Go Antibiotics Free". Entrepreneur. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ Choi, Candice. "Kraft to remove artificial dyes from 3 products". Associated Press. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
- ^ "Where Are They Now?: Five Years of Saving Lives, Pt 2". Dr. Oz. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Meals With Kraft Kraft's meal inspiration website
- Kraft Foods Radio Show from cjly.net