Unilever Co.

Unilever announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire professional skin care brandDermalogica.

Antoine de Saint-Affrique is currently President Unilever Foods and a Member of Unilevers Group Executive Committee.

Unilever announces that its Chief Financial Officer, Jean-Marc Hut, has decided to step down from his role and the Boards of Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. Graeme Pitkethly will succeed Hut as CFO.

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is rumored to announce a massive buying and planning review across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. This comes on the brink of a wave of CPG giants like Coca-Cola, Unilever and L'Oreal, that are already rethinking the way they spend their media dollars. For P&G, it will be the first time in nearly two decades that it has reviewed its U.S. buying account.

UK digital firm Glimrwon Unilever's international Scale Up competition at the Digital Shoreditch festival in London.

IRI, Kline to Provide Expanded OTC Coverage

Chicago-based shopper insights provider IRI and pharmaceutical market research firm Kline & Co., Parsippany, New Jersey, have partnered to provide the consumer healthcare industry a higher level of data accuracy, the companies said.

Many small, organic food companies start with a homegrown story that appeals to its consumer base, however, major consumer goods powerhouses have been recently vacuuming up these niche players. Giants like Coke, General Mills and Kellogg have recently expanded their organic portfolios through acquisition with rumors of more to come. With the risk of being called a sell out, is teaming up with bigger companies better for growth, or is it a death sentence for these smaller players?

The subject might not be as hot as S&OP or as intriguing as Big Data, but freight optimization is one of the highest-value opportunities facing consumer goods companies these days.