Beverages

The UK soft drink manufacturer will leverage solutions from StayinFront to improve its retail execution capabilities for retail, tele-sales, direct-store delivery and van processes.

A quartet of industry professionals — Lee Applbaum of Patron, Antonio Lucio of HP, Scott Parker of Atkins Nutritionals and Justin Woolverton of Halo Top — rounds out this year’s crop of top marketers.

The Central Group, Toronto, has acquired Packaging Technologies Inc., a Concord, Ontario-based designer and manufacturer of high impact graphic corrugated packaging and P-O-P displays.

Former cereal marketer Yumi Clevenger-Lee replaces CGT's 2016 "CMO of the Year" Antonio Sciuto in the role.

"Barkeep" is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual bartender that provides users with drink recommendations and recipes.

The Ahold Delhaize chain has partnered with P&G, Nestlé and Chobani on a new basketball gaming sponsorship. 

New features are designed to give packaged goods companies rapid feedback and optimization based on AI and experimentation.

After 35 years as a member of Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc.'s staff, Ron Bowers, senior vice president of retail technology business development, will retire at the end of July.