Supply Chain & Merchandising

THE MERGER AND ACQUISITION (M&A) trend continued through 2006, impacting a large number of technology providers that service the consumer goods (CG) industry.

While this year's Readers' Choice Awards span 12 solution and service categories, some companies do not fit snugly into any one category.

7-Eleven Inc. announces winners of its 2006 Retailer Initiative Awards, which formally recognize those suppliers that excelled at helping 7-Eleven meet its convenience customers' changing needs through team merchandising, demandchain solutions, cost of goods, category management and contributing to creative advertising and promotional programs.

Retailers are challenged to be ever more responsive to consumer demand. Strategies, like customer-centricity and multi-channel convergence, put pressure on instore inventory, which then pressures the consumer goods supply chain to perform flawlessly.

Some might call it nepotism. But customers should be suspicious if a company doesn't deploy its own technology.

Nestl employs close to 250,000 people and maintains factories or operations in almost every country in the world.

Hormel Foods implemented Siebel Business Analytics and Siebel Consumer Goods to improve trade promotion management, customer relations, productivity, efficiency and effectiveness of marketing investments.

Shiraleah is a Chicago-based company that manufactures and distributes home goods and fashion accessories to about 5,000 retailers throughout the United States and Canada.