News Briefs

Mars is strengthening its connections with consumers by making its entire portfolio available for same-day delivery through Instacart. 

The company has more than 40 brands in its portfolio, including M&M’s, Snickers, Ben’s Original, and Pedigree, and both its portfolio staples and limited edition products will be available through the service. 

Instacart delivers from over 70,000 stores in 5,500-plus cities, to reach 90% of households in North America, according to Mars. 

Kelly Goering, VP of sales at Mars, noted today’s consumers are turning to digital platforms like Instacart for more choice and convenience. "Our innovative partnership with Instacart enables Mars to continue to reach consumers where they choose to shop," she said. 

Learn how Mars uses spatial analytics to optimize its smart vending machine network in an upcoming webinar. 

Mike Sullivan has been named SVP and CIO of Post Holdings. 

First reported by Food Business News and confirmed by the company, Sullivan was most recently VP and CIO of Post Holdings’ Bob Evans Farms business, where he spent more than three decades. 

Sullivan was IT employee No. 8 or 9 at Bob Evans when he joined, according to a 2021 interview with CDO Magazine, with his first role operating and managing the company’s data center operations during the age of floppy disks. In the interview, he noted that the company is focused on improving its ability to glean insights from data, as well as ensure they’re acquisition-ready. 

Based in St. Louis, Post Holdings is the No. 95 publicly owned consumer goods company and includes the Post Consumer Brands, Weetabix, Michael Foods and Bob Evans Farms business.

Frozen food company Ajinomoto Foods North America is taking steps to improve its on-shelf availability capabilities. 

The frozen food company, which includes such brands as Tai Pei, Ling Ling, and Jose Ole in its portfolio, is expanding its partnership with IRI to leverage its Daily Out-Of-Stock (OOS) Benchmarking tool. The technology is designed to provide CPG manufacturers and retailers with daily OOS views down to key retailer marketing areas and county levels. 

Updates show the stock positions of both Ajinomoto Foods and competitors for key retailers and provides in-stock percentage history, including pre-COVID-19 periods, to allow for promotion forecasting and reporting.

[See also: How NotCo Is Keeping Products On Shelves Without Drowning In Data]

The company was already leveraging IRI’s market measurement solutions and consumer panel information, and Matthew Troyka, marketing director at Ajinomoto Foods North America, said the new tech will enable them to better understand their inventory position and address OOS issues as necessary. 

They’re now also able to see competitive issues and help ensure inventory is on the shelf where demand will spike and is needed most, he added.

Ajinomoto Foods North America operates nine factories and one main office in the United States. It has more than 3,000 employees in North America. 

Nearly 20% of the top product launches of 2021 were frozen meals, according to IRI, which noted that Ajinomoto Foods sales are currently outpacing the frozen snacks category.

Shortly after launching its first portfolio-wide loyalty program, General Mills is tapping TikTok for a new program tying in sustainability. 

Its Nature Valley brand has established a ReTok Shop featuring limited quantities of original products from L.L.Bean, Posted, Stasher, and others — brands chosen as being like-minded regarding sustainability — that were developed in collaboration with creators. 

Consumers who share their sustainable practices on TikTok using the #ReTokForNature hashtag through Sept. 11 have a chance to receive an in-feed promo code they can in turn exchange for an item. 

Kate Herbert, senior brand experience manager of snack bars at General Mills, noted that partnering with TikTok enables the company to reward consumers for “doing good,” and helps them crowd-source new sustainability ideas for families, a particular passion for Nature Valley. 

New items created in collaboration with sustainable TikTok creators will be added to the shop in three phases: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. The company is also enlisting dancers and TV hosts Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Allison Holker-Boss to amplify the program. 

Learn more about the Art and Science of Consumer Loyalty at the Consumer Goods Sales & Marketing Summit.

Stephan Habif has been named chief technology officer of Colgate-Palmolive Company, succeeding the retiring Patricia Verduin

Most recently SVP, research and innovation for L’Oreal, Habif will oversee the company’s global R&D organization, including leading its team of scientists and engineers. 

Habif has more than 25 years of experience leading R&D teams in the beauty and consumer goods industry. At L’Oreal, he was responsible for new product development for all divisions and categories in the Americas. 

He also previously worked for Unilever, including a range of R&D roles in Europe, North America and Latin America supporting skin care, skin cleansing, hair care, deodorants, household care, and other categories.

Noel Wallace, chairman, president, and CEO of the No. 37 publicly owned consumer goods company, said in a statement that Habif will build on Colgate-Palmolive’s commitment to innovation, efficacy, and sustainability, “feeding our growth by advancing our purpose — to reimagine a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet.” 

The role takes effect Sept. 1. 

[See where Colgate-Palmolive sits on the Best Companies to Work For ranking]

 

Amazon’s sellers could soon have a more controlled way to convert funds. The company will be piloting a new tool called Amazon Seller Wallet, providing brands with an easier way to hold, view, and transfer Amazon store proceeds directly to their bank account. 

Amazon Seller Wallet gives selling partners more control over how much and when to convert their funds.

Still in its early stages, the solution looks to simplify the global Amazon selling experience with a Seller Central platform for small businesses that sell on Amazon. There’s currently no cost or minimum amount, or maintenance fee, associated with the platform. Though volume-based currency conversion and international transfer fees will still apply. 

[Read more: Buy With Prime: Free, Expedited Delivery Expands Beyond Amazon.com]

Amazon Seller Wallet is currently available to a select number of small businesses that sell on Amazon.com. The company plans to expand the offering to other sellers once it collects feedback and refines the tool over time. In the future, the tool may also have additional capabilities like third-party payments and foreign exchange rate tools. 

Selling partner Maxwell Sigurdson-Scott, founder of MESS in Canada, has used Amazon Seller Wallet for the past few weeks. “Amazon Seller Wallet has allowed me to easily manage my payouts all within Seller Central. The tool is simple to use and has saved me time and money,” he said.