Sales & Marketing

On July 28, 2014, Dollar Tree, Inc. announced its intent to takeover Family Dollar for $8.5 billion. Will the merged company, with more than 13,000 stores in 48 states and five Canadian Provinces, create significant competition for big box retailers, like Walmart?

Who will sell consumer product five years from now? And where? The decline of shopping malls, the rise of online shopping and changing consumer habits require consumer goods manufacturers to rethink their approach to moving goods.

New research finds that more than half of business leaders place digital strategy and data analytics high on their agenda. Yet, 32 percent of respondents currently see themselves as having weak or no capabilities in these areas. Meanwhile, the supply chain was rated by consumer goods and retail executives as the No. 1 challenge for their companies and is also the most likely to receive increased investment this year.

Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool identified a number of trends that prompted the development of their newest innovation, SWASH.

Campbell Soup Company will launch more than 200 new products in fiscal 2015 to meet consumers changing tastes, preferences and needs.

The merger expands ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston operations in a market that has growing demand for frozen potato products.

The consumer goods industry in North America, grappling with intense market saturation, has seen a significant transition into the emerging markets playing field. Two subject matter experts pinpoint the nuances that must be addressed from both a strategic and tactical standpoint when entering and operating in emerging markets.

A new report from IDC Manufacturing Insights concludes that big data and analytics will remain one of the top investment priorities for manufacturing organizations of all sizes for the foreseeable future. In fact, nearly 51 percent of respondents expect to generate new revenue streams from big data and analytics projects.