Despite reporting a slight increase in overall sales for November, McDonald’s financial results also showed some declines in key markets. The company’s US sales fell for the third consecutive month, while sales in China also suffered a slump after previously robust growth. McDonald’s will need to act quickly in order to ensure that these downwards trends do not become established.

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This month’s roundup of new household goods launches sees that scented products have been given a makeover, with new launches providing innovative elements. These include a tumble dryer freshener that sticks to the dryer drum and an undercover bed fragrancer that keeps sheets fresh for longer. These launches highlight the fact that home fragrance remains an important consumer concern.

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Consumer products company Henkel has reported net earnings of E150 million or E0.33 earnings per diluted ordinary share, for the second quarter of 2009, compared to E42 million or E0.07 earnings per diluted ordinary share in the same period of the prior year.
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The Coca-Cola Company has announced the formation of a new structure that will integrate three core functions: global business services, global information technology and transformational productivity.
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The Venezuelan government has banned the sale of Coca-Cola beverage Coke Zero claiming that the beverage contains harmful ingredients.
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London, Monday 11 May 2009.

Food prices fell 1.2% from March to April and were up just 7.6% on the previous year – the slowest increase so far in 2009. The data, based on Verdict Consulting’s monthly Food Price Tracker, indicates that food inflation may finally have peaked, something that will be welcomed by hard-pressed shoppers.
 
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With 2009 nearly upon us, look for new product marketers to make the year interesting with beauty foods and drinks, detox products and concentrated liquid cleaners that cut costs and help the environment. Datamonitor’s Product Launch Analytics takes a look at these and other trends in consumer packaged goods for the coming year.
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A new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor finds that consumers are having a greater number of soft drink occasions, with consumption projected to increase through 2011. Consumers in the UK had 2.3 soft drink occasions per person per day in 2006, and this is projected to grow quicker than for Europe as a whole and the US, to reach 2.9 occasions by 2011. Datamonitor’s report analyzes how consumers’ changing hot and soft drink preferences are shaping the non-alcoholic drinks industry.
 
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