MBS Intelligence
Consumer Products
Weapons of mass consumption: the power of consumer brands
I made my first visit to Russia in the early 2000s – about a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and shortly after Vladimir Putin became Prime Minister for the first time. My host took me on some store...
Looking in the mirror: kickstarting the conversation on diversity,…
The beauty industry has never been more exciting or vibrant than it is today. This week alone, we’ve seen Dolce & Gabbana commit to investing €300m in the category to take production in-house; ecommerce giant...
Trust me, I’m a doctor: why we’re listening to…
“We are exiting the era of marketing-based skincare and entering the era of performance-based skincare,” reads a quote splashed across the Dr. Barbara Sturm website. While Dr. Barbara Sturm is an extreme example of...
The future’s bright, the future’s wonky: exploring shifting consumer…
Thirty years ago, buying, eating and cooking with ‘wonky’ fruit and veg was the preserve of the hyper-health conscious and those lucky enough to live near a farmer’s market. For the rest of us, buying our food at...
Movement of the needle: inclusion and diversity in the…
Two years ago, we set out to analyse the state of inclusion and diversity in the consumer goods and grocery sector. At that point, conversations were not advanced, and schemes to promote inclusion were few and far...
Pet power: a sector leaping out of Covid
Listeners of Classic FM over the Guy Fawkes night weekend will have inadvertently tuned into a special ‘Pet Classics’ – designed specifically to keep dogs, cats and other pets calm as fireworks exploded outside....
Sustainability: the challenge to businesses and the talent landscape
This year, the UK is hosting the biggest climate conference in the world: the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP26. Held in Glasgow in November, heads of state, climate experts and...
The future is femtech, period.
For decades, conversations around women’s health and personal care have been surrounded by embarrassment, stigma and misinformation. From a consumer goods perspective, this lack of open discussion resulted in a stale...
Across the pond: transatlantic trends and talent in consumer…
For European consumer goods brands, achieving 'the American Dream' has long been a key milestone. Promising millions of new customers, massive deals and a whole different league of volume and complexity, breaking the US...
Latest Consumer Products News
Südzucker reports drop in earnings The European sugar producer has reaffirmed its full-year profit forecast of between €500m and €600m, down from the €950m it generated in the year to the end of February. The company has said its results have been hurt by high production costs. Read more.
Premier Foods full-year results beat expectations The owner of Mr Kipling and Oxo Cubes has said that sales and profit for the full year have come in ahead of expectations. Adjusted pre-tax profit was up 15.1% to £157.9m in the year to the end of March, with headline revenue reaching £1.1bn. Read more.
Cosmetics giant Shiseido reports losses for first quarter The business has reported small losses of 3.3 billion yen (€19.6m) due to restructuring costs, but has maintained its growth forecasts for 2024. Sales in the period rose 3.9% to 249.5 billion yen (nearly €1.5bn). Read more.
Net losses widen at beauty giant Natura The Brazilian beauty group, which owns the Avon brand, has posted a net loss of $181.3m in the first quarter. The group is undergoing a process of spinning out its assets, including the Aesop and The Body Shop businesses. Read more.
Imperial Brands releases half-year results The tobacco giant has said that strong pricing has offset volume declines in the six months to the end of March 2024, and has reiterated its full-year guidance. Revenue reached £15.1bn in the period, down 2.3% from last year. Read more.
Pre-tax profit up at drinks group Britvic Britvic, which owns the 7UP brand among other soft drinks, has said that pre-tax profit has improved 13% to £78.2m in the six months to the end of March, boosted by an 11.2% increase in revenue. Read more.
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