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MillerCoors LLC plans to launch a lemonade-flavored version of low-calorie beer MGD 64, the latest effort by a big U.S. brewer to rejuvenate sales.
MillerCoors, the second-largest U.S. beer maker by revenue, will introduce MGD 64 Lemonade as a limited-edition summer brand in May. Get the full story »
Chef Grant Achatz places a dish on a server's tray at Alinea, one of the Chicago restaurants featured in the AAA's latest restaurant guide. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Chicago ranked as the top town for foodies in AAA’s latest restaurant guide, a title the city is holding for the fifth year in a row.
The AAA Motor Club gave seven restaurants in Chicago five diamonds for 2011, the travel agency’s highest rating. Las Vegas ranks second with five restaurants, and New York is third with three. Get the full story »
A leveraged buyout of Sara Lee could pave the way for Brazilian beef processor JBS SA to buy the U.S. company’s meat division, analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a report Thursday. Get the full story »
Cox News Service | Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A says diners reserved nearly 1 million free spicy breakfast biscuits on getspicychicken.com, starting on Dec. 27. Some stores ended the promotion on Jan. 1, while others continued it until Jan. 8.
The biscuit went on sale on Monday. Get the full story »
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. is potentially interested in Sara Lee and could possibly partner with an interested party as bidders emerge for the food group, two sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. Get the full story »
A spike in oil and food costs pushed wholesale prices up last month by the biggest amount in nearly a year, a trend that could threaten the still-fragile global economy.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley tours a Walgreens store at 1533 67th Place in Chicago. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)
Walgreen Co. plans to expand its fresh food offerings in several hundred stores in coming years, company chief executive officer Greg Wasson told shareholders this afternoon.
Addressing 2,500 shareholders at the company’s annual meeting at Navy Pier on Chicago’s lakefront, Wasson said such stores fit the company’s strategy to evolve from a “retail drugstore to a retail ‘health and daily living store.’”
Walgreen Co., which offers more and more health and wellness needs, began to test out fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables last year, particularly in poor urban markets where access to healthy food choices is a problem. Get the full story »
Kraft Foods has chosen Sam Rovit to be its executive vice president of strategy. He replaces Michael Osanloo, who is now Kraft’s president of North American grocery.
Starting Jan. 29, Rovit will head Kraft’s strategy team, which works with the company’s various business units, to emphasize growth and savings targets. The team is also charged with improving performance in the company’s brands and its sales in the channels where they are sold, like supermarkets or gas stations.
As a member of Kraft’s executive team, he will report directly to chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld. Get the full story »
For 35 years, Bill Samuels Jr. oversaw Maker’s Mark bourbon as it matured from a regional novelty started by his parents to an international brand recognizable by its red wax seal.
Now he’s planning to step aside for the next generation of his family to lead the rural Kentucky distillery, known for its distinctive square bottles that are sealed with red wax. Samuels, 70, will retire as president of Maker’s Mark on April 15, when he’ll become chairman emeritus of the brand owned by Fortune Brands Inc., the company announced. Get the full story »
New York-based startup VillageVines has raised a first round of funding from Hearst Interactive Media, GrandBanks Capital and High Peaks Venture Partners for its exclusive restaurant site. Get the full story »
The town of Cicero unanimously voted Tuesday to approve Wirtz Beverage Illinois’ request to build a $70-million, 600,000-square-foot distribution center at a location that used to be a racetrack. Wirtz’ new center will incorporate the company’s other offices and warehouses in Schaumburg, Wood Dale, Bensenville and Elk Grove Village.
The company had said in a statement last week that most of its 1,000 employees would move to the new center. Get the full story »
Even as its U.S. parent bows to consumer demand for healthier products, McDonald’s in Japan is ladling on the calories — an unusual strategy in a country known for its healthy diet and longevity.
Japan’s top restaurant chain by number of stores, McDonald’s Holdings Co. (Japan) Ltd. rolled out its Big America 2 campaign last week, featuring four burgers named for U.S. locales. The Idaho burger, which will make its debut by the end of this month, features a quarter-pound beef patty, melted cheese, a deep-fried hash brown, strips of bacon, onions and pepper-and-mustard sauce. The calorie count: 713. Get the full story »
JBS, the world’s top beef processor, could team up with a group of buyout firms as it seeks alternatives to win control of Sara Lee Corp., a source with knowledge of the plans told Reuters Tuesday.
Private equity firms have pursued Sao Paulo-based JBS since reports about a potential bid for Sara Lee arose late last year, the source said. No accord over a joint bid has been reached, said the source, who declined to be quoted by name because the talks remain private. Get the full story »
Supervalu Inc., the third-biggest U.S. supermarket chain, posted quarterly results below Wall Street estimates and lowered its forecast for the year, sending its shares down nearly 8 percent in premarket trading.
The company, which also operates Jewel-Osco and Albertsons stores, said in October that it was preparing new price cuts to win back customers lost to rivals like Kroger Co and Safeway Inc. The promotions did not work as expected, Chief Executive Officer Craig Herkert said. Get the full story »
Gatorade North America has named Sarah Robb O’Hagan as its new president and global chief marketing officer for sports nutrition. She succeeds Rich Beck, who will be senior vice president of global supply chain operations at PepsiCo, Gatorade’s parent.
Robb O’Hagan joined Gatorade in 2008 as chief marketing officer, spearheading the company’s launch of G Series, a three-product sales proposition for before, during and after workouts. Gatorade now offers a G Series for elite athletes and competitive high school athletes. The company is launching a G Series for fitness athletes in the spring, including energy bar bites. Get the full story »
