Sep. 27, 2010 at 2:29 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Food
By Julie Wernau
POM Wonderful isn’t quite as wonderful as it claims, the Federal Trade Commission said Monday, after filing a complaint that challenges the company’s statements that pomegranate can prevent and treat everything from heart disease to erectile dysfunction.
The agency called the claims — found in advertisements in print publications and on the Internet — “false and unsubstantiated” and based on flawed medical research.
In a story this March, the Tribune named POM Wonderful as one of several products on the market that made health claims in its advertising that are permissible only for FDA-approved drugs. Yet, POM Wonderful has staked its name on the fruit’s health benefits. According to POM Wonderful, since 1998 the company has paid $34 million to support pomegranate-related research at universities and by other scientists, yielding approximately 55 published studies. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 2:28 p.m.
Filed under:
Economy,
Manufacturing
By Dow Jones Newswires
Manufacturing activity slowed in the Midwestern U.S. during August, as automakers chose to stop building up inventories, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported Monday. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 2:04 p.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
M&A,
Updated
An AirTran plane takes off. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file
The proposed consolidation between Southwest and AirTran could lead to higher airfares at Midway Airport, especially to vacation destinations, according to one industry analyst.
“A lot of the rock-bottom fares from Midway to Florida were often initiated by AirTran,” said Joseph Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul University, Chicago.
The merger would increase the pace at which Midway is becoming what Schwieterman called “a one-airline act.” Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 1:10 p.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Jobs/employment,
Small business
Bloomberg News | President Barack Obama signed legislation that will cut taxes and provide credit help for small businesses, calling it an essential step for job growth in a slow economy. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 1:07 p.m.
Filed under:
Investing,
Pharmaceuticals,
Retail,
Stock activity
By Dow Jones Newswires
Several analysts say another Walgreen Co. dividend boost may be in the offing. Walgreens, which raised its quarterly dividend 27 percent to 17.5 cents a share in July, may be looking to move closer its long-term dividend payout target of 30 percent to 35 percent net of earnings. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 1:03 p.m.
Filed under:
Autos
From Bloomberg News | Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally said the second-biggest U.S. carmaker may reduce its product lineup to as few as 20 models. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 12:21 p.m.
Filed under:
Retail
By Sandra M. Jones
Topshop, the hipster clothing chain, is coming to the Mag Mile.The British retailer plans to open a store on North Michigan Avenue next spring, marking its second outpost in the U.S., according to a Monday report in Women’s Wear Daily. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 11:59 a.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Manufacturing,
Updated
By Reuters
Gina Boswell, president of global brands, stands in an Alberto Culver lab in 2008. (Chicago Tribune/Alex Garcia)
Consumer goods group Unilever will buy U.S. hair and skin care company Alberto Culver for $3.7 billion in the latest move to rebalance its portfolio toward higher growth lines.
The news sent Alberto Culver stock up 20 percent to $37.73, near its 52-week high of $32.08, in midday trading.
Unilever’s biggest acquisition in a decade will add brands such as V05, TRESemme and Nexxus to Unilever’s existing Dove and Sunsilk, and make it the world’s leading company in hair conditioning and the second largest in shampoo. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 11:52 a.m.
Filed under:
Energy
Exelon Corp., the largest U.S. producer of nuclear power, plans to sell $900 million of 10- and 31-year debt to fund its purchase of a Deere & Co. wind-power unit.
The bonds may be issued as soon as today through Exelon Generation Co. according to a person familiar with the transaction. John Deere Renewables will cost $860 million with an additional $40 million if Deere starts constructing three projects in Michigan, Exelon said today in a regulatory filing that didn’t specify the debt offering’s size or timing. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 11:51 a.m.
Filed under:
Airlines,
Airplanes,
Airports,
Consumer news,
M&A
By Sara K. Clarke, Orlando Sentinel | Orlando-based AirTran Airways said today it has agreed to be bought by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, which is the busiest carrier at Orlando International Airport. What does this mean for customers and shareholders? Read on to see: Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 11:12 a.m.
Filed under:
Agriculture/Farming,
M&A
By Reuters
A U.S. federal judge said Monday he would allow the discovery process to proceed in a lawsuit filed by Potash Corp to fend off BHP Billiton’s $39 billion hostile takeover bid.
The lawsuit, filed last week in a U.S. District Court in Chicago, alleges that BHP misrepresented material facts related to its bid for the world’s largest producer of potash — a key crop nutrient.
As part of the discovery process, Potash Corp have asked that BHP produce a long list of documents that include BHP’s statements regarding investments in the potash industry and the minutes of BHP’s board meetings that relate to the potash sector and its plans to develop its Jansen potash project in Saskatchewan. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 10:27 a.m.
Filed under:
International,
M&A,
Retail
By Reuters
Wal-Mart is in talks to buy South Africa’s Massmart, a $4 billion deal that would give the U.S. retailer a big presence in fast-growing Africa and boost its emerging markets strategy. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 8:34 a.m.
Filed under:
Transportation
From MSNBC | A British businessman, who bought the Segway company less than a year ago, died after riding one of the scooters off a cliff and into a river near his Yorkshire estate. Jim Heselden acquired the Segway company from its U.S. inventor Dean Kamen in December 2009. Get the full story >>
Sep. 27, 2010 at 7:55 a.m.
Filed under:
Media
By Reuters
The rapid rise of digital music sales has stalled in the United States, the world’s biggest and most important market, with sales in the first half of 2010 flat compared with a year before. According to research group Nielsen, digital sales were flat in the U.S. market after a 13 percent increase from 2008 to 2009 and 28 percent growth from 2007 to 2008. Get the full story »
Sep. 27, 2010 at 5:40 a.m.
Filed under:
Autos,
Recalls
By Dow Jones Newswires
Sunday it will recall some 140,000 Sonata sedans in the U.S. market because of steering problems that could result in a loss of, or reduction in, maneuvering capability. Hyundai Motor America is conducting a voluntary safety recall of Sonatas built between Dec. 11, 2009, and Sept. 10, Hyundai said in a statement emailed to Dow Jones Newswires. Get the full story »
