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04 Aug 2011 10:13

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Biz: How the cookie crumbles: Kraft to split food business in two

  • before About 18 months ago, Kraft (an already big global brand it its own right) bought an equally big global brand — Cadbury, a brand which sells much more than chocolate eggs outside of the U.S. It was a buyout that Cadbury long rebuffed, by the way. Because, really, who wants to mix Velveeta and Trident gum, anyway?
  • now The company, seeing that it had two distinctly different product portfolios with different strengths — groceries (like Maxwell House and Kraft cheeses) and snacks (like Oreo cookies and, well, Cadbury), decided to take these two halves and pull them apart, like an Oreo filled with sweet, sugary financial success. source
  • » Part of a larger trend: A number of other companies have followed this splitting-the-company path lately — including Motorola, Sara Lee and Fortune, Inc. And just you wait. In a year or two, they’re all gonna want to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

15 Sep 2010 10:37

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Biz: Speaking of chocolate, Kraft’s Cadbury merger has sweet rewards

  • $1 billion in new revenue for the edible megacorp source

19 Jan 2010 10:55

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U.S.: Cadbury seems rather optimistic about the Kraft Foods buyout

  • We believe the offer represents good value for Cadbury shareholders and are pleased with the commitment that Kraft Foods has made to our heritage, values and people throughout the world.
  • Cadbury Chairman Roger Carr • On the $19.5 billion buyout offer that Kraft showed the company today. For months, Cadbury rejected Kraft’s advances. No longer. While Cadbury is open to other offers – get your #(&^ together, Hershey – they seem quite happy with the offer that the world’s second-largest food company has put forth. If they combined, they would become the largest. source

18 Jan 2010 18:07

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Biz: Cadbury/Kraft merger: Mmm, Velveeta and Trident Gum …

  • $19 billion mash-up could be announced tomorrow source

14 Jan 2010 11:04

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Biz: Hey bookies, looking to bet on who gets Cadbury? Look here

  • 66% the odds that Cadbury goes to Kraft, who will produce a Vegemite-flavored Cadbury Egg for Australia
  • 15% the odds that Cadbury goes to Hershey, which is half the size but knows how to mix chocolate and peanut butter
  • 19% the odds that Cadbury doesn’t go with either suitor and decides to lay its own Cadbury Eggs source

12 Jan 2010 11:00

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Biz: Kraft/Cadbury merger: Chocolate & cheese candy bar closer to reality

  • Kraft only needs to improve their offer slightly to push through the deal. Kraft’s hostile takeover seems closer to reality than ever despite the fact that Cadbury had a solid 2009. Kraft needs to work fast, though – they have seven days to raise their offer to something a little more crumbelievable. source

05 Jan 2010 10:37

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Biz: Kraft wants Cadbury bad. Warren Buffett thinks it’s unhealthy.

  • Berkshire Hathaway owns 9.4% of Kraft’s stock, so they should take heed. Kraft has been in unhealthy pursuit of the candy company for months, and just sweetened the deal again to convince them to go for it. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, however, warned Kraft they wouldn’t be voting for the purchase, calling it a “blank check” and saying Kraft’s stock is too valuable for a purchase like this. Too Velveeta-like in texture. source
 

14 Dec 2009 10:48

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Biz: Crumbelievable: Cadbury rejects Kraft’s advances again

See the fence in front of the Cadbury factory pictured here? Kraft is standing behind it, scheming, because it really wants a Cadbury Egg. source

22 Nov 2009 12:02

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Biz: It’s like everyone wants a freaking Cadbury egg

  • Kraft They made a unsolicited bid for the candy-maker, and then they made another one. Crumbelievable.
  • Hershey They saw what Kraft was doing and want to get chocolate in their peanut butter – with backup from another investor.
  • Nestle Now they want to lay a finger on Cadbury’s Butterfinger. And they might just be the backup Hershey’s needs. source

09 Nov 2009 09:20

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Biz: Another takeover try: Kraft Foods must really want a Cadbury Egg

  • $16.7 billion Kraft Foods’ first hostile takeover try back in September; it was spurned by investors
  • $16.3 billion Kraft Foods’ second hostile takeover try just today; it also was spurned by investors source