Webremix Articles

Chavez Warns U.S. Consumer Giants Ahead of Price Regulation

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:04:39 GMT

Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will nationalize consumer goods companies, including "transnationals," that fail to comply with price controls being prepared ...

Chavez Warns U.S. Consumer Giants Ahead of Price Regulation

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:30:35 GMT

Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will nationalize consumer goods companies, including "transnationals," that fail to comply with price controls being prepared ...

Unilever Volume Growth Slides as Prices Rise

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:58:38 GMT

Unilever, the world's second-largest consumer-goods maker, reported the weakest volume growth in almost three years as higher prices deterred consumers

Fund managers suffer loss; stocks stage rally

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:23:14 GMT

equity schemes underperforming their benchmarks during the month. These fund managers had stocked up on shares of consumer goods, pharma and auto companies - the winners in 2011 - in their ...

Sefalana credits consumer division for profit growth

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:15:07 GMT

Profits at diversified company, Sefalana Holdings, rose by 21 percent to P21,69 million for the six months ended October 2011 largely on the back of contributions from its consumer goods division.

Sefalana credits consumer division for profit growth

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:15:05 GMT

Profits at diversified company, Sefalana Holdings, rose by 21 percent to P21,69 million for the six months ended October 2011 largely on the back of contributions from its consumer goods division.

Raw materials costs hurt Unilever

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:41:41 GMT

HIGH COSTS: Unilever PLC, the consumer-goods maker behind brands including Lipton tea, Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, struggled in 2011 to pass on higher raw material costs to ...

Funds miss bus as stocks stage a surprise rally

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:32:54 GMT

equity schemes underperforming their benchmarks during the month. These fund managers had stocked up on shares of consumer goods, pharma and auto companies - the winners in 2011 - in their ...

Unilever Volume Growth Slides as Prices Rise

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:04:42 GMT

Unilever, the world's second-largest consumer-goods maker, reported the weakest volume growth in almost three years as higher prices deterred consumers

Apple Names John Browett as New Senior Vice President of Retail

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:22:59 GMT

Apple

Inflation rises by 3 percent as consumer goods prices soar

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:54:17 GMT

The inflation rate in Lebanon registered a 3 percent rise in the month of December 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

Iran’s Gulf smugglers start to feel the squeeze of Western sanctions

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:09:50 GMT

By dawn, the unmarked speedboats from Iran pull into port. By dusk, they are racing back across the Strait of Hormuz loaded with smuggled consumer goods...

Iran's Gulf smugglers feel blowback from tensions

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:49:32 GMT

By dawn, the unmarked speedboats from Iran pull into port. By dusk, they are racing back across the Strait of Hormuz loaded with smuggled consumer goods ranging from Chinese-made shoes to cut flowers from Holland.

Iran's Gulf smugglers feel blowback from tensions

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:35:23 GMT

Stockpiled goods ensure price stability for hols in Quang Tri

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:05:09 GMT

Quang Tri Province People's Committee has allocated VND10.8 billion to several local businesses to stockpile goods during and after Tet in an aim to ensure stable prices and ample supply for consumer goods.

HUL executive director Gopal Vittal quits

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:30:00 GMT

Consumer goods maker Hindustan Unilever on Friday saw another senior-level exit with Gopal Vittal, executive director - home and personal care, quitting to pursue an external opportunity.

Price increases ease as inflation drops 0.6 per cent

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:15:51 GMT

Consumer goods including gas, food, cars and clothing were less expensive in December, as Canada's inflation rate dropped from 2.9 per cent to 2.3.

Price increases ease as inflation drops 0.6 per cent

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:15:51 GMT

Consumer goods including gas, food, cars and clothing were less expensive in December, as Canada's inflation rate dropped from 2.9 per cent to 2.3.

Unilever UK workers strike

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:57:04 GMT

British workers at Unilever walked out on strike across five sites on Wednesday in a pensions dispute while the consumer goods group reassured customers that it had stockpiled supplies to ensure no ...

Unilever staff strike over pensions

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:09:37 GMT

A series of strikes by workers at consumer goods giant Unilever is set to start, with picket lines mounted at several sites in a worsening row over pensions. Thousands of members of three trade ...

Sefalana bullish as Shoppers brand expands

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:07:26 GMT

Strong growth in the consumer goods segment will push Sefalana's profits up by more than 20 percent for the six months ending October 2011, the company has said.

So We're All in Agreement

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:59 GMT

In "Standards: Recipes for Reality," Lawrence Busch examines the common protocols and practices that play a role in nearly every aspect of life—from consumer goods and shipping containers to scientific research and school curriculums.

So We're All in Agreement

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:59 GMT

Pension strikes begin at Unilever

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:23:36 GMT

Several thousand workers at consumer goods company Unilever are starting a further series of strikes over changes to their pension scheme.

Workers at Unilever UK set to strike

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:35:07 GMT

British workers at Unilever plan to escalate strike action this week with 11 days of rolling stoppages starting on Wednesday in a dispute over plans to axe the consumer goods group's ...

Sector Screened Stocks: Consumer Goods

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:01:19 GMT

This article will be the Third in a series where I look for stocks I think will do well this upcoming year.

Unilever workers to stage strikes

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:57:32 GMT

Thousands of workers at consumer goods company Unilever are to stage 24-hour strikes over pensions, unions say. Leaders of the Unite, Usdaw and the GMB unions are to call strikes on eight sites ...

Unilever workers to stage strikes

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:57:32 GMT

Thousands of workers at consumer goods company Unilever are to stage 24-hour strikes over pensions, unions say. Leaders of the Unite, Usdaw and the GMB unions are to call strikes on eight sites ...

VIDEO: Unilever workers to stage strikes

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:43:41 GMT

Thousands of workers at consumer goods company Unilever are to stage 24-hour strikes over pensions, unions say.

Flowers Foods: Bakery producer with consistent growing business performance

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:18:56 GMT

Whenever it comes to consumer goods industry, I got very excited. Because industry-wide, it seems to be more predictable than other industries such as defense, technology where the future of the company depends on the technology innovation or unstable policy changes.

Unilever Workers To Strike Over Pensions Row

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:48:32 GMT

Workers at consumer goods giant Unilever are to stage a series of strikes in a huge escalation of a row over pensions, it has been announced. Leaders of three trade unions decided to call strikes ...

Unilever workers to stage strikes

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:20:37 GMT

Thousands of workers at consumer goods company Unilever are to stage 24-hour strikes over pensions, unions say. Leaders of the Unite, Usdaw and the GMB unions are to call strikes on up to 12 days ...

Rising costs: FMCG companies hike prices

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:23:50 GMT

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies like Procter & Gamble India (P&G ) and Jyothy Laboratories have kick-started the new year by increasing prices to offset commodity cost pressures.

Prices Keep Rising in Darfur

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:22:44 GMT

Radio Dabanga (Hilversum)-There are reports of continued high increases in the prices of consumer goods across villages and towns in the three states of Darfur.

Starbucks' Prices Increasing in 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:51:33 GMT

The new year can bring a fresh start for many people and, unfortunately, higher prices on a number of consumer goods. Commodity prices increased around the world in 2011, leading to hikes in everything from food to gold. Natural disasters, shrinking supplies of various materials, and other events could lead to higher prices for many products.

Items That Will Cost More in 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:51:24 GMT

5 Consumer Goods Companies Seeing Executive Stock Sales in December

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:01:34 GMT

Wall St. Watchdog reveals information about insiders who are bearish on these stocks in the Consumer Goods sector for the week ending December 23rd, 2011.

Virtual Teachers Provide Lessons on the Go

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:50:43 GMT

Do you want to learn to recognize bird calls? Pick up a new computer programming language? Learn Chinese?

Chances are, wherever your academic pursuit takes you, there's an app for a tablet or smartphone that will help. There are 19,000 apps in the iTunes Store's education category.

At the Android Market, there are 13,000. But beware, not every educational app is the ideal tutor. A study by German consumer goods tester Stiftung Warentest, comparing English vocabulary trainers, found many with weaknesses in their contents and approach.

So what should a good academic app look like? "It's important that it's interactive, with multimedia capabilities and individuality," says Michael Cordes, director of the continuing education team at Stiftung Warentest.

Thus, an app that only tutors -- as opposed to one that offers exercises and then quizzes the user about information learned -- will have less value.

The targeted use of images and sound can't be underestimated either; ditto when it comes to the option of making lessons suit an individual's needs.

"The more influence I can have, the more I can use the program in a targeted fashion," says Cordes, who has a background in educational science.

"Change of pace is also important," he says. Some apps that were tested turned boring quickly. Especially when it comes to complex topics, it's important that exercises offer some variety.

When it comes to IT topics, it's best to use a problem-based approach, says Christoph Sahner of video training service Video2brain. "The presentation of workflow is the real strength of video-oriented teaching."

For example, Video2brain offers an iPad app that is not just for use underway, but for practicing new software or learning a programming language at one's desk.

That way you can watch the video on the tablet and try out the same steps yourself, says Sahner. "Tablets are great because they are big...

Report: Fiat 500, Chevy Volt listed among biggest product flops of 2011... but should they be?

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:31:00 GMT

Filed under: Etc., Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM, Fiat

'Tis the season for thin news cycles and cheesy top ten lists. Yahoo! Finance has thrown its hat in the top ten ring with its list of the biggest flops among all consumer goods introduced for 2011. Both the Fiat 500 and Chevrolet Volt have made it among the chosen few, rubbing elbows with such luminaries as Netflix's Qwikster and Disney's Mars Needs Moms .

Why the Volt? Yahoo! points to the vehicle's underwhelming sales, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fire investigation and misguided General Motors executives as indicators of the plug-in hybrid's failure. We think that's a bit harsh given the fact that the Volt wasn't on sale across the country for most of the year, and we've harped on how absurd the NHTSA fire issue is in the past, so we'll save the digital ink here.

And what of the Fiat 500? It's no secret the adorable Italian hatchback has missed its sales goals by a country mile. While Chrysler had hoped to move 50,000 models this year, actual U.S. sales for the year will probably end up around 20,000 units, which really isn't too bad. Those early sales targets were picked straight from the crazy buffet to begin with, and the fact that the 500 suffered production delays, dealership network woes and a botched marketing effort didn't help matters. Still, do those issues make the 500 one of the biggest product flops of 2011?

For our money, it's too early to call either of these vehicles flops - moving 20,000 relatively expensive very small cars for a new-to-the-U.S. (well, "new again," at least) brand doesn't sound too bad to us, and putting the Volt on the list when it wasn't available to most consumers strikes us as Yahoo! Finance trolling for controversy. What say you? Drop us a line in Comments...

Fiat 500, Chevy Volt listed among biggest product flops of 2011... but should they be? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sudan: Prices Double in Nyala

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:06:37 GMT

The prices of consumer goods are increasing sharply in South Darfur, particularly in the city of Nyala, said a citizen to Radio Dabanga.

Prices Double in Nyala

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:42:12 GMT

The prices of consumer goods are increasing sharply in South Darfur, particularly in the city of Nyala, said a citizen to Radio Dabanga.

Germans Take Breaks From Work E-Mail

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 22:18:46 GMT

Volkswagen and other German businesses are turning off after-hour e-mails to give workers a break as they, like many people worldwide, become increasingly connected to their mobile devices.

The automaker, in an agreement with labor representatives, agreed to only allow their staff to receive e-mails from a half-hour before work starts until half-hour after they finish, putting them in blackout mode the rest of the time.

The new rule only covers union workers, so company board-level executives will still get their e-mails. But the company said it is turning off the later e-mails to force workers toward a better work-life balance.

Such measures may become more necessary as smartphone use expands. People are becoming addicted to checking their smartphones throughout the day, says a report in the journal Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, with many people looking at their phone's menu screens, news, email and apps throughout the day.

Apps that offer "informational rewards" only feed smartphone addiction, the report says. Looking at a person's Facebook status with real-time updates about location, for example, contribute to the cycle, as do e-mails constantly coming through that need to be instantly addressed.

Without rules such as Volkswagen's, workers may not understand how to separate work from play, putting them, in essence, on call 24-hours a day.

Other companies, including telecommunications provider Deutsche Telekom, also encourage their workers to turn off their devices occasionally. Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of T-Mobile, last year introduced a policy calling on workers to claim time off their devices when they're off work, with management promising not to call them or to expect them to read e-mails after hours.

Kasper Rorsted, the chief executive of consumer goods maker Henkel, also said he is imposing a BlackBerry-free week between Christmas and New Year's Day unless there's an emergency.

"I don't want to have to read mails just because someone is bored somewhere and wants to show he's busy," he said.

In Germany, labor representatives blame burnout for about 10 million sick days nationally a year, so Volkswagen likely sees the move as a way to limit the amount of time employees spend responding to e-mails on weekends and during vacations.

According to German researcher Bitkom, 88 percent of German workers are reachable by e-mail or texts outside working hours, compared with 73 percent two years ago.

Americans are equally chained to work e-mail. Harris Interactive polled nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. and found more than 68 percent of working adults will check their work e-mails during holiday vacations. Twenty-seven percent will do so multiple times throughout the day, indicating downtime may be a thing of the past.

However, not all German businesses are signing on to e-mail blackouts. RWE, a large German electric utility, says its workers have to be connected at all times.

"You have to take into account that at a utility many employees need to be reachable and on the job all the time since they have to make sure that power and gas are flowing night and day, that lights are on and that it's warm inside," a spokesperson said.

However, that company may be the exception to the rules, as other German firms realize that tired workers just aren't productive, and everyone needs a break -- even if it's one forced by their employer.

Germans Take Breaks From Work E-Mail originally appeared at Mobiledia on Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:57 pm.

‘We are focusing on cost to avoid price hikes’

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:48:42 GMT

Consumer goods major Reckitt Benckiser India is feeling the jitters of escalating prices and a falling rupee. But that hasn’t kept the company from being bullish about its growth prospects. The company is betting on commodity prices to come down to help it sustain growth.

1 Dividend to Buy, 1 Dividend to Sell for 2012

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 08:55:00 GMT

The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which, Andrew Tonner, technology editor and analyst,, and Austin Smith, consumer goods editor and analyst, discuss topics across the investing world.

Bonduelle chooses Emakina

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:01:00 GMT

We have kept it quiet for a while, but now it can be unveiled: Bonduelle has chosen Emakina for developing their complete online brand strategy! After a pitch which involved several contestants, Emakina was ultimately preferred over its competitors for its strong strategy and extensive experience in fast-moving consumer goods. Emakina will implement [...]

Inflation Races to 19.2 Percent

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 08:18:59 GMT

Prices of consumer goods continued to skyrocket last month as inflation rate rose to 19.2 per cent.

German dm drogerie markt opens new store in Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:01:49 GMT

German cosmetic and consumer goods network dm drogerie markt has recently opened a new store in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Bonduelle kiest voor Emakina

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:14:00 GMT

We hebben het natuurlijk even een tijdje stil gehouden, maar mogen het nu eindelijk wereldkundig maken: Bonduelle heeft Emakina gekozen voor de complete online brand strategy! Na een pitch met meerdere bureaus is uiteindelijk gekozen voor Emakina bureau vanwege de sterke strategie en ruime ervaring met fast moving consumer goods. We zullen voor zowel [...]

Prices to Go Up As New VAT Rules Take Effect Next Month

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:21:49 GMT

The new VAT rules expected to end tax exemptions on a raft of consumer goods are set to come into effect next month, adding to pressures on prices of basic commodities. The law known as the Value ...