Content about North America

STAMFORD, Conn. — Nestle Waters North America has inked a deal to acquire the maker of Sweet Leaf and Tradewinds beverage brands.

Nestle Waters said its acquisition of Austin, Texas-based Sweet Leaf Tea Co. — which was founded in 1998 — is subject to applicable regulatory approval and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The deal will expand the company's beverage portfolio of bottled water to include high-quality iced teas, lemonades and juice drinks.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Snickers really wants consumers to "love" its latest confection.

The Mars Chocolate brand has implemented a "love" button on its Facebook fan page — an upgrade of the social networking site's "like" button — to celebrate the launch of Snickers Peanut Butter Squared.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The 2011 allergy season is expected to be 27 days longer in the northernmost parts of North America, adding almost a month of suffering to the typical pollen allergy season of February through October, a study published Tuesday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences determined.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will bring their over-the-counter product lines and capabilities together in a deal they expect to be completed this fall.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — As the holiday season comes to a close, Mars Chocolate North America already is unveiling its winter holiday offerings for 2011.

Mars said it is expanding its M&M's and Dove brands with seasonal candies that capture the holiday spirit, including new gifting displays for retailers.

New products include such items as M&M's stocking tin ornaments, which are filled with M&M’s milk chocolate candies, and Dove silky and smooth truffles, available in milk and dark chocolate.

JERUSALEM — Drug maker Teva on Tuesday said its North American sales during the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 drove the drug maker's financial well-being.

BETHEL, Conn. — Procter & Gamble’s Duracell brand, in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council, on Monday kicked off a national battery donation program. The Power Those Who Protect Us program is designed to help equip the more than 730,000 volunteer firefighters with supplies they need to help power such firefighting gear as flashlights, breathing apparatuses and emergency personnel locators.

As photo processing continues to evolve, retailers are finding new ways to make the department profitable. Bing Liem, VP sales for Fujifilm North America, said retailers need to re-evaluate their existing on-site photo business.


“It’s critical to maximize the use of existing assets,” he said. New product offerings, such as posters, folded cards, calendars and books, help maximize the value of the category, Liem said.


WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that Shoppers Drug Mart president and CEO Jürgen Schreiber is stepping down has taken investors and many industry observers by surprise; the reality is that the company has been wading through some corporate-level changes in recent years, and the Canadian retail market is facing its fair share of competitive challenges.

(THE NEWS: Shoppers CEO steps down. For the news, click here)

NEW YORK — Lumene, a beauty brand from Finland that came to the U.S. beauty market in 2003 through an exclusive deal with CVS/pharmacy, is gearing up for growth in 2011 with revamped formulas and new packaging to better communicate with the U.S. consumer.

Since entering the marketing in 2003, Lumene has garnered an impressive following and has expanded beyond CVS’ store base of about 7,100 stores to roughly 3,400 Walgreens stores, 400 Ulta locations and 103 Sears stores. The brand also is available in select Target, Wegmans, Meijer and Giant Eagle locations.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble announced that its Auburn, Maine, feminine care facility became the first manufacturing plant in North America to achieve zero waste to landfill.

P&G said its Global Asset Recovery Purchases team assisted the company in reusing or recycling its waste. P&G said these efforts delivered tens of millions of dollars in cost recovery to the company in the past year alone.

NEW YORK Elizabeth Arden has signed an exclusive global licensing deal with music star Taylor Swift to develop her own line of fragrance products.

The deal includes the development, marketing and distribution of fragrances and ancillary products. The first fragrance will debut in prestige retailers in North America during fall 2011. Swift will be involved in all aspects of product development, packaging and advertising.