Despite what was likely a bumper holiday season for Walmart, inflation continues to burden many Americans facing a high cost of living. Higher rents pushed U.S. consumer prices up more than expected in January, spooking markets and raising the possibility that interest rates will stay high for months longer than what investors expected.
From Uber Eats' 'Friends' reunion to Bud's Clydesdales, here are some of the buzziest Super Bowl ads so far. It's a big challenge to stand out among the 50-plus advertisers that will be vying for the eyes of the more than 100 million people expected to tune in this year to CBS (and Paramount+ and Nickelodeon) on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 11). Last year's broadcast on Fox was watched by a record 115.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
The 73-year-old Prahlad Kakkar, who had worked with filmmaker Shyam Benegal as an assistant director for Ankur, Manthan and Bhumika, said his advice to young, honest ad film-makers will be "always stick to the belief that what you say is right". Recalling his early career, Kakkar, who founded Genesis Film Production in 1977, said he took the brief from clients, which could be mundane, predictable stuff, but developed the storyboard in "my ways, rewriting in my ways".
Jagrut Kotecha is appointed as the new India chief of PepsiCo India. Ahmed El Sheikh will move on from his role as CEO for the Middle East Business Unit. PepsiCo's snacks business, which includes Lays and Doritos, declined in the quarter to September 2023. Kotecha, with extensive experience in snacks, is chosen to bolster PepsiCo India's snacks business. Kotecha previously worked at Cadbury India.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday overturned a previous decision and ruled in favour of PepsiCo, allowing the company to claim a patent for the potato variety exclusively grown for its Lay's potato chips. "The appeal of PepsiCo is allowed", it said, setting set aside the Authority's order and letter, and directing the restoration of PepsiCo's renewal application to be handled by the Registrar in accordance with the law.
From Thursday, shelves with PepsiCo products at Carrefour stores in France are accompanied by a note saying "We are no longer selling this brand due to unacceptable price increases," a spokesperson for the French retailer said. PepsiCo did not respond to a request for comment. The US beverage giant said in October it planned "modest" price hikes this year as demand held up despite rises, leading it to hike its 2023 profit forecast for a third straight time.
Earlier, PepsiCo India's current senior vice president and general manager, beverages, George Kovoor, was believed to be taking over the top role to succeed Ahmed ElSheikh. The developments follow PepsiCo's current president ElSheikh, who is expected to move to a global role within the company this year, making way for the leadership transition.
Having a large presence in India gives us an unfair advantage, not only (on) the scale of talent, but also the ability to acquire and absorb companies here in India, Bipul Sinha, chairman, cofounder and CEO of Rubrik, told ET.
Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL), a major PepsiCo franchise bottler globally, announced the acquisition of South Africa's Beverage Company (Bevco) and its subsidiaries at a Rs 1,320 crore enterprise value. The move aims to expand VBL's presence in the African market, where Bevco holds PepsiCo franchise rights. VBL anticipates completing the cash transaction before July 31, 2024
Kapoor's association with 7UP is yet another step by the brand towards creating a refreshing narrative that resonates with the audiences across the country. The collaboration is aimed at further deepening brand love and connect and set the stage for a super duper refreshing summer with 7UP in India, the company stated in a press release.
Public health officials have for years been warning about a surge in non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and associated cardiac ailments stemming from the growing addiction to junk food, particularly among the young, aggravated by sedentary lifestyles and lack of exercise. Nestle, maker of Maggi noodles and Kitkat chocolate, is offering to measure the body mass index (BMI) of consumers and draw up meal plans on its AskNestle platform.
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