In less than a decade, Marco Dunand and Daniel Jaeggi have built Mercuria from a 10-person company supplying oil to a pair of Polish refineries into the world’s fourth-largest commodity trader, with revenue topping $100 billion

Mercuria: A Commodity Trading Powerhouse’s Quiet Rise

By Andy Hoffman and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen March 13, 2014

In less than a decade, Marco Dunand and Daniel Jaeggi have built Mercuria from a 10-person company supplying oil to a pair of Polish refineries into the world’s fourth-largest commodity trader, with revenue topping $100 billion last year. They’re not stopping there. Dunand and Jaeggi are on the verge of striking a deal to buy JPMorgan Chase’s (JPM) $3.3 billion commodities unit, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. “This gives them a strong opportunity for growth and puts them close to the top players in the league,” says Roland Rechtsteiner, a partner at management consultant Oliver Wyman. “Scale is going to be more important than ever.” Read more of this post

Will millennials kill Costco? It’s one of the benchmarks of suburban living. What happens when its customers are a generation that prefers urban living?

Will millennials kill Costco?

March 11, 2014: 1:50 PM ET

It’s one of the benchmarks of suburban living. What happens when its customers are a generation that prefers urban living?

By Brad Tuttle

The suburban, car-loving, McMansion-owning parents of millennials represent Costco’s (COST) core customer base. But what about millennials themselves? Read more of this post

Lego to build on movie success, tackle globalisation challenge

Lego to build on movie success, tackle globalisation challenge

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 – 15:19

AFP

BILLUND, Denmark – With record sales and a hit movie expected to propel them further, Lego could be expected to bask in its successful turnaround, but the Danish maker of colourful toy blocks is pressing ahead to face the challenges of globalisation. Read more of this post

How P&G Moved Up the Brand Arc to Win a Gold Medal at Sochi and build emotional connections with their customers.

How P&G Moved Up the Brand Arc to Win a Gold Medal at Sochi

Mar 07, 2014

Along with athletes, brand marketers also competed for attention at the recent winter Olympic Games in Sochi — and by many accounts, Procter & Gamble’s “Thank you, Mom” campaign came out on top. Eric Solomon, head of the strategy and insights for ZOO, the creative team at Google that works with firms to build their brands, explains how other companies can learn from the experience of P&G and other firms to build emotional connections with their customers. Read more of this post

As the Web Turns 25, Its Creator Talks About Its Future

INTERNET MARCH 11, 2014, 7:00 PM  47 Comments

As the Web Turns 25, Its Creator Talks About Its Future

By NICK BILTON

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, a software engineer, sat in his small office at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva and started work on a new system called the World Wide Web. Read more of this post

It’s Time To Rethink Robert Shiller’s Famous Stock Market CAPE Ratio

It’s Time To Rethink Robert Shiller’s Famous Stock Market CAPE Ratio

SAM RO MARKETS  MAR. 12, 2014, 7:55 PM

How dare anyone challenge the sanctity of the cyclically-adjusted price-earnings (CAPE) ratio, arguably the most respected measure of stock market value. Read more of this post

Tesco chief plays down fall in market share to near 10-year low

Tesco chief plays down fall in market share to near 10-year low

Philip Clarke admits Tesco has an image problem but insists: ‘It’s not about market share in the short or medium term’

Sarah Butler

theguardian.com, Wednesday 12 March 2014 12.06 GMT

Tesco boss Philip Clarke has played down the supermarket’s fall in market share to a near decade low, saying he is building the health of the business for the long haul. Read more of this post

The Copper Market Meltdown Isn’t Just About China Slowing Down

The Copper Market Meltdown Isn’t Just About China Slowing Down

MAMTA BADKAR MARKETS  MAR. 12, 2014, 10:39 PM

Copper prices have been melting down.

Shanghai-traded copper futures fell over 5% on Wednesday hitting their lowest level since July 2009. Copper prices are down 8.2% in the last three trading sessions on the London Metal Exchange. Read more of this post

Silence Is Now a Luxury Product: A report on the quiet-car-ization of America

Silence Is Now a Luxury Product: A report on the quiet-car-ization of America

BY CHLOE SCHAMA @chloeschama

Within a few short weeks of our relocation to New York City, my husband and I received an anonymous note on the doormat in front of our apartment. “Your dog has been barking all day. Please keep him quiet.” The following day, we steeled ourselves and knocked on our neighbors’ doors to apologize, only to be met with empty stares. The mystery of the note’s origin made it no less panic-inducing. We live in a co-op; the rules regarding neighborly disturbance are clear. Thelaw, too.  Read more of this post

Why Major Companies Like Whole Foods And Chipotle Have 2 CEOs

Why Major Companies Like Whole Foods And Chipotle Have 2 CEOs

RICHARD FELONI STRATEGY  MAR. 10, 2014, 10:23 PM

Chipotle, Whole Foods, and Deutsche Bank are all major companies run by two CEOs. Samsung even has three of them. But why? Read more of this post

McDonald’s Might Start Copying Chipotle’s Strategy; In an attempt to reverse declining sales, McDonald’s is testing letting customers customize their burgers

McDonald’s Might Start Copying Chipotle’s Strategy

ASHLEY LUTZ RETAIL  MAR. 11, 2014, 12:31 AM

McDonald’s might be taking a cue from Chipotle’s playbook.

In an attempt to reverse declining sales, McDonald’s is testing letting customers customize their burgers, reports Catey Hill at MarketWatch.

But don’t expect to actually point to the ingredients that will go on your burger.  Read more of this post

Supermarket pricing made merger of Chiquita and Fyffes necessary

Last updated: March 10, 2014 8:54 pm

Supermarket pricing made merger of Chiquita and Fyffes necessary

By FT reporters

The deal to create the world’s largest banana company was first discussed amid multicoloured fruit and flower displays at last October’s Fresh Summit in New Orleans – the annual meeting of the world’s produce distributors. But it was arguably made necessary by the fresh fruit deals to be found in the aisles of any supermarket. Read more of this post

Nestlé Details Governance Changes To Comply With New Swiss Law

Nestlé Details Governance Changes To Comply With New Swiss Law

Food Company to Allow Holders to Vote for All Board Members Annually, Choose Chairperson

JOHN REVILL

March 11, 2014 2:00 a.m. ET

Nestlé SA NESN.VX -0.08% on Tuesday detailed proposed changes to the company’s rules that include annual elections of board members and binding votes on executive pay. Read more of this post

Chobani, the Greek yogurt maker that has grown into a U.S. sensation, is looking to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value the company at around $2.5 billion

Chobani seeks to sell stake at $2.5 billion valuation – sources

7:05pm EDT

By Olivia Oran

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Chobani, the Greek yogurt maker that has grown into a U.S. sensation, is looking to sell a minority stake in a deal that could value the company at around $2.5 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Read more of this post

Reckitt Benckiser to Buy K-Y Brand from J&J

Reckitt Benckiser to Buy K-Y Brand

K-Y’s 2013 Sales Exceeded $100 Million

ED BALLARD

March 10, 2014 5:04 a.m. ET

LONDON—U.K. consumer-goods company Reckitt Benckiser Group RB.LN -0.35% PLC said Monday that it bought the K-Y brand of intimate lubricants from Johnson & JohnsonJNJ +0.46% Read more of this post

Chiquita Brands to Merge With Ireland’s Fyffes to become the world’s largest banana company, with sales of more than 160 million boxes annually

Chiquita Brands to Merge With Ireland’s Fyffes

Fruit Companies Agree to All-Stock Deal Valued Around $1.1 Billion

ED BALLARD

March 10, 2014 4:33 a.m. ET

Fruit companies Fyffes

FFY.DB +23.60% PLC and Chiquita Brands International Inc.CQB -0.18% said Monday they have agreed to combine in an all-stock transaction valued at about $1.07 billion. Read more of this post

Edward Doheny: Joy Global Is Committed to Mining; The CEO’s Take on the Slumping Industry-and His Own Beginnings

Edward Doheny: Joy Global Is Committed to Mining

The CEO’s Take on the Slumping Industry—and His Own Beginnings

JAMES R. HAGERTY

March 9, 2014 7:47 p.m. ET

Edward “Ted” Doheny, chief executive of the mining-equipment maker Joy Global Inc.,JOY -0.53% Read more of this post

Let the sun shine: The future is bright for solar power, even as subsidies are withdrawn

Let the sun shine: The future is bright for solar power, even as subsidies are withdrawn

Mar 8th 2014 | IVANPAH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, AND LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA | From the print edition

FORTY-FIVE minutes west of Las Vegas, dejected sinners may encounter a sight to lift their sunken hearts: a sea of 347,000 mirrors, reflecting the rays of the desert sun on to boilers mounted on three 460-foot towers. The Ivanpah solar-thermal plant (pictured), which opened in mid-February, is the largest of its kind in the world. Fully ramped up, it will deliver around 377 megawatts (MW) of power to 140,000 homes in southern California. Its backers compare it to the nearby Hoover Dam; an astronaut claims to have spotted it from the international space station. It is a striking sight, even if the heat from its heliostats has roasted dozens of unfortunate birds alive. Read more of this post

In Safeway Buyout, a Reminder of a Painful Takeover Years Ago; More than two decades ago, the grocery store chain became a potent symbol of the human toll sometimes extracted when private equity uses large amounts of debt

MARCH 7, 2014, 2:18 PM  3 Comments

In Safeway Buyout, a Reminder of a Painful Takeover Years Ago

By WILLIAM ALDEN

Safeway, the latest target of abig private equity buyout, once caused a huge headache for the private equity industry. Read more of this post

Costco’s Bulking Up Its Moat

Costco’s Bulking Up Its Moat

By Ken Perkins | 03-07-14 | 06:00 AM | Email Article

 Costco (COST) reported second-quarter results that were slightly below our expectations on the top line, and margins were also a bit weaker than we expected. However, a closer look at the results leaves us confident that Costco’s bargaining power, highly efficient operations, and loss-leader capabilities will allow the firm to outperform many retail peers, and we are maintaining our narrow Morningstar Economic Moat Rating with a positive trend, as well as our $120 fair value estimate. Read more of this post

Financial engineers feast on Premier Foods; In 2004 Premier was valued at nearly £1.5bn. Last year Premier flirted with disaster. now a confection of massive rights issue, share placing, high-yield bond and £300m credit facility

March 7, 2014 8:06 am

Financial engineers feast on Premier Foods

By Neil Collins

Bankers and brokers collect fat fees for reconstruction package

If anyone doubted there is more money to be earned shovelling capital about than actually making things, then the saga of Premier Foods should disabuse them. True, there is a happy ending, of sorts, for the shareholders, but the real happiness is shared among the bankers and brokers who charged for putting the business together and are now collecting saturated fat fees for rescuing it. Read more of this post

How Pabst Blue Ribbon became a billion-dollar beer

How Pabst Blue Ribbon became a billion-dollar beer

By Roberto A. Ferdman @robferdman 3 hours ago

Pabst Brewing Co., the 170-year-old brewery that makes Pabst Blue Ribbon—known as “PBR” to the mustachioed cognoscenti—is for sale, Reuters reported over the weekend. And the expectation is that the company will fetch as much as $1 billion. Read more of this post

Accessible luxury snaps at heels of mega brands

Accessible luxury snaps at heels of mega brands

11:59am EST

By Astrid Wendlandt and Brenda Goh

PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) – While Gucci and Louis Vuitton blame slumping sales on their upmarket drive they argue will help them regain some of their lost glory, there is growing evidence they are losing out to newer, more affordable luxury brands. Read more of this post

At 91, Samyoung Chemical founder Lee Chong-hwan giving it all away

At 91, Samyoung Chemical founder giving it all away

Mar 05,2014

	Lee Chong-hwan Honorary chairman of Samyoung Chemical

Lee Chong-hwan, the honorary chairman of Samyoung Chemical, is well known for being tight with money. When we met, he was wearing a jacket that looks like he must have had it on for more than 10 years. On his wrist was an old, cheap watch.  Read more of this post

Why Ugg Boots Have Become So Ubiquitous

Why Ugg Boots Have Become So Ubiquitous

ASHLEY LUTZ RETAIL  MAR. 4, 2014, 12:39 AM

Ugg boots are a polarizing topic.

Over the last decade, the comfortable footwear has developed an ardent following. Yet, the boots are often mocked for their clunky aesthetic.  Read more of this post

Frontier Markets: Strengths and Risks; Growth Prospects Are Good, But Liquidity Is One Concern

Frontier Markets: Strengths and Risks

Growth Prospects Are Good, But Liquidity Is One Concern

JAVIER ESPINOZA

March 3, 2014 4:00 p.m. ET

Frontier-stock funds are a way to bet on consumer spending in countries such as Vietnam, shown here.Reuters

The recent kerfuffle in emerging markets has led some mutual-fund managers to advocate for investing in arguably even more volatile regions: “frontier” markets. Read more of this post

Some of Australia’s biggest resource companies could lose a major investor if Norway goes through with a plan to ban its famous sovereign wealth fund from investing in coal, oil and gas

Norwegian wealth fund may ditch Australian resource firms

March 4, 2014

Peter Ker

Some of Australia’s biggest resource companies could lose a major investor if Norway goes through with a plan to ban its famous sovereign wealth fund from investing in coal, oil and gas. Read more of this post

Yum! Brands has stumbled in China over safety issues, but is moving to restore its growth

SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2014

Yum! Brand’s Global Cuisine and Tasty Stock

By RESHMA KAPADIA | MORE ARTICLES BY AUTHOR

Yum! Brands has stumbled in China over safety issues, but is moving to restore its growth.

With 40,000 restaurants in 125 countries, Yum! Brands (ticker: YUM) has long been a poster child for multinational success. More recently, though, it’s also been known for its trouble in China—including food safety issues and local rivals encroaching. Now, though, investors can look to a promising next course. Read more of this post

Jerónimo Martins: The successes of a globe-trotting grocer from the struggling small country Portugal

Jerónimo Martins: The successes of a globe-trotting grocer from the struggling small country Portugal

Mar 1st 2014 | LISBON | From the print edition

THE Pingo Doce supermarket in Rua Tomás Ribeiro is hard to spot, tucked among white-and-blue tiled houses and crumbling stucco facades. But inside trade is brisk as shoppers move from mounds of produce to man-sized slabs of bacalhau (dried cod). Read more of this post

Let my Fritos go: The Pepsi challenge: keep the company in one piece

Let my Fritos go: The Pepsi challenge: keep the company in one piece

Mar 1st 2014 | From the print edition

COMPARED with most documents bearing a corporate letterhead, Nelson Peltz’s 37-page argument for the break-up of PepsiCo, published on February 20th, is a good read. The drinks and snacks firm has “lost its entrepreneurial spirit” and is “shifting to a plodding, ‘big company’ mentality”, it claims. Its managers “may fundamentally misunderstand the business”. The answer is to spin off PepsiCo’s successful snacks division, Frito-Lay, from its battered beverages business. Each would recapture its competitive zeal and gain the freedom to act on it. It is a refreshing change from PepsiCo’s blather about driving choice in the “macro-snack universe”. Read more of this post