Toblerone Trim

The makers of Toblerone have widened the gaps between the chocolate bar’s distinctive triangular chunks in an effort to avoid putting its prices up, in a move fans have described as “stupid”, “ridiculous” and “just plain dumb”. A statement on the brand’s Facebook page said that higher costs for ingredients had meant it had decided to cut the weight of two bars from Toblerone’s UK range. It has reduced 400g bars to 360g and 170g bars to 150g in order to maintain retail prices. The change means that the gaps between chunks are now wider than the chunks themselves. One customer described the new bar as looking “like a weird knock-off of itself”. Explaining the change, the statement on Toblerone’s Facebook page said: “Like many other companies, we are experiencing higher costs for numerous ingredients.
Toblerone

Lost In Translation

Would you help yourself to a beverage labelled Free Tea? That was the choice one shopper made recently at a Japanese convenience store. The non-Japanese man was seen openly drinking from a bottle of lemon iced tea which he had taken from the shelf, resulting in an argument with store staff. "What did I do that was wrong? It's written right there on the label," he apparently questioned angrily. After an explanation by the cashier, it became evident that it was all lost in translation. Free Tea was the brand name, not an offer of a complimentary drink. The confusingly named tea is a product of Japanese beverage giant Pokka Sapporo. The drink "encourages people to be free from a stress-filled society".

Free Tea

Ginger Coca Cola

Coca-Cola Ginger is the latest limited edition flavour to hit the shelves but it appears to have divided both Coke and ginger fans alike. Launched on Monday, the fizzy drink joins a long list of exclusive tastes including Black Cherry (USA), Vanilla (UK, Canada and USA), Orange (UK, Latvia, Russia) and even Green Tea (Japan). Currently, the ‘world first’ is only available in Australia and New Zealand and is being released just in time for their Summer with the line, ““Great Coke taste with a refreshing ginger twist.” The cans and bottles come in classic Coca-Cola red with the addition of some fancy fold strips.  In a statement released by the company, Coca-Cola said that the launch came as a result of a rise in the number of ginger-flavoured drinks being bought Down Under. Opinions seem divided so far and while some think it’s completely genius while others are left disappointed. 

                                                     Ginger Coca Cola

Kelloggs Sales Not Grrrreeat!

Kellogg's has suffered its seventh successive drop in quarterly sales in the third quarter of 2016. The cereal manufacturer blamed the figures on poor demand for its products in the US and a challenging UK market. The company also cited "portfolio transformations that have taken longer than anticipated to execute".Dr Dimitrios Tsivrikos, a consumer and business psychologist at University College London, told BBC World TV that sales could be down because people's breakfast habits were changing. "The younger population will replace cereal with smoothies, fresh fruit and yogurt," he said. "An older generation will have their cereals during the day as a snack and have a box on their desk in their office. "A lot of individuals only spend five or six minutes on breakfast and are looking for quicker solutions. They will have something out of a packet for breakfast so nothing needs to be cleaned afterwards."

Kelloggs Sales

Rubbish Kits!

Adidas has released environmentally friendly football kits for two of its biggest teams in Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as part of its ongoing partnership with ocean conservation group Parley to help addresses the major threats which the world's oceans are facing. The new home jerseys have been made from up-cycled marine plastic debris and feature water-based environmental-friendly prints for the crests and sponsors branding. Printed on the back neck tape of each top is “For the oceans”. Cyrill Gutsch, founder of Parley for the Oceans, said: “At this point, it’s no longer just about raising awareness. It’s about taking action and implementing strategies that can end the cycle of plastic pollution for good. The new collaboration is part of an ongoing partnership with Parley for the Oceans, which has also yielded a new line of Adidas Ultra Boost footwear created from recycled plastic found in oceans from around the world.

Recycled Kits

Scone, but not forgotten!

Greggs, the popular bakery chain has decided to stop selling scones across all of its 1,700 shops across the country and its customers aren't impressed. Greggs, which has sold scones for several decades has made the decision to remove them completely as it looks to reposition its product offer and move away from from baked goods to more trendy food-on-the go items as well as its rising emphasis on more healthy food options. The bakery is also moving towards more wraps and burrito's as it switches it emphasis away from sausage rolls and pasties. Greggs even announced that they may stop selling freshly baked loaves. Bosses at Greggs, which employs more than 20,000 people, said the popularity of scones had dropped off recently and a decision was taken to stop making them. However, it has left scone fans around the UK fuming after going to their local stores and finding the shelves bereft of the afternoon tea favourite.

Scones Gone!

Coke Revenues Loose Fizz

Coca-Cola's global revenues slid 7% in the three months to September as consumers kept the lid on fizzy drinks. The fall to $10.6bn (£8.67bn) was the sixth consecutive quarterly decline in revenue for the world's biggest soft drinks company.  The Latin America and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions both posted a 4% slide in revenues, although North America had 3% growth and Asia rose 4%. Water and sports drinks helped drive a 3% rise in still beverage sales. Net profit also fell 28% to $1.05bn (£859m) in the quarter. The launch of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in the UK, which replaced Coca-Cola Zero, enjoyed "strong double-digit unit case volume growth". The company's new "One Brand" strategy, which gives Coca Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and Coca Cola Life a common visual identity, has now been introduced to 12 of its top markets.

Coke Revenue