Heineken's €2.4bn Acquisition of African Beverage Giant Approved Recently, Heineken's acquisition of control of South African spirits producer Distell and Namibia Breweries received final approval from the South African Competition Tribunal. This lays the foundation for Heineken's expansion on the African continent. Heineken is expected to invest €2.4 billion to acquire a 65% stake in the newly formed company. (justdrinks)
Swire Coca-Cola Releases 2022 Annual Results On March 9, Swire Coca-Cola released its annual report. In 2022, Swire Coca-Cola's attributable profit from mainland China operations was HK$902 million, a year-on-year decrease of 36%. Revenue decreased by 2% in local currency terms. Total sales volume fell by 4%. (Drinks Daily)
Walmart Tops 2023 Global Top 50 Retailers List Recently, the National Retail Federation, in conjunction with Kantar, released the "2023 Global Top 50 Retailers" list. The ranking is based on companies' domestic and international retail revenue, among other factors, with Walmart again taking the top spot. (nrf.com)
Xiaohongshu Bets on Livestream E-commerce Recently, Xiaohongshu elevated its livestream business to an independent department, managing livestream content and livestream e-commerce operations in a unified manner. The new department head is Yinshi (nickname), who is also the head of Xiaohongshu's community ecosystem. (LatePost)
Unilever Food Solutions' Executive Chef Discusses Innovation Direction Li Tong, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions, stated that as Chinese consumers' tastes become more diverse, the fusion of Chinese cuisine and world cuisine is increasingly common. The collision of Chinese and Western flavors attracts many diners. Therefore, expressing contrasts in flavor, texture, color, and temperature in dishes has always been an important direction for the brand's R&D and innovation. (Shi Xiaodai)
Coconut Palm's "Muscular Man Livestream" Low Sales Trend on Weibo On March 9, Coconut Palm Group trended on Weibo due to "muscular man livestream sales under 1,000 yuan." Despite changes in livestream models, since testing livestreaming, Coconut Palm Group's sales have been "loud thunder, small raindrops": viewership can reach hundreds of thousands, but sales are only in the thousands to tens of thousands of yuan. (Times Weekly)
Monster Energy Launches Kiwi Apple Flavor Recently, Sichuan COFCO Coca-Cola announced that Monster Energy has launched a kiwi apple mixed flavor. The product is claimed to be zero sugar and zero fat, and the can features embossed craftsmanship. (Company release)
Xiaoxiang Lingshou Secures 30 Million Yuan Angel Round Financing Xiaoxiang Lingshou is a new retail platform and a professional new retail technology development and operation company in China. Its hotel AI automatic unmanned vending machine platform has deep cooperation with multiple domestic hotel groups, chain hotels, and well-known property management companies. Xiaoxiang Lingshou recently received 30 million yuan in angel investment; the investor was not disclosed. (IT Juzi)
Xiaoxin Henmang Secures 10 Million Yuan Series A Financing The investor in this round is Longxing Fund. Xiaoxin Henmang is a leisure snack supplier, committed to the full chain, full category, and full process of leisure snacks. It is a comprehensive leisure snack brand in the new business model, operating as a traditional enterprise with both online and offline sales channels. (IT Juzi)
Yaomazi Plans IPO, Aims to Raise 566 Million Yuan Recently, Yaomazi Food Co., Ltd. submitted a prospectus, planning to list on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange after the stock issuance. The prospectus shows that Yaomazi plans to publicly issue no more than 44 million shares, accounting for no less than 25% of the total share capital after issuance, and plans to raise 566 million yuan. (IBrandi)
Prepared Dish Company Xianmeilai Plans IPO, Expected to Raise 606 Million Yuan Xianmeilai Food Co., Ltd. recently submitted a prospectus, preparing to list on the main board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with plans to raise 606 million yuan. Of this, 295 million yuan will be used for the marine food industrialization project, 171 million yuan for the frozen food repackaging, refrigeration, and logistics distribution project (Phase II), and 140 million yuan to supplement working capital. (IBrandi)