CMO Heather MacNeil Cox leaves Suja after three years with company; Harmless Harvest VP of Marketing makes jump to outdoor apparel industry; Target adds new grocery-focused executives; DPS shuffles executives following departure of Bai CEO
DPSG spent $40 million in expenses for Bai during the spring, the company reported, half of which went toward marketing. An additional $49 million spent toward repaying debt contributed to the company’s 28 percent earnings drop.
Three former employees have sued the company and its recently departed founder and CEO, Ben Weiss, for allegedly cheating them out of the fair market value of their ownership stakes in the company ahead of its $1.7 billion sale to Dr Pepper Snapple (DPS) last November.
Parent company Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) did not cite a reason or provide any further details regarding Ben Weiss’s departure from the brand he founded in 2009, but included a brief statement from the former CEO in a press release.
BevNET has learned that Bai Brands founder and CEO Ben Weiss has left the company. Although sources close to the company confirmed to BevNET that Weiss has departed, it’s unclear at this time whether he was dismissed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG), which acquired Bai in February, or if he resigned.
Bai CMO Michael Simon discusses the company's decision to move creative in-house; Twitter bans a fake RC Cola parody account after its political tweet goes viral; Nutrition Policy Institute members call for energy drink caffeine caps; Nostalgia helps drive a Clearly Canadian revival; USA Today reports on the rise of craft soda
Nestlé joins fellow beverage companies Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keurig Green Mountain in investing in the Closed Loop Fund, a $100 million social impact investment fund that provides municipalities with access to capital for projects aimed at improving recycling programs.
Investors have sought more details about DPSG's revised growth plan for Bai and on whether its management team can deliver on high expectations. On Tuesday, a report from Wells Fargo Securities offered a clearer analysis of the acquisition, the guidance revision, and the future of Bai, presenting optimism along with some explanations
Sales of carbonated soft drinks and energy drinks were up in April, according to a Wells Fargo Securities report detailing the latest Nielsen xAOC (expanded all outlets combined) and C-store non-alcoholic beverage sales data for the four-week period ending on April 22
Bai, which DPSG acquired for $1.7 billion in November, saw 80 percent volume growth over the quarter. While the company is optimistic for Bai’s flagship brand to grow, current predictions point to Bai Bubbles, Supertea, and Black having the greatest potential, particularly as the sparkling water category sees double-digit growth, according to DPSG CEO Larry Young.
Slow sales during last year’s Q4 launch of Monster Energy’s Mutant have weakened retailer expectations for the company’s new “super soda” Mountain Dew competitor, according to Wells Fargo Securities’ latest “Beverage Buzz” convenience store report.
DPS expects Bai to double its sales in 2017, projecting about $425 million in net sales this year, as well as adding an incremental $132 million to its existing overall net sales expectation.
Reuters Friday reported that coconut water leader Vita Coco is exploring a sale of the company, citing “multiple sources.” Vita Coco has hired investment bank JP Morgan to advise for an upcoming sale that could value the company at up to $1 billion.
Chuck Norris launches a bottled water company, PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi talks about protecting the environment while growing a major company, Thrillist looks at sparkling waters to challenge LaCroix, and The New York Times profiles Rohan Oza in the wake of the $1.7 billion Bai sale.
