INFIGHTING OVER
CADBURY’S BRAND NAME IN NIGERIA
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU.
…………………………………………CADBURY NIGERIA MAY GIVE UP NAMES SOON.
………………………………………….KRAFT FOODS TRIES TO ASSERT AUTHORITY
………………………………………STRATEGIC DOWNSIZING CONTINUES
……………………………………….10 MEGAWATTS POWER PLANT NOW REDUNDANT
……………………………………..PARTY COMES TO A HALT AT CADBURY
………………………………………MARKET WIDE OPEN FOR THE TAKEN
……………………………………..CADBURY BRAND GONE FOREVER
…………………………………….COCOA NOW $3,100 PER TONNE
……………………………………….MULTI TREX COCOA SHUT DOWN IN 2014
AGRICULTURE WILL BE ONE OF THE CORNERSTONE OF THE BUHARI REGIME
Five decades after the famous Cadbury family came to this
shores of the planet to process raw cocoa to be marketed for Nigerians ,the
party would appear to be coming to a halt very soon if feelers are anything to
go by.
In an exclusive investigations by Paedia Express Multimedia
in Lagos,Nigeria ,it was discovered that five years after the management of
Kraft Foods were supposed to have done a deal on the acquisition of the Cadbury
Schweppes business in Nigeria ,an infighting is believed to be on going over
the continued usage of the Cadbury brand name.
An impeccable source who had worked in the firm in the past
and who still had an understanding of what goes on in the system lamented the
decay in the once vibrant beverage company.
He explained to this reporter that Kraft Foods International
has so far refused to inject additional cash into the next strategic focus of the firm until a
complete brand overhaul was done.
According to him ,the new owners frown at the fact that they
have to finance a project still bearing the brand name of the previous owners.
He revealed that he was sure that very soon a complete
transformation of the machines inside the production plant will have to take
place as there was no way Kraft Foods will use the set of gadgets used previously
by Cadbury.
He recalled that when Trebor and Knorr Cubdes were either
brought or sold from Chriestlieb Plc and Unilever Nigeria Plc ,new machines
were installed for production as part of the entire package.
He listed such illustrious names in beverage folklores like
Tomapep, Bazooka, Bubble Gum, Goody –Goody ,Pronto,Richoco,Knorr Cube,Malta
sweets,Eclairs,Tomo Tom,Butter Mint,Hacks,Parozone,Trebor,Dadawa and Bounvita
just to mention a few .
He pointed out that the company’s massive 10 megawatts power
plant which was strong enough to power the whole of Ikeja and its environs was
now operating below its full capacity as the company gradually winds down its operations
ahead of its annual general meeting on the 10th of june,2015.
The source speaks:”Kraft Foods is gradually winding down the
products of Cadbury Nigeria Plc and this is to pave way for them to spend big”
The source paid tribute to Brand Bournvita ,whom it described as the cash cow of the entire group in its hey days.
He continues:”Bournivita was giving us at least 70 percent
of the groups revenue until Bunmi Oni’s bubble burst”
The source noted that a product like Malt extract which they
sold as a spin off to pharmaceutical and confectionary firms also made a lot of money for as the
waste from malt extracts was a big support for the pork industry.
Paedia Express Multimedia though its News Office Desk also
learnt that due to feedbacks from the open market ,Bournvita which was the competing
with Nestle’s Milo was said to have been initially dark leading to the
production of Richoco but it was later to re-assert its authority as the number
one beverage drink in the brand war.
It was gathered that the soothing and minting effect of Tom
Tom made it to stand the test of time among its peers.
The source talks:’I do not know how much Kraft Foods will be
spending but it will depend on if they are poaching new staff from other firms
and what they have or what they will be putting on the table”
“The market at the moment is up for grabs and there is
nothing like competition anymore as they are just trying to survive at Cadbury
Nigeria Plc”
He added that the beverage player was at the moment reducing
its work force .
Several months ago,about five months now ,Paedia express
multimedia had discovered exclusively that the company had reduced its
communication ad spent in the market.
Just some few weeks ago,the Head Corporate Communications of
Cadbury Nigeria Plc .Mr Akomen Omijeh resigned but as at press time the company
has not named a replacement even as it disclosed through the stock market
recently of its desires to meet with its stock holders on the 10th
of june,2015.
In a related issue,yet another source in the beverage industry
in an exclusive interview with Paedia Express Multimedia said that Cadbury Nigeria
Plc will never be the same again due to its hostile take- over by Kraft Foods
International.
His words:”Cadbury is not coming back and as a matter of
fact it is safe to say that the brand is as good as dead”
He went down memory lane and recalled that Cadbury as a
brand started failing about 10 years ago and this was why the Schweppes Group came
to the rescue and when that marriage did not work out as well,Coca Cola came
into the picture.
The source speaks:”It was a hostile take -over ,Cadbury had
merits over them in the market and they
wanted to take it over and as soon as they spotted that the brand was in
trouble ,Kraft Foods started to buy the shares gradually until they applied to
regulators that they were buying g it over formally”
He affirmed that Kraft Foods will not find the Nigerian
market difficult to penetrate when they come in fully as they will buy and pay
for the best local brains.
The source pointed out that a firm like Ile Oluji Cocoa
Company was not a beverage firm but a health supplement firm
He revealed that Multi Trex Integrated Nigeria Limited ,another Cocoa
processor had been shut down since December,2014 Mondelēz International, Inc. (is an North American multinational confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate, employing around 107,000 people around the world. It comprises the global snack and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc. The Mondelēz name, adopted in 2012, came from the input of Kraft Foods employees at the time, a combination of the words for "world" and "delicious" in Romance languages.[2][3]
Mondelēz International manages snack brands around the globe, including cookies and crackers (Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, TUC, Belvita, Triscuit, Club Social, Barni, Peek Freans), chocolate (Milka, Côte d'Or, Toblerone, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Lacta), and gum and candy (Trident, Dentyne, Chiclets, Halls, Stride, Cadbury Dairy Milk Eclairs).
The company is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, a Chicago suburb,[4] and is a manufacturer of chocolate, biscuits, gum, confectionery, coffee, and powdered beverages. The company consists of the global snacking and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc. following the spin-off of its North American grocery operations in October 2012. Mondelēz International's portfolio includes several billion-dollar brands such as Cadbury (acquired through a buy out of Cadbury in 2010) and Milka chocolate, Jacobs coffee, Toblerone, Nabisco and Oreo cookies, LU, Tang powdered beverages, and Trident gums. Mondelēz International has annual revenue of approximately $36 billion and operations in more than 80 countries.
Mondelēz Canada controls the rights to Christie Brown and Company, which consists of brands such as Mr. Christie and Dad's Cookies. The head office is in Mississauga, Ontario with operations in Scarborough and Montreal.
DR GOODLUCK JONATHAN WAS COMMANDER IN CHIEF ONLY BY NAME,INSIDERS INSIST
