Food marketers' power struggle feeds mergers; General Mills is among the players considering consolidation for clout.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Advertising Age, July, 2000 by Thompson, Stephanie

Consolidation in the retail environment has sent food marketers scrambling for shelf space. Now, the industry's largest marketers are riding a consolidation wave of their own. General Mills last week revealed it is in merger talks with Diageo for its Pillsbury unit, and speculation is rife that Kellogg Co., Campbell Soup Co. and Quaker Oats Co., among others are all interested in playing what one analyst called "the mating game." The pairings began early in June with Unilever's $24.3 billion proposed acquisition of Bestfoods, then continued with Philip Morris' proposed $14.9 billion buy of Nabisco Holdings and is showing no signs of abating. LOSING THEIR VOICE "Manufacturers have been losing their voice for the past decade as retailers have consolidated, and this wave...

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