Campbell Soup Co has delivered strong earnings growth in what it described as a “challenging year”.For the twelve-month period, net earnings amounted to US$844m compared to $736m in the prior year period. Sales edged up 1% to $7.67bn, while EBIT climbed to $1.35bn from $1.18bn in the prior year. Douglas Conant, Campbell’s president and CEO, said: “In a challenging year, we delivered strong earnings growth, overcoming softer-than-expected sales, particularly in our US soup... ...Read more »

New Zesty Addition Cuts the Salt, Keeps the KickCampbell Soup Company is bringing on the heat to low-sodium foods with the introduction of V8Spicy Hot Low Sodium100% vegetable juice. With 140 milligrams of sodium in each 8-ounce glass, this deliciously-zesty juice delivers bold taste with less salt while still serving up two full servings of vegetables (1 cup) and 50 calories. In fact, V8Spicy Hot Low Sodiumjuice displays the American Heart Association heart-check mark and meets the U.S. government... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. has said it sees opportunities for M&A to add to its “meal makers” business as the US food group looks to ramp up growth in emerging markets.Speaking at a meeting with investors on Monday (12 July), Larry McWilliams, president of Campbell’s international business, said the meal makers sector, which includes stocks and sauces, is a “large but fragmented” category and that the firm plans to focus more on this part of its portfolio. “We see many... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company will begin shipping 21 lines of reduced-sodium soup this month, with salt levels reduced between 25% and 45% on previous levels. The soups, including favorites like Chicken with Rice and Minestrone, are expected to appear on supermarket shelves beginning in June, with all varieties in stores by mid-September. Most will feature communication on the front label that reads “Less Sodium – With Natural Sea Salt Added” to indicate that they are now lower in sodium. Campbells... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. has posted a 3.4% fall in quarterly earnings, despite an increase in revenues of almost 7%, as restructuring costs and a higher tax bill hit profits. The world’s largest soup maker reported a drop in third-quarter net income to US$168m for the three months to 2 May, down from $174m last year. Earnings per share remained unchanged at $0.49 as Campbell’s share capital dropped by 2.6% on the year. However, the company said that adjusted earnings – stripping out the impact... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. plans to use promotions to revive sales of its ready-to-serve soups in the US after a quarter in which sales of the products slid 18%.The fall in ready-to-serve soup sales, particularly Campbell’s Chunky range, weighed on the company’s domestic soup revenues, which fell 8% during the three months to the end of January. The company said it had managed to increase sales of condensed soup and broths on a volume basis but admitted a lack of promotional activity had held... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. today (17 February) trimmed its forecast for annual sales and outlined plans to take its US soup business forward.Ahead of its presentation at the CAGNY consumer goods conference in Florida today, Campbell said it was still expecting growth of 6 to 7% and adjusted net earnings per share growth of 9 to 11% from the fiscal 2009 adjusted base of $2.21. However, the company revised its fiscal 2010 guidance for sales growth to 2.5 to 3.5% from the prior range of 4 to 5%. Regarding its... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Co. announced yesterday (14 December) that it will cut the sodium content of its SpaghettiOs canned pastas by up to 35%. It is the second time that the US food group has cut sodium in SpaghettiOs in two years and the company said it had brought its SpaghettiOs varieties in line with US government criteria for healthy main dishes – controlled for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium and containing a significant level of at least two positive nutrients. The product will begin... ...Read more »

Campbell Soup Company is confident about its soup operations as they still see grocery shoppers looking for cost-effective meal solutions. Soup sales were not particularly strong in the first quarter, but have improved since then, Campbell Soup CFO Craig Owens advised at a recent investor meeting in New York. “We are getting into the serious part of the soup season,” he said, according to Reuters. “I am hoping for ‘good cold weather’ in January and February.” The... ...Read more »

The Campbell Soup Company has reported profit growth of 17 per cent in the first quarter of Fiscal 2010 despite a two per cent drop in sales. Douglas Conant, Campbell’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said the company was enthused by the results, which were driven by improved efficiency in the supply chain. “We feel good about our performance in the first quarter as we delivered solid earnings growth across all of our key businesses,” he advised. “We’re especially... ...Read more »