Heineken: new brands needed

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Heineken: sharp decline in profits

Heineken has reported a substantial fall in UK sales for 2008. In particular, some brands acquired from Scottish & Newcastle have not fared well, with the Foster's brand suffering a decline of 10%. The company is looking to cut back sharply on costs, but will need to ensure that it retains a visible market presence, otherwise it risks alienating loyal consumers.

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Heinz: in the lap of Beneluxury

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Hot drinks: flavor of the day

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ING Direct: fueling the UK banking wars

Dutch retail bank ING has launched a direct banking operation, ING Direct, in the UK. The bank has already had a great deal of success with ING Direct in other countries. However, its success is by no means guaranteed, as the UK market is no easy nut to crack.

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Interbrew: aiming for a Stella performance

Interbrew, the Belgian brewing giant that owns Stella Artois and Bass, will cut 335 jobs in the Netherlands and 68 in the UK. However, the cuts are a rationalization, rather than a sign of trouble. They should free up E12 million for Interbrew to invest, helping the company to maintain its commanding position in the global brewing industry.

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Invensys: Baan for Great Atlantic journey

Invensys will be pleased to get rid of loss-making ERP vendor Baan, but it won't be pleased by the price if current rumors are to be believed. There is still a chance of a higher bid, but Baan's low value customers and limited technology won't attract anything high enough to match Invensys' original investment.

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Invensys: dogged by failure of Baan

Invensys will have to write down part of the $715 million it paid for Dutch ERP vendor Baan. The business has failed to make progress in a difficult market and appears to be losing market share. Unless Invensys can turn the company around quickly, it will be under heavy pressure to sell it.

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Investments: EU causes alarm and despondency

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Is there a market for 'no-frills' fuel retailing?

Service stations are getting more like 'one-stop-shops' every day. With products from hot food to Internet access, you could be forgiven for forgetting the fuel was there. The major reason is that retailers make low margins on fuel. But in that case, why are Petroplus' fuel-only unmanned sites doing so well in the Netherlands? Datamonitor's Mike Phillips looks at the curious case of Tango...

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