New Head Elf Looks to Bite into Nabisco’s Cookie Sales
Paul Lustig, the new president and CEO of Keebler has as job number one revitalizing the company’s cookie and cracker business. Keebler performance has been slowed by its integration with Kellogg’s as well as formidable competition from Nabisco, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
Numbers from Information Resources Inc. (IRI) indicate that Keebler’s cookie sales declined 5.1% for the 52-weeks ending June 16. Cracker sales rose 0.2% during the same time.
Crain’s reports that Keebler is planning rollouts that include “new varieties under its Cheez-It and Club cracker brands, a Disney cookie line and cookies based on the Powerpuff Girls”. It is hoped that these new introductions will help Keebler compete more effectively with Nabisco which has grown with sales of traditional favorites and line extensions such Mini Oreos and Chocolate Creme Oreos. Oreo remains the top selling cookie brand in the world with $860 million in annual sales.
Moderator’s Comment: What does Keebler need to do to
compete more effectively with Nabisco?[George
Anderson – Moderator]
