Posted on 08/09/2007 7:28:41 PM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
(MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.)--Campbell Soup Co. is putting Godiva up for sale, saying the decadent Belgium chocolate does not fit with the company's focus on healthy, down-home foods.
The Camden-based company announced Thursday that it has hired Centerview Partners LLC to advise it on what to do with Godiva Chocolatier, which the company has owned for more than 40 years, but says has never fit squarely into any of its main business units.
Analyst Mitch Pinheiro, who follows the company for Janney Montgomery Scott, said the company would need to get around $900 million for Godiva to avoid diluting earnings.
Pinheiro said Campbell has resisted selling Godiva in the past partly because there was no place to reinvest the money that would equal profits generated by the chocolate company.
He said that has changed. The company could put money toward its planned entry into the soup business in mainland China and Russia and into expanding manufacturing capacity for its increasingly popular V8 juices - and do it without taking on additional debt.
"I think the fact that the company's putting Godiva up for sale signals that Campbell Soup (nyse: CPB - news - people ) has strong growth opportunities in its core portfolio," Pinheiro said.
Godiva's annual sales have been around $500 million. In the fiscal quarter, that ended April 29, the company reported that the chocolate company's sales had big growth in Asia and smaller sales growth in North America.
Campbell has been trying to boost its image as a purveyor of healthy foods. The company has reduced the sodium in many of its soups and other products and has been ramping up marketing and distribution of its V8 vegetable juice.
The company has even rolled out a whole-grain versions of its Goldfish crackers.
Since when is sodium-drenched Campbell soup considered healthy or down-home?
Funny how in this day and age, about the only time I see the words decadent or sinful used is with respect to desserts and sweets.
It don’t fit with their focus on junk food! Geez!
Damnation, the opportunity of a lifetime, and I pissed it away at McDonald's!
Mmmmm, Godiva chocolates.
Now that’s what I call “mmm mmm good”. Sorry, Campbells.
History Godiva Chocolatier http://www.godivacareers.com/history.asp
That Godiva chocolate ice cream is to kill for... the white chocolate rasberry was the best...
Not only that, they are bragging up their V8 juices. You ever read the labels on those? Drink two and you got your sodium intake for a day and a half.
When I want something healthy, I boil my own veggies, and maybe drop in a ham hock. If I wanna splurge, I’ll use ground beef.
I’d be willing to bet that the ingredients they use for their juices come mostly from China.
That sounds much healthier than Belgium Chocolates </SARC>
Chocolate is more healthy than Campbell soups ... where’s the chicken????????
I can feel the calories forming a conga line and sliding down my backbone, just looking at that pic.
When I was a kid I drank Campbell’s soup, but now I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.
Godiva is a quality product.
*drool*
Godiva chocolates really aren’t that good. They’re mass-produced, like Hersheys. Find a local chocolatier that does small, handmade batches.
Healthy - like the Chicken Noodle soup with a week's worth of sodium/salt?
Monk,
Ya gotta knock it off! You’re driving the FReeper Ladies insane!
Yummmmmmm.
http://www.godiva.com/recipes/recipe_zoom.aspx?id=646
White Chocolate-Coconut Ganache Tart
 |
Yield: 12 Servings |
 |
White Chocolate Coconut Ganache: Macadamia Coconut Crust: Mango Sauce: Make White Chocolate Coconut Ganache Base: Make Macadamia Coconut Crust: |
We can do that all over the Ozark plateau. (SARC)
I think that sweet for me LOL!
I think that sweet for me LOL!
I agree. Overpriced and probably not doing that well. Campbells is probably trying to put a good health spin on it.
I received a box of Godiva a few years ago and was disappointed. I’ll stick with my See’s chocolates, yum.
I’m lucky, See’s is right down the street from me.
Yes, See’s, indeed.
MMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just make sure the company doesn’t send you an invoice or a thankyou card three months down the road.
That didn’t take long. And those cream based soups don’t have a lot of fat and carbs?
I suspect that the chocolate industry is becoming progressively more volatile, as industry insiders believe that a big crash in the market is coming soon.
To start with, companies are rearranging their chocolate subsidiaries to reduce their exposure. Second, they have been appealing to the US government to change the very definition of chocolate, so that artificial substitutes for the cocoa and cocoa butter can be used instead of the real thing.
So, what would cause a crash in the chocolate market? Either political instability or an epidemic disease are the most likely causes. But time will tell.
Hehehe it’s not a problem.
Chocolate doesn’t go well with hot salt soup?
Lotte Chocolate w/ almonds in Customs
Can you deal with that?! LOL!
Look for the 85% stuff. Don't waste your calories on anything less - IMO.
"Monk, you' re bad! LOL!
OMG Monk wait till Tamar see that she going flip LOL!
LOL!
Hey, they have low-sodium versions too.
Of course, the firstandonly time I tried some I spit it out.
From that kinematic description, I guess we can tell where they'd end up.
“Of course, the firstandonly time I tried some I spit it out.”
The regular flavor is bad enough. Why would I torture myself with the low sodium one. Its the same with their soups. I use to love the regular Chicken Noodle. I tried the low sodium one day out an attempt to eat less salt. One spoon full and I spitting that back as fast as possible. I buy Lipton’s or Remarkable Noodle Soup now. Doesn’t have chicken, but that can be added.
I have been moving to buying just the high end or purer quality exactly for crap that Hershey’s and others are putting in their products. It cost more, but then the up side is that I eat less chocolate. That makes it even more special and it helps in my bid to lose weight.
Damn.. I was just offered to be part of their panel a few weeks ago. I hope this doesn’t affect it.
If you’re watching carbs, the higher the cacao content, the better. An ENTIRE 3.5 oz. bar of Lindt 85%, e.g. has only 12.5 net carbs! And the great thing is, you will eat only 1/5 of that and your sweet fix will be sated.
And it’s really not that much more expensive. Not that Lindt is high end, but it’s pretty good and costs about $2 for a 3.5 oz. bar. Compare that to a 1 oz. Hershey’s milk chocolate at 65¢ and it’s pretty much the same per oz. WalMart’s brand of 85% cacao chocolate is also acceptable about less than $2/bar.
And you’re right, you’ll be satisfied with far less because the flavor is so intense.
Even diabetics can indulge moderately on real dark chocolate as the sugar content is so low.
If you’re watching carbs, the higher the cacao content, the better. An ENTIRE 3.5 oz. bar of Lindt 85%, e.g. has only 12.5 net carbs! And the great thing is, you will eat only 1/5 of that and your sweet fix will be sated.
And it’s really not that much more expensive. Not that Lindt is high end, but it’s pretty good and costs about $2 for a 3.5 oz. bar. Compare that to a 1 oz. Hershey’s milk chocolate at 65¢ and it’s pretty much the same per oz. WalMart’s brand of 85% cacao chocolate is also acceptable about less than $2/bar.
And you’re right, you’ll be satisfied with far less because the flavor is so intense.
Even diabetics can indulge moderately on real dark chocolate as the sugar content is so low.
Donald Rumsfeld?!?! ROTFLMAO!
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