Industry News

Celsius Holdings (CELH) shares skyrocketed 25% Friday, a day after the energy-drink maker expanded its efforts to reach women by acquiring rival Alani Nu for a net purchase price of $1.65 billion. The company also posted better-than-expected financial results.2 Celsius said the deal consists of $1.80 billion in cash and stock plus $150 million in tax assets. It is purchasing Alani Nu from co-founders Katy and Haydn Schneider and Congo Brands co-founders Max Clemons and Trey Steiger. Congo Brands operates Alani Nu. Celsius noted that along with the initial agreement, the sellers stand to potentially make another $25 million earn-out based on 2025 performance. Celsius CEO John Fieldly explained that the company expects the move will help expand the availability of Alani Nu products and “help more people achieve their wellness goals with great-tasting, functional product options at more moments throughout their lives.” The transaction is expected to close in…

Ampol has delivered its FY 2024 financial results, reporting a statutory net profit of $122.5 million despite challenging economic conditions. The company’s full-year RCOP EBIT stood at $715.2 million, with strong performances from Convenience Retail and New Zealand operations helping offset refinery headwinds. Matt Halliday, CEO of Ampol, acknowledged the difficulties faced during the year but highlighted the company’s resilience. “The 2024 financial year was one of challenging global refining and commodity markets that impacted both our Lytton refinery and Trading and Shipping operations. “Our retail businesses were the highlight with Convenience Retail growing earnings again this year, while Z Energy delivered another resilient performance, both against the backdrop of economic environments where higher interest rates and inflation increased cost of living pressures on consumers.” The Convenience Retail segment recorded EBIT of $356.6 million, up $2 million from the previous year. Ampol’s strategy to position its company-owned network at the…

The Arnott’s Group says its latest multi-million-dollar manufacturing facility will fuel the company’s growth ambitions in the better-for-you market segment. The Rowville, Victoria factory, a green site build of 45,000 square metres, will house Good Food Partners, Arnotts’ better-for-you and snack foods business. It’s one of Australia’s largest producers of branded and private label cereals, muesli, nutritional snacks, and bars. Brands include Freedom Cereals, Messy Monkeys, Sunsol, Heritage Mill, Arnold’s Farm, Arnott’s Treatles, and Sam’s Pantry. Good Food Partners MD, Chris Diver, said the Rowville site would provide “a huge amount of capability and capacity and flexibility to grow the business”. It features three main manufacturing areas, including a dedicated allergen-free and extruded products zone, an R&D culinary centre, and two logistics warehouses. “Most people will tell you it’s a five-year journey to build a site like this. We effectively did it in less than two,” Diver said. Annually, the…

As shop theft reaches record levels in convenience stores globally, retailers are doubling down on retail crime, increasing their security budgets and turning to new technologies, including AI-powered surveillance solutions, to combat the growing problem. In this detailed feature we explore how new strategies and new AI based tools can provide practical solutions, continuing on from our recent coverage of strategies to manage staff harassment. The UK has a particular challenge in this respect. The British Retail Consortium warn that UK retail crime is now “spiralling out of control” with 20 million incidents in 2023/2024, costing UK retailers £2.2bn, up from £1.8bn in the previous year. In fact in the UK, verbal and physical attacks, violent threats, and sexual and racial abuse in shops rose to more than 2,000 incidents a day in the year to end 31 August 2024, up from 1,300 the previous year and more than three times the…

Lightsource bp, a leading developer and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects, achieved a significant milestone in 2024 by securing 10 power purchase agreements totaling 1.3 GW across Europe, the Americas and APAC. This achievement underscores the company’s experience and track record in delivering renewable energy solutions, tailored to meet the diverse needs of corporate and utility buyers across global markets. As energy buyers worldwide increasingly prioritise cost competitiveness and energy resilience, the renewable energy market continues to grow. To date, Lightsource bp has contracted with leading global corporations such as H&M Group, Microsoft, LyondellBasell and Google, which have committed to ambitious renewable energy procurement targets. These contracts demonstrate the rising demand for flexible and tailored corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) that align with operational business strategies and longer-term sustainability goals. Lightsource bp’s continued success stems from the experience and highly specialised track record of its in-house Power Markets team,…

Simply Cups, a recycling program by Australia’s Closed Loop Environmental Solutions, has reached a milestone – collecting and recycling 50 million paper cups across Australia and New Zealand. Traditional paper cups are often lined with plastic, making them difficult to recycle through standard systems. With the Simply Cups initiative, the cups are given a second life through recycling and repurposing efforts. It has more than 1500 collection points and accepts various cups such as coffee, soft drinks, Slurpee, frozen yogurt, and more. Rob Pasco, MD of Closed Loop Environmental Solutions, credits the achievement to community support. “Once the community knows they can recycle their paper cups separately, they make sure they return their cup daily thanks to our many convenient collection locations,” Pasco said. The program’s pioneering partner was 7-Eleven, making 690 location points accessible to the public. Additional locations include schools, universities, shopping centres, office buildings, construction sites, and event…