Happy holidaymakers

Cornerstone’s list management division has been appointed exclusive manager for the Canadian Holidaymaker database. This list features more than 30,000 Canadians who have purchased one or more package tour vacations to sun-splashed hotspots or overseas destinations. Individuals on the list have responded to a non-incentive customer satisfaction questionnaire. There are a number of selects, including length of holiday, frequency of holidays per year, gender, marital status, income level and others. For more information, contact David Oh at Cornerstone: (416) 932-9555.

Japanese consumers

Those marketers interested in targeting Japanese consumers had better move quickly. J.R. Direct Response International in Delta, B.C., has announced it will be withdrawing its Fuji DM Fan Japan file from the market. The file is one of Japan’s largest consumer databases with more than 3.5 million names. J.R. Direct can accept orders up to March 22. Until that time, minimum order is 5,000 names, with selects available by demographic and lifestyle. According to J.R. Direct, FujiSankei, the Japanese database marketing firm from which the B.C. agency gets its file, will be closing its mail division. For more information, contact Dave Ripplinger at J.R. Direct Response International: (604) 940-0277.

Parents of young

children

Watts List Management has a variety of selects available for its Gerber Canada list. The list offers more than 112,000 English and 29,000 French parents with children up to three years old. Selects include age range (pre-natal, zero to three months, four to six months, seven to 12 months, 13 to 24 months and 25 to 36 months), recency, gender of parent and telephone number. The list is regularly cleaned. Contact Duncan Palmer at Watts List Management: (416) 252-7741.

Readers of Variety

Want to reach the readers of venerable Hollywood trade magazine Variety? Media Marketplace has several selects, including more than 800 Canadian subscribers, 66,000 active subscribers, 12,000 recent expires, and three- and six-month hotlines. Two-thirds of the magazine’s subscribers are classified as middle or top management, 79% are male, and virtually all of them have a college education. For more information, contact Richard Doan at Media Marketplace: (215) 968-5020.

Kraft Heinz is reporting earnings of 78 cents a share, beating Wall Street’s estimate of 72 cents a share, thanks to continued demand for snacks and pre-packaged meals. However, the company also reported a net sales decline of 0.5% compared with the same period last year, to $6.6 billion, according to its latest Q2 earnings report, released Tuesday.

The company experienced a favourable 2.3 percentage point impact from currency and a negative 0.7 percentage point impact from its February divestiture of Hormel Foods – including the Planters peanut brand – which closed in the second quarter of 2021.

Its cheese divestiture – which included the sale of its natural cheese division to Lactalis – is expected to close in the second half of 2021, says Kraft Heinz Global CEO Miguel Patricio in this morning’s conference call.

Adjusted EBITDA slumped 5.2% versus the year-ago period to $1.7 billion and increased 6.6% versus the comparable 2019 period. Higher transportation and inflation-related goods costs continue to affect the company’s bottom line.

Kraft Heinz’ organic net sales declined 3.6% in Canada over the last three months compared with a comparable period last year, this as total net sales rose 8.8% year over year. 

However, its overall organic net sales slipped 2.1% compared with 2020 figures. This includes the negative impact stemming from exiting its McCafé licensing agreement. However, this decline was partly offset, Kraft Heinz reports, by “partial recovery in foodservice channels and retail consumption trends.”

“Food service is recovering, and recovering fast,” Patricio stressed in today’s earnings call. He said “the bet to support QSR” early in the pandemic, with individual packets of ketchups and sauces, is paying off.

Channel trends are still normalizing, he warns, and it’s too early to see how at home or away from home, will net out. “We have big ambitions for away from home business,” he said. Consumers continue to evolve how they eat, with Patricio saying that Kraft Heinz is collaborating with a popular DTC brand for its Philadelphia cream cheese.

Accrued marketing costs, the company reports, rose to $968 million from $946 million in December 2020.

“We are investing more in our brands, and better as well, building a much more creative company,” Patricio reported.

Kraft Heinz is also strengthening and diversifying its media presence, he said, driving repeat rates for those discovering and rediscovering the brand. Patricio added that the company is continuing to drive its transformation program forward, modernizing its brands and better connecting with its consumers.