* Sees margin improving next year as raw material costs fallZURICH, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Swiss chocolate maker Lindt &
Spruengli is on track to meet its full-year
sales growth target and sees a higher pace of growth in the
second half than the first six months, the group’s chief was
quoted as saying on Saturday.”Sentiment is surprisingly good in some countries,” Ernst
Tanner said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und
Wirtschaft.Lindt also is looking to set up a national affiliate in
China in the next 12-24 months and is considering setting up its
own stores there, he said.Tanner was optimistic about the company’s Christmas
business, though he noted retailers were turning more cautious,
particularly about the holiday season.The maker of Lindor pralines and gold-wrapped Easter
bunnies, which posted a 6.1 percent rise in first-half sales in
local currencies, is forecasting underlying sales growth this
year of 6 to 8 percent.”Growth in all the big markets of Europe is satisfactory;
the increase is between 6 and 8 percent. In Britain, we should
find our way back to double-digit growth after a flat period in
the first six months, and we hope to take that pace into the
coming year,” Tanner said.Europe still offers the potential for annual growth in
premium brands of up to 8 percent, while double-digit growth
rates should also be reached in North America, he said.Tanner also said the cost of buying raw materials was likely
to fall slightly in the coming year, but he cautioned that not
all raw materials would be less expensive. Still, Tanner sees
Lindt’s margin developing positively in 2012.
@7 months ago with 56 notes
#Lindt #CEO #says #to #reach #2011 #growth #goal #paper
* Poll also shows growing displeasure with ObamaBy Patricia ZengerleWASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Mitt Romney leads the field
vying for the Republican presidential nomination but fewer than
one in four of the party’s voters back him as a surging Herman
Cain gains ground, according to released on
Wednesday.Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is holding on to
his support but failing to increase it significantly, according
to the survey, which also showed President Barack Obama facing
deep unhappiness among voters about his performance.Romney was backed by 23 percent of Republicans in the
October poll, up from 20 percent in the most recent comparable
carried out in June.Cain, a businessman who has emerged as a surprise
front-runner after proposing a radical tax reform, nearly
tripled his support among Republicans in the same period,
leaping to 19 percent from 7 percent four months ago.”In the Republican presidential primary, everybody still says Mitt Romney’s the front-runner,” Ipsos research director
Chris Jackson said. “And he is … but he’s certainly not any
sort of dominant front-runner.”Texas congressman Ron Paul was third with 13 percent and
Texas Governor Rick Perry fourth, with 10 percent.Supporters of Sarah Palin, who announced last week she
would not run for president, have not coalesced behind a single
candidate, the survey found.The poll was conducted Oct. 6-10, before a debate on
economic issues on Tuesday night in which Romney and Cain had
strong performances and Perry failed to make up the ground he
lost when he stumbled through two previous debates.”I think Rick Perry’s boomlet probably really peaked in
August and has subsided,” Jackson said.The margin of error for Republicans among the 1,113 people
polled was 4.8 percentage points, leaving Romney and Cain in a
virtual tie.OBAMA TAKES HEAT FROM VOTERSWhichever Republican eventually wins the nomination to run
against Obama in 2012 will face an incumbent facing a very
unhappy public.The percentage of Americans who disapprove of the
president’s job performance has edged up to 50 percent from 48
percent in the past month and the percentage who strongly
disapprove has risen to 34 percent, the highest level since
Obama entered the White House.Fewer than half — 47 percent — of Americans approve of
the way Obama is handling his job as president, a figure
unchanged from a poll conducted in September.Obama has taken a tougher line against political opponents
as he has pushed for passage of his jobs bill but the new
approach has yet to make a difference among voters.”People are still wildly pessimistic,” Jackson said.The survey showed that 74 percent of Americans believe the
country is on the wrong track, compared with 21 percent who
believe it is going in the right direction.There was one bright spot for Democrats. More registered
voters — 48 percent — said they would back Democrats in
congressional races if the November 2012 elections were held
today, compared with 40 percent who would support Republicans.But their verdict on how the two parties would handle the
struggling economy — the issue expected to be central to the
2012 election — generally favored Republicans.On reducing the deficit, Republicans have the lead at 44
percent to 35 percent for Democrats; they have a 43 percent to
36 percent lead on their ability to make the country globally
competitive; and more Americans thought they would generate
economic growth with a 43 percent to 38 percent edge over the
Democrats.The two parties were tied on job creation at 41 percent
each and close on “dealing with taxes,” with 42 percent for
Democrats and 41 percent picking Republicans. On the economy
overall, 42 percent favored Republicans and 40 percent choose
Democrats.The of 1,113 adults, including 934
registered voters, had a margin of error of 3 percentage points
for all respondents and 3.2 points for registered voters.
@7 months ago with 19 notes
#Reuters/Ipsos #Romney #leads #US #Republicans #Cain #2nd
