[Archived] Cadbury'S Sold

[Exiled in Toronto]

Today Kraft Foods gained acceptances from 71% of Cadbury shareholders for their offer, meaning they own the company. A great British icon is now being run from Illinois, along with Dairylea, Miracle Whip, Cheese Whiz and other such delicacies.

Do any of you care one way or the other?

I must confess to having a personal agenda for asking. I joined Cadbury's straight out of university and worked for them for 24 years in the UK and then Canada before taking a well-earned package and early pension a couple of years ago. In 2008, I had published a book detailing their rich an illustrious history - Cadbury's Purple Reign. Because of that, in 2 weeks time I am doing a presentation to Kraft's global head of marketing plus assorted lackeys on what Cadbury means.

I would appreciate any feelings one way or the other as, living in Canada, I am somewhat out of touch with what the man on the Clapham Omnibus thinks these days (or indeed, the man on the no8 bus to Darwen, if that still runs)

Many thanks

[BPF]

Today Kraft Foods gained acceptances from 71% of Cadbury shareholders for their offer, meaning they own the company. A great British icon is now being run from Illinois, along with Dairylea, Miracle Whip, Cheese Whiz and other such delicacies.

Do any of you care one way or the other?

I must confess to having a personal agenda for asking. I joined Cadbury's straight out of university and worked for them for 24 years in the UK and then Canada before taking a well-earned package and early pension a couple of years ago. In 2008, I had published a book detailing their rich an illustrious history - Cadbury's Purple Reign. Because of that, in 2 weeks time I am doing a presentation to Kraft's global head of marketing plus assorted lackeys on what Cadbury means.

I would appreciate any feelings one way or the other as, living in Canada, I am somewhat out of touch with what the man on the Clapham Omnibus thinks these days (or indeed, the man on the no8 bus to Darwen, if that still runs)

Many thanks

I'm sorry to be asking this but I'm still not too educated towards the names and occupations of many members. You are John Bradley? Minutes before signing into the board I was in the process of purchasing your book!

In all honesty I am saddened by the sale. Over Christmas I attended Cadbury's World and learning about the history of the company was extremely interesting. It was honestly the first time in a while that I have felt proud to be British. It is a fantastic brand and I think I'll always consider it to be British.

I am very interested in learning more about the company and look forward to reading your book!

[Exiled in Toronto]

I'm sorry to be asking this but I'm still not too educated towards the names and occupations of many members. You are John Bradley? Minutes before signing into the board I was in the process of purchasing your book!

In all honesty I am saddened by the sale. Over Christmas I attended Cadbury's World and learning about the history of the company was extremely interesting. It was honestly the first time in a while that I have felt proud to be British. It is a fantastic brand and I think I'll always consider it to be British.

I am very interested in learning more about the company and look forward to reading your book!

Delighted to hear it! Thanks to the gross inequities of the publishing industry, I am now 1.50 richer from your purchase!

[jim mk2]

Sad to see yet another iconic (in the true sense of the word) world-class British company taken over by a foreign competitor.

People always say ownership does not matter but the employees of Rowntrees and Terry's of York know to their cost the long-term effects of a company falling into foreign hands. I feel sorry for the workers in Bournville, Bristol and elsewhere.

I certainly care when a part of British industrial history disappears but I suspect many do not and it is clear the bas**tards in the City who sold the company for short-term profit could not care a flying fig.

I blame the Tories.

[Rover Down Under]

I blame the Tories.

Why? They haven't been in power for 13 years and am pretty sure they're not the "71% of Cadbury shareholders" who agreed to the sale.

TBH I don't care, I don't eat it anymore since the version they make over here is BLUURGGH! - something wrong with Aussie milk I reckon. Also I've long since resigned myself to iconic British companies being taken over, esp by the Yanks. Hell Liverpool & Man U are owned by them! I guess as long as people don't loose jobs / they shift production to the U.S is it so bad? We just suck at commercialising and holding onto our best assets. We've still got some good stuff though - Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Virgin, Blackburn Rovers...

[Claytons Left Boot]

Hi John, yes very sad. I thought of you when it hit the news the other day. I almost started a thread to get your take on it, so I am glad you have done this. There was a nice piece on tv the other day about Bournville, how it developed due to the factory - size, population, greenery and so on. As some have said, not only another British institution being taken over and run by foreigners, but the employees will be waiting with baited breath for the job cuts, rationalisations and everything else that quite often goes with a takeover like this. Anyway, more importantly, what are your views?

[American]

Interesting column a few weeks back in the Guardian talking about the fallacy of "jobs will leave" when acquisitions like this happen. I'll see if I can find it at some point.

Basically, it talks about prior big acquisitions that were supposed to siphon jobs off, but have ended up increasing the UK work forces of the companies. What this does mean for Cadbury is a bigger distribution network, especially in the far east, which should lead to increased sales of its products.

Personally, I think that Kraft overpaid.

Edit: Here is the article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/24/cadbury-kraft-america-takeover

[jim mk2]

The lack of responses to this thread is significant perhaps in that people really don't care whether these great British names are sold abroad.

There was a telling comment in the papers today from some oik in the City saying the Cadbury chairman had done a "great job maximising value for shareholders" which sums up the short-term attitudes of institutional shareholders to the companies they are investing in.

Time to adopt the French model of national industrial "champions" protected from opportunist foreign predators.

[BPF]

The lack of responses to this thread is significant perhaps in that people really don't care whether these great British names are sold abroad.

There was a telling comment in the papers today from some oik in the City saying the Cadbury chairman had done a "great job maximising value for shareholders" which sums up the short-term attitudes of institutional shareholders to the companies they are investing in.

Time to adopt the French model of national industrial "champions" protected from opportunist foreign predators.

You're right Jim.

I trade a little in shares so spend a good amount of time on various sites. A good amount of Cadbury's shareholders were daytraders only interested in the profit. Very sad to see it go. If people genuinely don't care I suggest you read John's book and you'll understand just how amazing the Cadbury's story is. Then, just maybe, you'll feel a little something for the loss of such an iconic brand.

[vintageadidas]

I actually attended Cadbury World the weekend just gone! I had a really good time and it really was an eye opening experience into how British this company is! The Cadbury family should be applauded for what they have achieved throughout the generations. It really was amazing and exciting to see something so small grow into an absolute animal!

It is a shame that Kraft now own Cadbury but as long as they employ British people, keep their operations in Britain and don’t change the recipe to match some of their horrible tasting chocolate; I am okay with them “owning” it! Cadbury for the foreseeable future will have a British filling with an American shell!

[T4E]

I actually attended Cadbury World the weekend just gone! I had a really good time and it really was an eye opening experience into how British this company is!

I too visited Cadbury World recently. During the tour I tripped and fell in to a giant vat of liquid chocolate.

Came out smelling of Roses.

[tcj_jones]

Oh God, he's back

[broadsword]

The lack of responses to this thread is significant perhaps in that people really don't care whether these great British names are sold abroad.

There was a telling comment in the papers today from some oik in the City saying the Cadbury chairman had done a "great job maximising value for shareholders" which sums up the short-term attitudes of institutional shareholders to the companies they are investing in.

Time to adopt the French model of national industrial "champions" protected from opportunist foreign predators.

I think it's sad.

It seems that Cadbury's is a great company with a social conscience, will that now evaporate since it's in foreign hands?

Also, the new owners may decide to move production abroad to lower costs of production so that they can get their money back ASAP. British jobs are at stake.

As said earlier, the company was a plc, not sure what the govt could've done about it?

The country's whole economy seems to revolve around the fortunes of a bunch of braced-up spreadsheet-fiddlers in the City, they are way too powerful for the good of the country, but Labour has not had the guts to rein them in (this is a general point about the credit crunch). Too much of our GDP emanates from services, rather than actual physical goods.

[jim mk2]

I actually attended Cadbury World the weekend just gone!

Cadbury World is a great family day out. I would urge those who have never visited to do so soon before Bournville closes.

[BPF]

Cadbury World is a great family day out. I would urge those who have never visited to do so soon before Bournville closes.

They are closing Bournville!?

[mellison24]

I find it devastating and somewhat disheartening that there are UK institutions that are no longer british (or run by the british). A lot of our heritage is being taken away from these glorious lands.

On the bright side, maybe they can take away Bruce Forsyth too?

[Exiled in Toronto]

An interesting set of replies which I would summarize as: upset at the conceptual level - another British firm goes, jobs at risk etc - and indifference at the specific; no-one is saying they will buy less Cadbury's as a result.

Obviously, having spent my entire corporate career there, I still have many friends in the business who are worried about their jobs, and no doubt many will bite the dust given the savings Kraft have to find. But, having said that, when I left in 2003, it was partly because by then it was no longer the company I used to work for. The CEO was an American lawyer ffs. Did you know that Milk Tray is made in Poland and Bournville dark chocolate made in France?

But the public did not see these changes happening within and the company benefited from its historical equity during the salmonella issue, where essentially people trusted what Cadbury said more than they did what the press said. Now Kraft are in charge, there will not be that trust, in fact, quite the opposite, so I can see them facing a series of PR disasters, starting when they renege on their rash promise to keep open the factory near Bristol, which they will because it is way past its use-by date.

It is gratifying to see the positive comments about Cadbury World as I was general manager there in its early days. It is indeed a great day out and, from the company's point of view a great marketing tool. One struggles to imagine paying to go round Kraft World to learn the secrets of processed cheese.

I don't think Kraft would close Bournville; firstly it is an exceptionally efficient factory and secondly, the PR fall-out would be a disaster for them, but one can never tell with these Americans. I never thought that Longbridge, despite all its problems would one day be razed to the ground.

[Blue n White Rover]

With Kraft's debt continually rising, without doubt they'll be moving abroad soon, leaving thousands of people out of work. It happened before with Terry's of York, and I'm pretty damn sure it'll happen again with Cadbury's.

I feel the Government should have intervened and inserted some sort of clause within the sale, so that there is job security for their workers. Kraft will have to cut costs sooner or later, and the only viable option for them is to move the industry where there is cheaper labour.

You cannot blame Kraft for doing so, as they are trying to run their business accordingly and efficiently.

[jim mk2]

; no-one is saying they will buy less Cadbury's as a result.

. I never thought that Longbridge, despite all its problems would one day be razed to the ground.

I will continue to buy Cadbury's chocolate because I love its taste. Swiss chocolate isn't the same and American (Hersheys)chocolate is inedible.

Kraft may be making the right noises about British jobs but the companies that took over the York factories of Terry's (?) and Rowntrees (Nestle) said the same. Years on, Terry's is closed and production moved to the parent owner country and the Rowntrees plant employs far fewer workers and has a Swiss flag flying over it !!

The closure of Rover at Longbridge was astonishing. Rover was Britain's last volume car manufacturer yet by the end of the day of the closure announcement it wasn't even the lead story on the evening news. Same question, does anyone care ?

The Chinese are planning to reactivate Longbridge for sports car production.

[Exiled in Toronto]

The Chinese are planning to reactivate Longbridge for sports car production.

They'll have to be quick; a few months ago I went past the site, which is unimaginably vast, and most of it really had been razed, not one brick left on top of another. It's like it was never there.

The answer to ensuring Bournville remains is for Birmingham council to announce they will never agree planning permission for it to be used for anything else. This is what Dublin council did when Diageo announced the planned closure of the Guinness St. James's Gate brewery, which made the site unsellable. That, plus the public outcry, saved the original Guinness brewery.

[whittle blue]

We've still got some good stuff though - Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Virgin, Blackburn Rovers...

Aston Martin are owned by an international consortium. and prior to that, were owned by Ford.

Rolls Royce belong to BMW.

Not so good, is it.

[mellison24]

Aston Martin are owned by an international consortium. and prior to that, (1) were owned by Ford.

Rolls Royce (2) belong to BMW.

Not so good, is it.

Bloody Americans!

Bloody Germans!

Let us keep our institutions you heartless barstools!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[whittle blue]

Aston Martin are owned by an international consortium. and prior to that, were owned by Ford.

Rolls Royce belong to BMW.

Not so good, is it.

Bloody Americans!

Bloody Germans!

Let us keep our institutions you heartless barstools!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Sorry I spoke

[jim mk2]

They'll have to be quick; a few months ago I went past the site, which is unimaginably vast, and most of it really had been razed, not one brick left on top of another. It's like it was never there.

http://www.thisislon...t-longbridge.do

[Exiled in Toronto]

Industrial desert