Retail

Cadbury Rises to Record; Nestle Mulls Bid, Reuters Says Kraft May Bid More Cadbury Plc rose to a record in London trading after Nestle SA was said to weigh a takeover, the Wall Street Journal said Hershey Co.’s controlling trust wants the U.S. company to make an offer, and Reuters reported that Kraft Foods Inc. may raise its bid.

Hershey's Debt Risk Rises on Speculation Company May Make Cadbury Bid The cost to protect against a default by Hershey Co. approached a record high on speculation that the maker of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups will outbid Kraft Foods Inc. for Cadbury Plc and trigger a debt-rating downgrade.

Peet's Increases Diedrich Bid to $265 Million After Green Mountain Offer Peet’s Coffee & Tea Inc. raised its offer to buy Diedrich Coffee Inc. by 24 percent to about $265 million after Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. made a competing bid.

Walmart Includes Nintendo Wii, Sony Bravia in Thanksgiving Weekend Sales Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, will reduce prices of Nintendo Wii consoles, Sony Bravia LCD televisions and Hewlett-Packard laptops during the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.

Unilever Has Up to $3 Billion in Cash for Acquisitions, CFO Lawrence Says Unilever, the world’s second-largest consumer products maker, said it still has as much as 2 billion euros ($3 billion) in cash to spend on acquisitions, two months after announcing its biggest purchase in nine years.

Campbell Soup's First-Quarter Profit Rises 17% on Lower Commodity Costs Campbell Soup Co., the world’s largest soupmaker, said first-quarter profit climbed 17 percent on decreasing marketing and ingredient costs.

Macy's Gains by Pushing Housewares Over Luxuries as Shoppers Stay Cautious Blenders and sweaters may rise in popularity this holiday season as consumers seek to replenish kitchens and wardrobes rather than spend money on luxury gifts.

Consumer Spending, Home Sales Probably Rose as U.S. Recovery Takes Root Consumer spending probably rebounded in October, showing that mounting unemployment is restraining, not derailing, the biggest part of the U.S. economy, analysts said before reports this week.

Douglas Jumps Most Since March on Confirmation of Mueller Stake Purchase Douglas Holding AG, Europe’s largest makeup and perfume retailer, rose the most in eight months in Frankfurt trading after confirming that competitor Mueller Ltd. & Co. KG bought a stake in the company.

Coca-Cola Aims to More Than Double Bottling Plants in China, Triple Sales Coca-Cola Co., the world’s largest soft-drink maker, plans to more than double bottling plants in China over the next decade, aiming to triple sales in its third- largest market by sales volume.