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Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Coming Soon to Taco Bell: Breakfast and Health Food

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By Matt Brownell

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David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Taco Bell (YUM) has seen sales explode in the last couple of years, largely on the strength of zany junk food like the Doritos Locos Tacos. But now it’s making a pitch to customers who aren’t necessarily attracted by bizarre fast-food mashups.

The “Mexican-inspired” fast-food joint announced this week that it was going to start bringing healthier offerings to its menu. According to the AP, it’s aiming to make at least 20% of its menu items meet government guidelines for fat and calorie content by 2020. That means, for instance, that a single meal would only have 666 calories, based on the 2,000-calorie daily diet recommended by the USDA. CEO Greg Creed said that some of the healthier products may start launching as early as next year.

That’s not the only change coming to Taco Bell‘s menu. Earlier this month, Creed told a restaurant industry conference that the chain was aiming to double sales over the next decade, in part by adding breakfast to the menu.

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The breakfast menu (dubbed “FirstMeal,” of course) has already rolled out in more than 800 Taco Bells on the West Coast, including locations in California, Arizona and Colorado. As you might expect, you aren’t getting pancakes — Taco Bell looks to be putting its own twist on the breakfast burrito with its first offering, the A.M. Crunchwrap. It features egg, cheese, a hashbrown and your choice of bacon or sausage, all stuffed inside a tortilla. And since this is Taco Bell, you’ll get it with a glass of Mtn Dew A.M., which is a mix of a Mountain Dew and orange juice.

“Everyone’s saying we’re crazy because McDonald’s owns this,” Creed told the conference. “That has to stop.”

And breakfast isn’t the only time of day that Taco Bell wants to conquer. The chain also recently started offering an afternoon menu called “Happier Hour,” which includes the snack-sized loaded grillers and a variety of frozen drinks. It will aim to increase traffic during the 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. time block, which tends to be a dead zone for restaurants.

We’re not sure we can get on board with the idea of eating Taco Bell for breakfast, but then, we’re sure people said the same of McDonald’s. Maybe we just need to think outside the bagel.

Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.

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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/taco-bell-breakfast-healthy-choices/

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Rouse Properties Announces Beverage Marketing Partnership with PepsiCo

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By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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Rouse Properties Announces Beverage Marketing Partnership with PepsiCo

– Multi-Year Deal Establishes PepsiCo as Exclusive Vended Beverage Provider at 29 Malls –

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Rouse Properties, Inc. (NYS: RSE) , a national owner and operator of regional enclosed malls, today announced it has entered into a multi-year marketing partnership with PepsiCo to become its exclusive vended beverage partner at 29 mall locations. Under the agreement, PepsiCo will provide each mall with a wide range of soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, teas, juices and other beverages – including brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lipton Iced Teas and Aquafina.

The mutually beneficial partnership should result in increased ancillary revenue for Rouse with state-of-the-art Pepsi vending machines strategically located throughout 29 of its mall locations. Furthermore, Rouse and PepsiCo have agreed to engage in joint marketing programs aimed at promoting both brands, increasing mall traffic and encouraging consumer engagement. Planned events could include raffles, prize giveaways, product tasting and in mall entertainment.

“As one the most well-known and respected food and beverage companies in the world, PepsiCo is the perfect beverage partner to complement our high caliber retail and lifestyle offerings,” said Brian Harper, executive vice president of leasing for Rouse Properties. “This partnership brings together two leaders in their respective industries and provides the roughly 200 million consumers that visit our malls with a variety of refreshing beverages, creating a more satisfying shopping experience.”

“Rouse Properties has a strong commitment to building and investing in its communities, offering industry-leading brands and putting its shoppers first – a vision that we share,” said Jean Jakoby, vice president of sales for PepsiCo Foodservice. “We’re confident that our market-leading beverages and unique marketing activations will refresh – and delight – Rouse shoppers, and we look forward to a long and productive partnership.”

About Rouse Properties, Inc.

Rouse Properties, Inc. (NYS: RSE) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust headquartered in New York City and founded on a legacy of innovation and creativity. Among the country’s largest publicly traded regional mall owners, the Company’s geographically diverse portfolio spans the United States from coast to coast, and includes 32 malls in 20 states encompassing approximately 22.5 million square feet of space. For more information please visit: www.rouseproperties.com.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Coke and Pepsi Up Against a Young Monster — and Losing

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By Travis Hoium

Cans of Monster Beverage Corp. drinks are displayed for a photograph in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Monster Beverage Corp. is expected to release earnings data on Feb 27. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

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They come in coffee cups, small cans, large cans, shots, you name it — energy drinks are everywhere. If the marketing is to be believed, these magic elixirs help us accomplish amazing feats in five hours (5-Hour Energy), excel in extreme sports (Red Bull and Monster), and are the best part of waking up (Folgers).

America is addicted to energy, and every company in the drink business is trying to get a piece of the action. There’s no shortage of choices for those looking to imbibe. But only a few of these manufacturers will succeed, so investors must choose their beverage carefully.

The Energy Drink Epidemic

It all started with our growing addiction to coffee. Americans drink a total of 400 million cups of coffee per day, more than one cup per person. Recently, the trend has been toward more straightforward energy drinks or shots.

Consider this comparison: Monster Beverage (MNST) — which, like Red Bull, is one of the leaders in the energy drink market — has seen its revenue grow 20 times (2,000 percent) in the last 10 years. Starbucks (SBUX) has grown two-and-three-quarters times (274 percent) during the same period.

5-Hour Energy leads the energy-shot front, selling 1.5 billion energy shots since it was launched in 2004. The company behind the product, Living Essentials, had sales of $1 billion last year and pocketed $600 million in profit.

So, What’s Brewing at Coke and Pepsi?

With Red Bull and Monster dominating the energy drink category, soft drink giants Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) can’t seem to get a foothold in the market.

Coca-Cola has tried to sell Full Throttle, NOS, Surge, and Vault, with little success.

Pepsi has tried to expand the Mountain Dew brand with Amp and now Kickstart, which is being heavily promoted during March Madness. Time will tell if Pepsi’s latest attempt to sell high-voltage Mountain Dew is more successful than the first, but I doubt it will be.

Just the fact that Coca-Cola and Pepsi are putting so much effort into energy drinks shows how important the market is. Still, they seem to have no discernible advantage over the smaller brands.

Both Red Bull and Monster market their product differently than Coke or Pepsi ever did. They’ve gone after extreme sports, attaching their brands to the craziest athletes on earth. Red Bull has now gotten into film production and owns a fleet of helicopters and other aircraft that have become a marketing dream.

As long as these companies are playing an outsider strategy but attaching to extreme athletes, they’ll be able to hold off the big dogs. After all, everybody likes an underdog, a role extreme sports has played for a long time.

One for the Little Guys

Right now, Red Bull, …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Health

This Now Exists: Mountain Dew Breakfast Drink

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By Kate Seamons Just when you thought Americans couldn’t get any unhealthier comes this culinary revelation: a Mountain Dew breakfast drink. PepsiCo’s carbonated Kickstart rolls out this month, bringing the bleary-eyed masses a mix of “Mountain Dew flavor,” caffeine, artificial sweeteners, Vitamins B and C, just 80 calories, and what can probably best… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Health