Krafty Buggers

[Subotan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...epts-kraft-bid
Cadbury's, a British company with a 169 year long history of ethical standards and British manufacturing has just been brought by the American food conglomerate Kraft Foods.

Personally, I think this a triumph of short-termism over far-sightedness. According to the article, the company was sold out to Americans by Americans. Kraft, which is now £22bn in debt, will have to cut costs across their entire operations; where better than Bournville? Sure, they've guaranteed to protect their ethical standards, but they said the same thing about Terry's Chocolate Orange.
If all this looks like a protectionist rant, then I'm not surprised. But consider this list of British companies recently bought out by foreign companies. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/dan...dbury-takeover ) Is there any comparable list of British companies buying foreign corporations? The answer is no, as the free trade principals which we trumpet are not being applied equally in foreign countries (God help anyone who tries to take over a German/French/South Korean company). British companies are being exploited for their cultural worth to be used as marketing tools in the rest of the world, whilst Britan is stripped of the company's economic value.

[KukriKhan]

Cadbury's has been "foreign-owned" for quite some time already, most of it's stock being held by non-UK companies, as shown HERE. (Mostly US pension fund management companies).

If you want to keep them on the island, it costs.

[drone]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Everybody is buying out everybody else these days. Heck, all-American Budweiser got bought out by InBev, and nothing has really changed (which is unfortunate, you'd think the Belgians could do something about the taste).

[Tellos Athenaios]

But it makes good business sense "You Americans happy with that Budweiser and will pay for it gladly? OK, great: saves us the money for an upgrade to Belgian quality."

[drone]

But it makes good business sense "You Americans happy with that Budweiser and will pay for it gladly? OK, great: saves us the money for an upgrade to Belgian quality."

How about a little bit of national pride though. A few years down the road, and people will say Belgians make crappy beer...

[AlexanderSextus]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Everybody is buying out everybody else these days. Heck, all-American Budweiser got bought out by InBev, and nothing has really changed (which is unfortunate, you'd think the Belgians could do something about the taste).

Co-Sign on that one. And thats coming from a 100% Yank, so you KNOW budweiser sucks.

Americans do have good beer guys. Try a Sam Adams sometime and tell me it aint as good as some european beers.

[Vladimir]

How about a little bit of national pride though. A few years down the road, and people will say Belgians make crappy beer...

Never!

Co-Sign on that one. And thats coming from a 100% Yank, so you KNOW budweiser sucks.

Americans do have good beer guys. Try a Sam Adams sometime and tell me it aint as good as some european beers.

I've never eaten raw hops before but now I know what it's like. Oh, and when you mix cherry flavor with alcohol, you get cough syrup.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...epts-kraft-bid
Cadbury's, a British company with a 169 year long history of ethical standards and British manufacturing has just been brought by the American food conglomerate Kraft Foods.

Personally, I think this a triumph of short-termism over far-sightedness. According to the article, the company was sold out to Americans by Americans. Kraft, which is now £22bn in debt, will have to cut costs across their entire operations; where better than Bournville? Sure, they've guaranteed to protect their ethical standards, but they said the same thing about Terry's Chocolate Orange.
If all this looks like a protectionist rant, then I'm not surprised. But consider this list of British companies recently bought out by foreign companies. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/dan...dbury-takeover ) Is there any comparable list of British companies buying foreign corporations? The answer is no, as the free trade principals which we trumpet are not being applied equally in foreign countries (God help anyone who tries to take over a German/French/South Korean company). British companies are being exploited for their cultural worth to be used as marketing tools in the rest of the world, whilst Britan is stripped of the company's economic value.

Well, that's the end of Cadbury, then. Though this raises an important question; what kind of Quaker floats his company on the Stock Market?

[Hosakawa Tito]

Better check my stock of Cadbury eggs.

[Idaho]

How about a little bit of national pride though. A few years down the road, and people will say Belgians make crappy beer...

It'll be like England. Producer of some of the best and worst beer in the world.

[Beskar]

Britain specialises in home-brewed Ales.

[rory_20_uk]

Well, that's the end of Cadbury, then. Though this raises an important question; what kind of Quaker floats his company on the Stock Market?

A RICH one.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

A RICH one.

Most Quaker buisinesmen are rich, my question stands.

[Strike For The South]

Better check my stock of Cadbury eggs.

I like the minis that only come out on Easter :drool:

[InsaneApache]

On the Daily Politics yeaterday Brillo gave the US ambassador a plate of Cadburys chocolate eggs. The guys face was a picture.

[Scienter]

Co-Sign on that one. And thats coming from a 100% Yank, so you KNOW budweiser sucks.

Americans do have good beer guys. Try a Sam Adams sometime and tell me it aint as good as some european beers.

For me, wine > beer. I dislike the majority of American beers, but I'll drink Sam Adams if there's no good wine list. I didn't like beer much at all until I went to Bavaria, at which point I discovered that there was more to beer than the watered down I drank in college.

Better check my stock of Cadbury eggs.

I love those things. I hope they keep making them! They're soooo good. Why is there no :drool: smiley?

[KukriKhan]

Why is there no :drool: smiley?

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

On the list that Subotan linked to is a British company that was bought out by...



...wait for it...



...Iceland.











Fail.

[drone]

On the list that Subotan linked to is a British company that was bought out by...
...wait for it...
...Iceland.

House Of Fraser was bought by the Bauger Investment Group of Iceland in 2006, which, of course, has since collapsed. No real surprise, since the bubble gave Bauger plenty of cash for acquisitions. Maybe you Brits could get it back with a discount.

[Furunculus]

Britain specialises in home-brewed Ales.

indeed, my local is in the CAMRA good beer guide, and has four real ales at any one time, three of which change as regularly as the barrel does. life is a bitch sometimes.... especially when they have a beer festival and the room is wall to wall with barrels, pints poured straight from the tap.