Year in Review: Top Supplier News of 2018

NEWARK, N.J. — The retailer side of the convenience store industry isn't the only segment that saw a great deal of consolidation in 2018. Many of the industry's top suppliers also completed major acquisitions, as they seek to expand their market share and grow in new areas.

Convenience channel suppliers also prepared for a healthier future by embracing green initiatives and moving toward better-for-you options.

These are the top 10 supplier headlines of the year, as reported by Convenience Store News Online:

1. Change in Leadership at PepsiCo as CEO Nooyi Announces Retirement
Indra K. Nooyi retired on Oct. 3 after leading the company for 12 years. The board unanimously elected President Ramon Laguarta to succeed her as CEO.

2. Philip Morris International's 2018 Resolution Is to Give Up Cigarettes
The tobacco company took out full-page ads in several newspapers in the United Kingdom stating its New Year's resolution for 2018 was to "stop selling cigarettes in the U.K." Its goal is to replace cigarettes with alternatives like electronic cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products.

3. Keurig to Acquire Dr Pepper Snapple Group
The deal brings together the make-at-home coffee brand with the company behind Dr Pepper soda, Mott’s apple juice and Snapple iced tea. The combined company, Keurig Dr Pepper, will have about $11 billion in annual sales.

4. Conagra Brands to Acquire Pinnacle Foods, Growing Frozen Food & Snacks Presence
Pinnacle Foods' portfolio of frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable products includes well-known brands such as Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips, Hungry-Man, Log Cabin, Tim's Cascade Snacks and Wish-Bone. The company's annual net sales exceed $3 billion.

5. Diet Coke Announces Biggest Product & Marketing Makeover in Its History    
With an updated look, sleek new packaging, the debut of four bold, new flavors and a new campaign, The Coca-Cola Co. is re-energizing and modernizing Diet Coke for a new generation of drinkers.

6. Campbell Takes Ownership of Snyder’s-Lance
To unlock the power of the combined brand portfolio, Campbell will integrate the Pepperidge Farm and Snyder’s-Lance portfolios to create a unified U.S. snacking business called Campbell Snacks.

7. Ferrero Wraps Up Acquisition of Nestlé USA's Confectionery Business
The deal makes Ferrero the third-largest chocolate confectioner in the world. Nestlé USA's confectionery business includes more than 20 American brands, including favorites like Butterfinger, BabyRuth, 100Grand, Raisinets, Wonka and the exclusive right to the Crunch brand.

8. Coca-Cola Sets 2030 Recycling Goal
The goal is the centerpiece of the company's new packaging vision for a World Without Waste, which the Coca-Cola system will support with a multi-year investment that includes ongoing work to make its packaging 100 percent recyclable.

9. FDA's Tobacco Panel Rejects Reduced-Risk Claims for Philip Morris' iQOS
The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee voted 8-0 with one abstention that Philip Morris has not conclusively demonstrated that iQOS reduces the risk of disease. The panel also voted 5-4 to reject claims that iQOS presents less risk of harm than continuing to smoke cigarettes.

10. Hershey to Acquire Pirate’s Booty Maker Pirate Brands
The $420-million transaction strengthens Hershey’s position as a better-for-you snacking leader within the $14-billion warehouse snacking aisle. Pirate Brands will operate within Amplify, Hershey’s better-for-you snacking hub.