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Peek
No : 15
October 29, 2003 |
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Hi,
When winter
is round the corner, isn’t it time to plan for the next
ice cream season? Thanks to our team’s pro-active line of
thought, we have a special on our ice cream industry. What’s
in store for the season ahead? Let’s take a peek into some
cold facts.
But, our peek
into the health of our economy precedes a scoop of ice cream.
Natural
Gas Storage
The underground storage of natural gas rose by 84 billion cubic
feet in the week ending October 17, to touch 3,028 billion cubic
feet.
Jobless
Claims
The number of workers filing for jobless insurance touched 386,000
during the last week, 2,000 more than the preliminary estimate.
However, the heartening trend is the dip in layoffs, and fall
in the continuing claims to 3.54 million, in the second week of
October.
ECRI
Weekly Leading Index
The growth rate of the ECRI Weekly Leading Index (WLI) for a six-month
period dropped to 10.6%. The third week of October witnessed this
downward trend despite a marginal rise of the index from 127.5
to 128.8.
Happy Peeking!
Editorial
Team
Marketspeek
Executive
Editor - Dr. Sharon Livingston
Editor - Vijay |
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| Week's Peek |
Ice
cream
Industry
- The
volume of ice cream and frozen desserts made in the U.S.
touched 1.6 billion gallons, making U.S. the largest consumer
of ice creams in the world.
- Nearly
90% of U.S. homes consume ice cream and frozen desserts.
- Vanilla
remains our most popular flavor, accounting for about
one-third of the supermarket sales. Chocolate takes the
next slot with nearly 10% of sales.
- By
value, the annual ice cream and frozen desserts sales
crossed the $20 billion mark.
*Ice
creams fall under the frozen dairy foods category in graph.
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Vital Statistics
- Of
the total ice creams sales, 35% is for “at home"
consumption and the rest for "away from home"
consumption.
- California
remains the largest producer of ice cream and frozen desserts
in the U.S., with Indiana, Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio
following suit.
- Among
individual containers, the most popular size is the half-gallon
pack. However, the gallon container is making steady progress
in the individual container segment.
- Among
frozen novelties, ice cream bars lead the pack, closely
followed by yogurt novelties. These two segments have
together garnered 45% of the domestic market, with frozen
ice, ice cream sandwiches, and ice cream cones being the
other favored frozen varieties.
- Estimated
at $21.2 million, Japan remains the largest export market
for our frozen dessert. Frozen desserts from the U.S.
are also sought after in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom
and Mexico.
- It
is relevant to note that the market is dominated by the
demand for regular-fat category ice creams.
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Scoop
it up
Analysis
- Ice Creams
- The economic
slump and the resultant uncertainty in the job market have made
the U.S. denizens opt for comfort foods (those taken during
childhood days). So, health-consciousness has taken a backseat,
although temporarily, making regular fat ice creams an undisputed
segment. Industry sources predict, the moment economic euphoria
returns, comfort foods would give way to healthy foods. Cautioning
manufacturers for being short-sighted, they advise the market
to look at the long-term prospects and prepare for the challenges
ahead.
-
The individual container size is in the upswing, fuelled by
the one-gallon container. Although, the half-gallon pack still
retains its popularity. The per capita consumption too is on
the rise. Thus, the time is ripe for ice cream makers to introduce
new variants and flavors and to try new products.
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| Wish I were |
Margaret
Thomson
Not
many would dare to quit a job to be on one’s own at 70?
But, the people who dare, are those who listen to the call of
challenge. Once seized by the thought, they set upon the task
earnestly, not resting till they have reached their goal. Well,
that’s precisely what the enterprising Margaret Thomson
of Detroit, Michigan, did. And, did it well. The moral: nothing
can stop an idea whose time has come.
Before she
plunged into her current business, she was immersed in a career
in real estate. Somewhere along the way, Margaret developed a
keen sense for fashion. Shopping for her children, she realized
that often it is the accessory that makes the outfit stand out.
Among accessories, the scarf caught her fancy. But, to her dismay,
there wasn’t any great variety in the scarves available
in the market. Frustrated with wearing the traditional scarf in
a simple knot, she resolved to end the problem. Bursting forth
with creativity, she went on to weave the most unique scarf the
world had ever seen! L'Escarfe' TM, which went on become an instant
hit. The reason being - one had to simply pull it over her head
and, pronto, it drapes by itself. It does away with all the hassles
of tying and donning a scarf.
Initially,
when Margaret took her first steps in this business, she did all
the work by herself. Later, she outsourced her sewing needs. Realizing
the value of intellectual property, she consulted a patent attorney,
who got her the trademark in two years. Then, she went about showcasing
her designer scarves at fashion shows, besides stacking them in
various upmarket boutiques and stores. Being net-savvy, she hosted
her own site, www.scarvesbymargaret.com, for people to check out
her goods. Before long, Margaret became synonymous with scarves.
Having achieved what she set out to, she decided to give back
something to her society. Her attention turned to those afflicted
by cancer. Margaret raised funds for those afflicted by cancer
and she regularly funds local cancer support groups in Detroit.
Despite her
success over the last seven years, Margaret is aware of the dangers
of growing too big too soon. She realized that when this happens,
business people lose control of their business. Therefore, Margaret
went about picking up better business know-how, kept her ears
close to the customers, made efforts to cut costs, boost her quality
and add value, to retain her numero uno position. She feels every
day she’s learning something new, and looks forward to the
challenges ahead. And the indefatigable Margaret loves to keep
in touch with her customers.
Doesn’t
Margaret inspire us to do better in our own lives? Certainly,
all we need is idea that works and a winning attitude.
For further reading:
http://www.thepartyworks.com/wahm/margaret-thompson/margaret.htm
http://www.score.org/women_success_stories.html
http://www.creativethought.com/ |
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| BrandFact |
| The
1932 Audi 'Four Rings' emblem is a symbol of the
merger of Audi, DKW, Horch and Wanderer, erstwhile automobile majors. |
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| This Week that Age |
October 27th, 1938 - DuPont wove a name for its
new synthetic yarn: "nylon." |
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| Insight |
All that we are, is the result of what we have thought.
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- Buddha |
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