Month: November 2011

Procter and Gamble Company ’s ( PG ) Indian unit has decided to manufacture Indian goods locally, shifting from its age-old policy of importing popular brands like Olay and Pampers into the Indian market. The retail giant, who holds second position to Hindustan Unilever in the Indian market, has decided to go by the forerunner’s style that will not only save cost but will also be more readily accepted by the Indian consumers. Henceforth, P&G has stressed on producing and marketing premium products like Head & Shoulders, Ariel and Pantene, which generates over 60% of its total revenue, in India […]

Orthopedic devices major Stryker Corporation ( SYK ) recently announced its plans to chop headcount in an effort to save cost as it seeks to mitigate the impact of a new tax to be levied on medical devices makers. The Michigan-based company stated that it will cut roughly 5% of its workforce globally (impacting about 1,000 positions) and execute other restructuring activities to neutralize costs associated with the implementation of the new Medical Device Excise Tax scheduled in 2013. Stryker noted that the move is expected to shave annual pre-tax operating costs by more than $100 million starting 2013 […]

Benihana Inc ( BNHN ), the largest operator of Japanese restaurants in the U.S, posted restaurant sales of $24.4 million during the four-week period ending November 6, 2011, up 6.0% from $23.0 million delivered in the year-ago period. The upside in sales was primarily driven by improved comparable restaurant sales across all three restaurant concepts. […]

Urban Outfitters Inc . ( URBN ), the retailer of apparel, footwear and accessories, recently posted better-than-expected results for the third quarter ended October 31, 2011. […]

With yields on Italian government bonds moving back up towards the scary 7% level following Mario Monti's troubles in gaining parliamentary traction with the technocratic government, all-too-familiar European headlines will now be escaping. Italy fears aside, we also hear disconcerting economic growth news out of Europe this morning. But unlike the constant barrage of negative news out of Europe, the U.S. […]

On Monday, Charles Schwab Corp. ( SCHW ) released its Monthly Activity Report for October 2011, recording client activity increases of 9% from September 2011 and 37% from October 2010. […]

Swedish pharma company, DuoCort Pharma AB, recently announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved Plenadren to be used for the treatment of adrenal insufficiency in adults. The approval of Plenadren does not come as a surprise, as earlier this year in July the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) had recommended the candidate’s approval. […]