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Blackstone Group and PAI Partners are progressing with plans to offload UK Jacob's-to-McVitie's manufacturer United Biscuits. The question on everyone's lips is whether the business will be floated or sold. Katy Askew reports.

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Lindt & Sprungli has often been touted as a potential takeover target for Nestle. However, Stefan Kirk of M&A advisors Glenboden argues the Swiss chocolate maker is an unlikely acquisition candidate for anyone - and suggests the company could dust off its chequebook to boost growth.

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Tomorrow (19 October), the world's major confectioners flock to Cannes in the south of France for one of the highlights of the duty-free and travel-retail calendar the Tax Free World Association (TFWA) World Exhibition. The economic downturn has had a severe impact on the channel with worldwide travel numbers under pressure but, as Dean Best reports, there are reasons for confectioners to arrive on the French riviera less gloomy than others.

This week, the more eye-catching new products announced to market include Unilever rolling out a vegan version of its Hellmann's mayonnaise in the UK and Nestle taking its Asian-inspired Maggi snacks into noodle pots.

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Top cocoa-producing nations Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana and major confectionery companies have agreed to take action to help eliminate deforestation.

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Pladis, the UK-based snacks group subsidiary of Turkey-based Yildiz Holding, has launched a tablet chocolate range, Godiva Masterpieces, initially on sale in North America, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

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UK-based snacks group Pladis has announced plans to double its chocolate sales and increase its biscuit sales by 50% as the company targets revenues of GBP3.2bn (US$3.9bn) over the next two years.

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Pladis, the UK-based biscuits arm of Turkey's Yildiz Holding, is reportedly looking to sell French brand BN and Dutch business Continental Bakeries has been named as a potential buyer - although both companies declined to comment today (17 November) when contacted by just-food.

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Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding has announced plans for its domestic market to become the group's "base" for chocolate production and for the manufacture of new chocolate products for its snacks subsidiary, Pladis.

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Pladis has unveiled a "super-premium" range of chocolate bars in the US and online under G by Godiva sub-brand.

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Italy-based confectioner Ferrero has confirmed it has made a formal bid to acquire Belgian biscuits maker Delacre, which is part of Pladis, the newly-formed biscuits and chocolate subsidiary of Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding.

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United Biscuits owner Pladis has played down reports that it is in talks with Ferrero, aimed at the Italian confectionery company acquiring Pladis' Belgian luxury biscuits business Delacre.

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Yildiz Holding, the Turkish owner of brands including Godiva and McVitie's, has said it plans to list its recently established food unit, Pladis, in London by 2020 as part of a push to become the world's largest snack group. 

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Godiva and McVitie's owner Yildiz Holdings has decided to bring its snacks brands under one unit in a bid to drive growth internationally. Unilever's CEO, Paul Polman, sounded a note of caution about trading conditions in 2016. And sugar was once again in the headlines, driving policy agendas in Europe.

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Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding is bringing its global chocolate and biscuit businesses – including Godiva, DeMet's, Ulker and United Biscuits - together in a single umbrella subsidiary, called Pladis.

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Yildiz Holdings has applied to the Turkish Capital Markets Board to list 45% of its dairy unit, AK Gida.

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Turkey's Yildiz Holding has confirmed plans to list its local dairy subsidiary, AK Gida.

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United Biscuits is set for a new owner - Turkey's Yildiz Holding. The UK-based snacks maker announced this week brands including McVitie's and BN would join Godiva chocolate in the Yildiz portfolio. The M&A spotlight was firmly on the UK last week, with German giant Müller striking a deal to buy Dairy Crest's liquid milk assets - competition approval pending.

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Higher sales and lower tax expenses have lifted net profit levels at Turkish biscuit maker Ulker Biskuvi despite a fall in operating income in the first nine months of the year.

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United Biscuits' private-equity owners, Blackstone Group and PAI Partners, have agreed to sell the UK biscuit maker to Turkey's Yildiz Holding, the owner of chocolate brand Godiva.

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Turkish snack giant Ulker has confirmed the appointment of Mohamed Elsarky as chief executive of its US-based chocolate business Godiva.

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Yildiz Holding, the owner of premium chocolate brand Godiva, is to acquire US confectioner DeMet's Candy Co. from its private-equity owners for US$221m.

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Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding has sold a 20% stake in food arm Ulker - double than it originally planned - to foreign institutional investors.

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Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding is to buy 75% of local meat processor Aytac Et.

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Tesco grabbed the headlines last week after signing an agreement with Yucaipa for its US stores, bringing an end to its failed venture across the Atlantic. Amongst other retailers, Morrisons insisted the "space race" among major UK grocers was "well and truly over" as it released its latest sales and earnings figures. Elsewhere, just-food spoke with Boulder Brands CEO Stephen Hughes about its buoyant gluten-free business. Here is a selection of quotes from last week's news and insight.

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Turkish FMCG giant Yildiz Holding has appointed Bilal Kaafarani to the post of chief innovation officer and group president of R&D.

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Yildiz Holding, the owner of Turkish food group Ulker, has announced plans to form a venture with US spice giant McCormick & Co.

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Guylian, the Belgian chocolate maker, today (19 October) claimed that markets in Asia had started to show signs of recovery.

Yildiz Holding reportedly wants its snacks business to overtake Kellogg and become the world's second-largest snack manufacturer.

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Citizens of UK city Coventry are up in arms over chocolatier Godiva's claim it owns the Lady Godiva name.