"Caribbean Food & Drink Report Q4 2012" Published

New Food research report from Business Monitor International is now available from Fast Market Research

by Bill Thompson

(WireNews+Co) - Boston, MA - 27 October 2012

Taken as a whole, the Caribbean consumer sector remains challenging, with the region hit hard by the global economic downturn. Markets such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico were among the first to enter recession and have been among the slowest to recover. This has put downwards pressure on the propensity to spend and has led to a drop in demand for discretionary and non-discretionary goods across the region. That said, the region is recovering and there are also several markets, including the Dominican Republic and Trinidad & Tobago, which were much more resilient during the global crisis and have bounced back much more swiftly. There remain significant pockets of opportunity in the region.

View Full Report Details and Table of Contents (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/456317_caribbean_food_drink_report_q4_2012.aspx) (http://www.fastmr.com/prod/456317_caribbean_food_drink_report_q4_2012.aspx)

Headline Industry Data

2011 food consumption per capita/forecast 2012 growth/forecast compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to 2016 (all in US dollar terms):

- Bahamas: US$1,804/+0.9%/1.0%
- Barbados: US$1,165/+4.5%/+4.0%
- Dominican Republic: US$231/+3.7%/+2.9%
- Jamaica: US$292/+3.7%/+4.7%
- Puerto Rico: US$942/+3.1%/+4.0%
- Trinidad & Tobago: US$1,091/5.4%/+5.3%

Key Company Trends

Pernod Ricard Moving On From Havana Club Battle After Another Court Defeat: In May 2012, Global spirits firm Pernod Ricard looked close to giving up its battle to secure rights to the Havana Club brand in the US after the US Supreme Court refused to review a law that prevents the firm from renewing the trademark in the country. On the same day of this judgement, Pernod Ricard announced the development of a new Cuban rum brand for the market, Havanista, which would be launched should the current embargo on Cuban products be lifted.

Nestle Invests In Jamaican Milk Energy Brand: In July 2012, Nestle Jamaica announced a new production line for its Supligen milk-based energy drink. The facility, which required an investment of US$7.6mn, is located at its Bybrook plant in Linstead. The plant will boost production volumes and allow the firm to lessen its reliance on imports. Nestle added that following the upgrade, the Supligen brand will now be packed in smaller can sizes (from 367mnl to 280ml); this is very likely a response to relatively high levels of inflation and the corresponding weakness in real income growth.

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