Topic “In the News News” — Exporter Magazine
The website MyExtraGum.com was launched, said the company, to allow consumers to choose from a range of templates, themes, patterns, colours and fonts for a packet of Wrigley Extra gum. In terms of marketing, the paper said differentiation is key to ensuring the brand stands out. Brand differentiation means the packaging allows the product to outshine its rivals to make “a brand more valuable than the competition in the eyes of the target consumer”. Major food manufacturers including giants like Sara Lee, Kraft, and ConAgra have been raising prices as commodity costs have soared in recent months – but if a company can provide cheaper alternative ingredients that offer additional benefits, now could be the time to attract new business, the report said. The report said the decision was made after the European Confederation of Footwear Industries, Europe’s largest shoemakers association, withdrew its petition for an extension of tariffs.
The EU began to levy anti-dumping duties ranging from 9.7% to 16.5% on Chinese shoes with leather uppers in 2006 and extended the tariff by a further 15 months in 2009.
In 2010, China overtook Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy. It has set a target of 8% for GDP growth for this year. The country is also aiming to record average annual GDP growth of 7 % in each of the next five years. Speakers from natural health science company Manuka Health New Zealand Ltd said the company’s development had the potential to be “a 10-times multiplier” in what could be earned from each kilogram of Manuka honey. The report, quoting North American Metal Packaging Alliance’s (NAMPA) chairman Dr John Rost, said the only way to ensure public confidence in new materials was through the lengthy route of testing and research followed by regulatory approval. He urged that any legislative deadlines must take this into account. The package includes money for business recovery coordinators, international visits for exporters to key clients, a trust fund for those in need following the quakes, and more money for workshops and business training. 
