Latest news with #Triscuit
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chips Ahoy and Oreo maker Mondelez sues grocery chain Aldi over similar packaging
Snack brand giant Mondelez is suing grocery chain Aldi, alleging that the grocer's store-brand snack packaging 'blatantly copies' Mondelez. The maker of Oreo, Triscuit and Chips Ahoy filed the lawsuit on May 27 against the German grocer, which has US headquarters in Illinois, in the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. Chicago-based Mondelez said in the lawsuit that Aldi's cookie and cracker packaging was 'likely to deceive and confuse' customers. Aldi did not respond to CNN's request for comment. The discount supermarket chain primarily sells store-brand versions for lower prices than popular name brands, such as those owned by Mondelez. Mondelez said in its filing that it previously contacted Aldi about 'copycats' of the Oreo cookie design, Teddy Grahams, Belvita biscuits, Triscuit crackers and Tate's Bake Shop cookies. Aldi eventually 'discontinued' and 'changed certain of these infringing products,' Mondelez said. Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who is not involved in this case, said the law is designed to protect consumers. 'I can go to the store and reasonably assume that I recognize the name, and that's who I'm buying from,' Gerben said, but some customers 'think that they might be buying something from the Oreo brand or Wheat Thins, but they're actually getting a substitute.' The lawsuit claims Aldi's peanut butter creme-filled cookies, chocolate chip cookies and Thin Wheat crackers have packaging similar to Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy and Wheat Thins, among other similarities. Mondelez said in the lawsuit that 'if not stopped,' Aldi's packaging threatens to 'irreparably harm' Mondelez and its brands. Mondelez is seeking monetary damages as well as a court order to prevent Aldi from selling such products, according to the filing. Mondelez did not respond to CNN's request for comment. This is not the first time Aldi has faced a lawsuit over its store-brand products looking overtly similar in name, color and design to other brands. Last December, an Australian federal court said Aldi was liable for copyright infringement over children's snacks packaging that resembled Hampden Holdings' Baby Bellies puffs packaging. 'You want to fly close enough to the sun because you want the benefit of something,' but not too close, Gerben said. He added that such lawsuits are a case-by-case analysis and there's no 'bright line test' that would decide Aldi's liability. Aldi has over 2,400 locations in the United States. In February, the chain announced plans to open 225 stores in 2025. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Aldi Is Being Sued By a Popular Snack Creator For Allegedly Selling 'Confusingly Similar Packaging'
Mondelēz International is suing Aldi, accusing the chain of copying packaging for popular snack brands including Oreos, Wheat Thins, Chips Ahoy! and Ritz crackers to mislead shoppers. The suit claims Aldi ignored prior warnings of legal action regarding Mondelēz's more popular brands and is "riding the coattails" of Mondelēz's branding. Mondelēz is seeking a jury trial to determine damages, including legal fees and punitive is in hot water with Mondelēz International, the parent company of well-known snack brands including Oreo, Wheat Thins, Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy!, Nilla Wafers and Ritz crackers. In a complaint obtained by PEOPLE, filed on Tuesday, May 27, Mondelēz International, along with its intellectual property holding company and subsidiary Intercontinental Great Brands LLC (collectively 'Mondelēz'), claims that the budget-friendly grocery chain's business model hinges on producing products with similar packaging to resemble its popular aforementioned brands in an attempt to 'confuse' its customers. 'Defendant is in the business of selling private label cookie and cracker snacks and has a pattern and practice of selling products in packaging that are unacceptable copies of Mondelēz's trade dress,' reads the complaint. 'Because of this misconduct, Mondelēz has a history of enforcing its intellectual property rights against Defendant.' Mondelēz alleges that it has reached out to Aldi in the past regarding the mimicking of other product designs, including Teddy Graham cookies, Belvita biscuits, Tate's Bake Shop cookies and Triscuit crackers. According to the complaint, Aldi 'discontinued and/or changed certain of these infringing products' in response to the outreach. However, Mondelēz alleges Aldi ignored its similar request regarding the other product lines, which led to the formal complaint. 'Defendant's willful infringement must be stopped, and Mondelēz is entitled to recover the significant damages it has suffered,' reads the court documents. 'Defendant's acts have caused and are likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception in the minds of the public.' Neither Mondelez International nor Aldi responded to PEOPLE's attempts for comment. Mondelēz claims that the alleged purposeful use of its familiar marketing designs by Aldi is an attempt to 'ride the coattails' of its products' popularity and benefit from its 'power of attraction, fame and/or prestige, and to exploit the marketing effort expended by Mondelēz.' Mondelēz is seeking a jury trial, which will be charged with determining the award amounts for treble damages, Mondelēz's attorney fees and costs, punitive damages, and any other awards the Court deems appropriate. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Chips Ahoy and Oreo maker Mondelez sues grocery chain Aldi over similar packing
Snack brand giant Mondelez is suing grocery chain Aldi, alleging that the grocer's store-brand snack packaging 'blatantly copies' Mondelez. The maker of Oreo, Triscuit and Chips Ahoy filed the lawsuit on May 27 against the German grocer, which has US headquarters in Illinois, in the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. Chicago-based Mondelez said in the lawsuit that Aldi's cookie and cracker packaging was 'likely to deceive and confuse' customers. Aldi did not respond to CNN's request for comment. The discount supermarket chain primarily sells store-brand versions for lower prices than popular name brands, such as those owned by Mondelez. Mondelez said in its filing that it previously contacted Aldi about 'copycats' of the Oreo cookie design, Teddy Grahams, Belvita biscuits, Triscuit crackers and Tate's Bake Shop cookies. Aldi eventually 'discontinued' and 'changed certain of these infringing products,' Mondelez said. The lawsuit claims Aldi's peanut butter creme-filled cookies, chocolate chip cookies and Thin Wheat crackers have packaging similar to Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy and Wheat Thins, among other similarities. Mondelez said in the lawsuit that 'if not stopped,' Aldi's packaging threatens to 'irreparably harm' Mondelez and its brands. Mondelez is seeking monetary damages as well as a court order to prevent Aldi from selling such products, according to the filing. Mondelez did not respond to CNN's request for comment. This is not the first time Aldi has faced a lawsuit over its store-brand products looking overtly similar in name, color and design to other brands. Last December, an Australian federal court said Aldi was liable for copyright infringement over children's snacks packaging that resembled Hampden Holdings' Baby Bellies puffs packaging. Aldi has over 2,400 locations in the United States. In February, the chain announced plans to open 225 stores in 2025.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oreo Maker Warns Cocoa Costs Will Drive Down Earnings Per Share 10%
(Bloomberg) -- Mondelez International Inc. shares slumped in after-hours trading after the snack food company said 'unprecedented cocoa cost inflation' would drive down earnings this year. State Farm Seeks Emergency California Rate Hike After Fires NYC's Newest Transit Leader Builds a Worker-Driven Strategy New York's First 'Passive House' School Is a Model of Downtown Density Transportation Memos Favor Places With Higher Birth and Marriage Rates When French Communists Went on a Brutalist Building Boom The company expects adjusted earnings per share in 2025 to decline by approximately 10%. The stock fell 5% at 5:54 p.m. in after-hours trading in New York. Cocoa prices remain substantially elevated from prior years, more than doubling since the end of 2023. Chief Executive Officer Dirk Van de Put said the company was focused on navigating cocoa cost inflation in 2025. Sales in the company's fiscal fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 3.1% to $9.6 billion, the maker of Triscuit crackers and Milka chocolate bars said in a statement Tuesday. Adjusted earnings per share fell 16% to $0.65. While Mondelez's revenues were up compared to 2023, volumes for the year were down, as budget-conscious shoppers pulled back on a wide range of purchases at the supermarket. While some food makers have used promotions to reel customers in, Mondelez has raised prices because of its reliance on cocoa. The company said that it expects cocoa prices to eventually come down from their current highs, but they will remain higher than they have historically. It is currently raising prices and may have to do more increases in the second half of the year and in 2026, Van de Put told investors Tuesday. Still, consumers maintain their appetite for chocolate — the company had double digit Christmas net revenue in the category. Chief Financial Officer Luca Zaramella said that the company would grow EPS in 2026 no matter what happens to cocoa prices. (Updated with commentary from investor call beginning in paragraph six.) Amazon and SpaceX Want In on India's Satellite Internet Market Elon Musk Inside the Treasury Department Payment System Inside Elon Musk's Attack on the US Government The NFL's Flawed DEI Program Still Beats What Most Companies Are Doing The Internet Almost Killed Barnes & Noble, Then Saved It ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Chicago Tribune
05-02-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Oreo maker warns cocoa costs will drive down earnings per share 10%
Chicago-based Mondelez International Inc. shares slumped in after-hours trading after the snack food company said 'unprecedented cocoa cost inflation' would drive down earnings this year. The company expects adjusted earnings per share in 2025 to decline by approximately 10%. The stock fell 5% at 5:54 p.m. in after-hours trading in New York. Cocoa prices remain substantially elevated from prior years, more than doubling since the end of 2023. Chief Executive Officer Dirk Van de Put said the company was focused on navigating cocoa cost inflation in 2025. Sales in the company's fiscal fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 rose 3.1% to $9.6 billion, the maker of Triscuit crackers and Milka chocolate bars said in a statement Tuesday. Adjusted earnings per share fell 16% to $0.65. While Mondelez's revenues were up compared to 2023, volumes for the year were down, as budget-conscious shoppers pulled back on a wide range of purchases at the supermarket. While some food makers have used promotions to reel customers in, Mondelez has raised prices because of its reliance on cocoa. The company said that it expects cocoa prices to eventually come down from their current highs, but they will remain higher than they have historically. It is currently raising prices and may have to do more increases in the second half of the year and in 2026, Van de Put told investors Tuesday. Still, consumers maintain their appetite for chocolate — the company had double digit Christmas net revenue in the category. Chief Financial Officer Luca Zaramella said that the company would grow EPS in 2026 no matter what happens to cocoa prices. Mondelez International moved from Deerfield to Chicago's Fulton Market neighborhood in recent years, joining the parade of corporate food giants abandoning the suburbs for the city.
