Kraft Heinz Co on Tuesday forecast better-than-expected quarterly sales growth and said it would step up its marketing budget and overhaul of its supply chain, hoping to save $2 billion by 2024 and halt weak sales and brand deterioration.
Shares in Chicago-based Kraft Heinz jumped 1.7% in premarket trading.
Packaged food companies like Kraft Heinz and Campbell Soup that market tinned food and salty snacks have for years faced a perception that their products are unhealthy. At the same time, the industry is battling aggressive competition from cheaper private label brands from Walmart and Kroger.
Virtual Investor Day
At its virtual investor day, Chicago-based Kraft Heinz said it plans to increase spending on marketing by 30% to just over $1.4 billion, a move many shareholders have hoped for since media and advertising veteran Miguel Patricio took over as CEO in July 2019. Shares of Kraft Heinz have risen 4.6% since then.
"We are totally rethinking our operations in manufacturing logistics and procurement - it is absolutely critical because in the five next years, we are going to improve our operations big time," Patricio told Reuters in an interview ahead of the presentation - his first major strategic update.
The company expects third-quarter net sales growth in the mid-single digit range versus last year, beating analysts' expectations of a 2% increase in sales, according to Refinitiv data. The highly leveraged company, whose debt pile was $27 billion at the end of last year, also said it will reduce net leverage to about four times EBITDA by the end of this year.
Forecast
Kraft Heinz forecast high-single-digit quarterly adjusted core earnings growth and mid-single-digit full-year adjusted core earnings growth.
The company has begun streamlining its supply chain, Patricio said, and is trying to build better relationships with suppliers - many of whom have been critical about Kraft Heinz's culture under the management of cost-focused private equity firm 3G Capital.
"When you cut costs too much, actually your costs increase because you lose efficiencies," Patricio said.
Kraft Heinz will continue to reduce costs but doesn't need to be as aggressive if it can work with factories, transportation and logistics companies to preserve margins by being more productive.
"We had a very transactional relationship with our suppliers ... they are part of the equation to find solutions to improve productivity in our factories," he said.
Media Budget Investment
Patricio said Kraft Heinz will invest most of its media budget in five areas, including ready-made meals like Mac & Cheese and healthy snacks.
It also aims to promote products that can be used as ingredients, such as Oscar Mayer bacon and Planters nuts that can be used in salads.
The company, whose portfolio doesn't currently include many sweet foods, plans to spend heavily on promoting "indulgent desserts" and children's beverages.
Kraft Heinz, which owns the Capri Sun drink brand, needs to invest in making existing brands better, not making more types of products, he said.
"For example, we launched more than 50 different flavours of salad dressing in the last five years ...that brings an unbelievable problem of complexity to our factories."
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