Premium Essay

General Mills Earnings

In: Business and Management

Submitted By rmg1
Words 48114
Pages 193
General Mills

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

PUTTING THE CONSUMER

Our Fiscal 2014 Financial Highlights

In millions, except per share and return on capital data

52 weeks ended 52 weeks ended May 25, 2014 May 26, 2013

Change

Net Sales Adjusted Segment Operating Profit* Net Earnings Attributable to General Mills Diluted Earnings per Share (EPS) Adjusted Diluted EPS, Excluding Certain Items Affecting Comparability* Return on Average Total Capital* Average Diluted Shares Outstanding Dividends per Share

$17,910 $ 3,154 $ 1,824 $ 2.83 $ 2.82 11.6% 646 $ 1.55

$17,774 $ 3,223 $ 1,855 $ 2.79 $ 2.72 12.0% 666 $ 1.32

+ 1% − 2% − 2% + 1% + 4% −40 basis pts. − 3% +17%

N ET SA LE S Dollars in millions
2010 201 1 2012 2013 2014 14,636 14,880 16,658 17,774 17,910

A DJ USTE D S E G M E NT O PE R ATI N G PRO F IT * Dollars in millions
2010 201 1 2012 2013 2014 2,854 2,946 3,012 3,223 3,154

A DJ USTE D D I LUTE D E A R N I N G S PE R S H A R E * Dollars
2010 201 1 2012 2013 2014 2.31 2.48 2.56 2.72 2.82

D I V I D E N DS PE R S H A R E Dollars
2010 201 1 2012 2013 2014 0.96 1.12 1.22 1.32 1.55

*See page 87 for discussion of non-GAAP measures.

Putting the Consumer First
At General Mills, our key strategy for growing our worldwide food businesses is to Put the Consumer First. We work to connect with consumers and develop deep insight into what they like to eat, where they shop for food, and how they approach cooking today. From product development to manufacturing to distribution, marketing and sales, our focus is on meeting consumers’ evolving preferences and needs for high-quality, nutritious, convenient and great-tasting food.
19% 19% 19% 14% 14% 14% 15% 15% 15%

General Mills at a Glance
12% 12% 12% 3% 3% 3% 22% 22% 22%

U.S. RETAIL

Net Sales by Division

17% 17% 17% 17% 17% 17%

$10.6 Billion
22% 17% 17% 15% 14% 12% 3% Big G

Similar Documents

Free Essay

General Mills Company I

...Introduction General Mills Company is one of the 500 fortune company in the American, with a primarily food products. The head quartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota of the suburb of Minneapolis. General Mills markets are very know by the brand of Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Green Giant, Cheerios, and Lucky Charms. General Mills has had a good history and sold a lot of products along the way. They are the 100 leading U.S brands and numerous categories in the world. Findings General Mills History In the year of 1860’s, General Mills was starting with two flour mills. They had transformed the mills industry of just producing the flour with superior baking in their properties. Around the year 1960’s General Mills were marketing the children’s product. The product they were marketing was Play-Doh, Easy Bake Ovens, Spirograph, Monopoly and Nerf balls. They had associate with characters that was memorable with them was Betty Crocker, Rocky and Bullwinkle, the lone Ranger and the Pillsbury Doughboy after what had happened to the Wheaties. Wheaties was the breakfast of Champions that was sponsoring baseball radio broadcast that the movie script in 1933. General Mills have a postwar consumer that is interesting in convenience complemented of the adverting efforts. After World II, the company continued to refine the promotion as the Betty Crocker cookbook that was first published in the 1950. The food sales in the second position had research and media capitalize the company...

Words: 1482 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

General Mills Swot Analysis

...KENT NYANDIEKA GENERAL MILLS SWOT ANALYSIS MGMT303 GENERAL MILLS HISTORY Critics criticized Cadwallader C. Washburn idea of starting a milling company. They said demand for flour from Midwestern spring wheat would never match what Washburn’s company could supplies. He didn’t see it that way. Washburn formed the Minneapolis Milling Company in 1856 to lease power rights to mill operators, and 10 years later he built his first flour mill near the falls of St. Anthony on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Despite continued criticism, he built a second, even larger facility in 1874. (General Mills) Within five years Washburn’s mill was destroyed in a floor dust explosion. Undeterred, Washburn immediately began building a better mill containing evolutionary new machinery to enhance both the safety of the operation and the quality of the flour. In 1880, Washburn and Crosby entered their finest flours in competition at the first International Millers’ Exhibition in Cincinnati, Ohio, winning the gold, silver and bronze medals, and establishing the Washburn Crosby Company’s flour as the best in the world. (General Mills). Soon after, the company changed the name of its finest flour to Gold Medal flour, which is still the No. 1 flour brand in America today. MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to nourishing lives- making life healthier, easier and richer. (Company, 2012) GENERAL MILLS STRENGTHS One of the major strengths of General Mills is that they have established food brands...

Words: 1327 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

General Mills Analysis

...Steven Masetti Professor Guo 11/29/13 BU201 General Mills General Mills is a company engaged in the marketing and manufacturing of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The company operates about 50 facilities for the production of the wide range of food products. General Mills operates through three business divisions, U.S. retail, international services, and bakeries and food service. Its consumer brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, and Wanchai Ferry.  Its main headquarter is in Minneapolis and the company operates in more then 100 countries. General Mills’ International operations have been growing rapidly in recent years. Fiscal 2012 international segment net sales are expected to exceed US$4 billion. including sales from the Yoplait international yogurt business acquired July 1,2011. International sales are growing 22%, although earnings will be flat with last year, capped by one-time charges in 2012 for acquisitions of brands in Canada, Brazil and the U.S. General Mills product line is very well increasing in revenue and one main product that has been a huge seller is the Greek 100. Greek 100 is General Mills’ biggest-selling new Yoplait product in at least 20 years. It’s expected to do $140 million in sales in its first full year. Only about 2 percent of new consumer product launches do over $50 million in their first year so that’s really a big move. Greek...

Words: 1879 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Evaluation of Marketing Strategies at General Mills

...Main Title: Evaluation of Marketing Strategies at General Mills Matthew Swygart Indiana Wesleyan University Instructor: Scot Squires 31 May 2015 To recognize when a product may be transitioning to another stage, “The competitive frame of reference defines which other brands a brand competes with and therefore which brands should be the focus of competitive analysis. The range of a company’s actual and potential competitors can be much broader than the obvious. For a brand to grow by entering new markets, a broader or maybe more aspirational competitive frame may be necessary to reflect possible future competitors. In fact, a firm is more likely to be hurt by emerging competitors or new technologies than by current competitors” (Kotler & Keller, 2012, p. 130). Business and growth strategies for food categories that General Mills, Inc. partakes in are highly competitive; “their main competitors have substantial financials along with a large marketing budget and other resources. Not only are they competing with the competitors in the market but also having to divide their market share with generic products produced by grocery wholesalers. To grow in the market segment General Mills, Inc. plans to increase their media spending in order to have stronger brand recognition with their products. They also plan to grow through the multiple joint ventures they participate in. they have a 50 percent equity interest in CPW, which manufactures ready-to-eat cereal products in more...

Words: 2202 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

The Ready- to- Eat Breakfast Cereal Industry in 1994 (a)

...Harvard Business School 9-795-191 Rev. February 14, 1997 The Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereal Industry in 1994 (A) All is not well in the land of Tony the Tiger.1 In early 1994, the ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereal industry had reached a critical turning point in its evolution. In an industry historically characterized by stability and above average profitability, slowing demand growth and a surge in private label sales threatened to undermine the dominant positions of the Big Three: Kellogg, General Mills, and Philip Morris. The 1993 year-end statistics showed that industry sales growth had slowed to under 2%, while private labels had topped 5% market share by sales and 9% by volume for the first time. Price increases by the Big Three had widened the gap between branded and private label products. The competitors had traditionally avoided destructive head-to-head competition, but this mutual restraint appeared to be crumbling. Each of the firms faced major decisions going forward about whether to break with the industry’s lock-step moves and how to deal with the threat of private labels. History of the RTE Breakfast Cereal Industry2 The ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry got its start in 1894, when Dr. John Kellogg and his brother W.K. Kellogg invented wheat cereal flakes in an attempt to make whole grains appealing to the vegetarian clients of the Seventh-Day Adventist sanitarium Dr. Kellogg ran in Battle Creek, Michigan. 3 W.K. went on to invent the corn flake...

Words: 9018 - Pages: 37

Free Essay

Case Lobster

...RED LOBSTER: MARKET RESEARCH REVEALS WHATS FRESH TODAY BACKGROUND 1968: Foundation: Red Lobster was founded in 1968 by entrepreneur Bill Darden and Charley Woossby. Originally billed as a “Harbor for seafood Lovers”, the original restaurant in Lakeland, Florida, was followed by several others throughout the Southest. 1970: General Mills acquired Red Lobster in 1970 as a five-unit restaurant company and rapidly expanded the company nationwide. As it reached more parts of the country, Red Lobster continually introduced guests to fresh dishes that quickly became favorites, with many guests getting their first taste of calamari, snow crab and Key lime pie here – not to mention the fact that it is where popcorn shrimp was invented. (after 1970, until 1980) In 1980, this year was one of the most important for the company, reaching and being in their stage of maturity, a stage in which all companies desire to be in there. In 1983, Red Lobster opened its first restaurant in Canada (Windsor, Ontario) Finishing, in 1995, after decades of success and growth, Red Lobster, together with Olive Garden and later Bahama Breeze, became part of Darden Restaurants, with Joe at the helm until 2005, when he turned the reins over to current CEO and Chairman Clarence Otis. Over the years, their passion for seafood and delicious experiences has kept Red Lobster evolving. Their menu has grown and changed with their guests’ tastes and their ability to bring the best of the sea to your table...

Words: 3041 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

General Mills

...General Mills, Inc Summary General Mills is an American company that specializes in the production, packaging and distribution of food products. The company has managed to acquire a significant share of the market through mergers and acquisition. Currently, the company controls about 31 percent of the market. The industry is characterized by a moderate to low level of competition. The main competitors include Groupe Danone, Kellogg, and Kraft. Each company is able to retain its customer base since consumers tend to consume foods they are used to and hence strong brand loyalty. The company’s competitive advantage lies on its broad range of products and high level of innovation. High level of innovation has enabled the company to meet the changing customers’ need effectively while minimizing the operational costs. By providing a wide range of products, General Mills has managed to minimize risks. General Mills basically targets three groups, which include; baby boomers, Hispanics and the Minneapolis population. General Mills, Inc General Mills, Inc is an American company that is headquartered in Minneapolis in Minnesota. The history of the four industry traces back to the 1850’s and General Mills was founded in 1928 by James Ford Bell, who facilitated a merger between several milling companies in the region. The company is principally involved with the production and distribution of consumer foods. The company provides a wide range of products including meals...

Words: 625 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Foundations Paper

...Foundations Paper Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and Longhorn Steakhouse are places many have had the pleasure of visiting. These restaurants focus on providing exceptional customer service and creating a positive work environment for their employees. Along with the focus on exceptional service, these restaurants share another commonality; they are all a part of the Darden Restaurant Group. In 1938, a 19 year old by the name of Bill Darden opened his first restaurant. Over the next 70 years, Bill Darden would add eight different restaurants brands to his portfolio of companies, each one dedicated to providing exceptional customer service. In 1995, the Darden Restaurants Group Inc. would develop the Darden Foundation. A foundation committed to giving millions of dollars to support non-profit organizations in the communities Darden restaurants serve. Darden Foundation The Darden Foundation was founded in 1995 and named for its founder Bill Darden. In partnership with more than 2,100 restaurants and 200,000 employees, the Darden Foundation works each day — through grant making and strong partnerships — to bring a tradition of service to life in every community Darden serves (http://www.dardenfoundation.com, 2014). The Darden Foundation is focused and committed to making a meaningful impact on the communities they serve. The Darden Foundation identifies and invests in national nonprofits across the U.S. and near its company headquarters in Central Florida. The Darden...

Words: 827 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How Does Darden Segment and Target the Sit-Down Dining Market? Use the Full Spectrum of Segmentation Variables in Your Response.

...Case 1 Slavica Ristoska 6/3/15 1. How does Darden segment and target the sit-down dining market? Use the full spectrum of segmentation variables in your response. Answer: Psychographic Segmentation is represented by Olive Garden’s plan to build a dining experience around the concept of a fabled Italian family. Olive Garden’s marketing team learned that a primary customer insight shows that customers are as interested in emotional nourishment as they are in physical nourishment. Styling the restaurant as an Italian farmhouse, commercials that invite you to be “part of the family”, and training at their Culinary Institute in Tuscany has shaped a genuine Italian menu. Geographic Segmentation is something that Darden exhibits in the Longhorn chain. Longhorn Restaurants are currently only found in the eastern half of the US. This offers an opportunity for extensive expansion going forward. Demographic Segmentation is exemplified by Red Lobster’s efforts to fill the gap between fast-food seafood and upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Behavioral Segmentation is realized in usage rates. Darden, along with all other sit-down restaurants, are seeing a decline in the frequency that diners are eating out at sit-down meals. This is a result of economic decline and consumers becoming more particular with how they chose to use their limited finance resources. ...

Words: 780 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Case Study Analysis- Red Lobster

...MBAA 606 Talisha Quinta Case Study Write- up Red Lobster March 17, 2015 COMPANY OVERVIEW Red Lobster is a chain of casual dining restaurants, founded and managed by Bill Darden. The headquarters of the company is located Florida, and it has branches in Japan, United Arab Emirates, and Canada. Red Lobster has approximately 698 branches. The company was formed in 1968, with the aim of providing a place where Americans will get some seafood. The company was successful in introducing fresh and new delicacies to their customers. These fresh dishes became popular, and this accelerated the growth of the company, and in 1980s, the company made its presence in Canada. However, its Canadian experience was not good; this is because the company made lots of losses. Competition was stiff in Canada, and due to poor strategies and lack of sufficient market information, the company was forced to close some of its branches in Quebec, Canada. This happened on September 1997. In 1995, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze were integrated, as part of the Darden Restaurants Inc. Joe Lee was then in charge as the Chief Executive Officer, and later on, he handed the company to Clarence Otis. The company is passionate about seafood, and over the years, the company has initiated the culture of innovation for the purposes of introducing and developing new menus that will satisfy the needs of its customers. Red Lobster has become a household name and over the years was able to gain...

Words: 852 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Saws

...Acknowledgement I take the opportunity to show my appreciation to the following people for their help during this educational period. I am grateful to the Wisynco Group of Companies for facilitating me for my work experience assignment. I have conjured a lot of knowledge during the short period of time spent working at the organization. To my supervisor Miss Sasha Lewis and the staff of the Employees Benefits Department who helped me develop in the right way in the period. To my school, the School of Business Administration, University of Technology, for providing a course such as this which gives students the opportunity to put the skills taught in class into action. This course has allowed me to examine myself as it related to how competent I am in the working world and it truly was a marvellous experience. Thank you all. Introduction This assignment gives a brief summary of my six (6) weeks of Work Experience done at the Wisynco Corporate Office. This experience is a core component needed to be completed for the module Cooperative Experience. The report will allow readers to see my opinion on the whole experience as it will highlight my ups and downs during the period. I will also make references to practices incorporated by other organizations and will make recommendations as it concerns how I could of made the journey a lot better. Company Overview WISYNCO is located in St. Catherine, Jamaica, and operates from two main locations. Manufacturing takes...

Words: 1074 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

General Mills Merger with Pillsbury

...Summary General Mills first began as a flour Mill in the 1860’s and since the beginning they have been a successful, innovative company. Throughout the years they have grown to becoming the third largest food company in North America. General mills is committed to diversity, innovation and the relationships they have built. They believe their stakeholders are as important to the company as their customers, keeping them in mind for every business decision made. They have 6 key stakeholders; consumers, customers, partners, teams, shareholders and communities. General Mills believes the success of their stakeholders is a success for the company, every decision they make must add value to for their stakeholders. In 2001 General Mills completed a merger with their long-time competitor, Pillsbury. Both sides of the merger felt this was the best decision for each company involved, General Mills felt it would add value to shareholders, while Pillsbury was just happy the business would stay local. The merger was complete with a $10.5 billion price tag and would total $13 billion in annual sales. The only problem was Pillsbury’s weak performance, causing layoffs for General Mills. The best solution to remedy this problem is for General Mills to get its thinking caps on and come up with a new innovative product line for Pillsbury. It will take time and a lot of effort, but in the end the benefits will improve the new company and get Pillsbury performing at the same level as General Mills...

Words: 4338 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Company Case 6 – Darden Restaurants: Balancing Standardization and Differentiation

...Allen McKinney MKT 101 02/28/13 Company Case 6 – Darden Restaurants: Balancing Standardization and Differentiation 1. Use the full spectrum of segmentation variables, describe how Darden segments and target the sit-down dining market? Psychographic Segmentation is represented by Olive Garden’s plan to build a dining experience around the concept of a fabled Italian family. Olive Garden’s marketing team learned that a primary customer insight shows that customers are as interested in emotional nourishment as they are in physical nourishment. Styling the restaurant as an Italian farmhouse, commercials that invite you to be “part of the family”, and training at their Culinary Institute in Tuscany has shaped a genuine Italian menu. Geographic Segmentation is something that Darden exhibits in the Longhorn chain. Longhorn Restaurants are currently only found in the eastern half of the US. This offers an opportunity for extensive expansion going forward. Demographic Segmentation is exemplified by Red Lobster’s efforts to fill the gap between fast-food seafood and upscale white-tablecloth restaurants. Behavioral Segmentation is realized in usage rates. Darden, along with all other sit-down restaurants, are seeing a decline in the frequency that diners are eating out at sit-down meals. This is a result of economic decline and consumers becoming more particular with how they chose to use their limited finance resources. 2. Has Darden differentiated and positioned its brands...

Words: 680 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

An Analysis of Cost Accounting General Mills Incorporated

...GENERAL MILLS, INCORPORATED A Cost Accounting Analysis COMPANY BACKGROUND General Mills (GSI) is the sixth largest food company in the world. The company currently operates in more than 100 foreign countries and employs over 35,000 people. . GSI manufactures and markets branded consumer foods worldwide and supplies branded and unbranded food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries. The company manufactures cereals, yogurt, ready-to-serve soup, dry dinners, frozen vegetables, refrigerated and frozen dough products, dessert and baking mixes, frozen pizza, flour, fruit and snacks; and organic products, including soup, granola bars, and cereals; and ice cream and frozen desserts, and high fiber snacks. Its best knows product brands are Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Cheerios and Haagen-Dazs. It markets its products through its direct sales, broker and distribution a to grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar and discount chains, commercial and noncommercial foodservice distributors and operators, restaurants, and convenience stores. The company was founded in 1928 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. GSI’s businesses are organized into three operating segments: U.S. Retail, International, and Bakeries and Foodservice. The U.S. Retail segment includes sales to grocery stores, mass merchandising, and membership stores such as BJ’s, Sam’s and Costco, natural food chains, drug,...

Words: 2064 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Mascot Advertising

...or service  - Supporting a school or professional sports team  - Acting as a goodwill ambassador for a cause Mascots can take a variety of forms, including inanimate objects, logos, people, and live animals. Most people are very familiar with costumed characters as mascots. Finding the right mascot can have a dramatic effect on your company's ability to sell to consumers. Your product or service is much harder to forget if it represented by a dramatic and memorable character. Mascots are used to represent businesses as well as schools and sports teams. Some great examples of companies using mascots are the characters used to promote breakfast cereals. Characters like the rabbit used to sell General Mills' Trix breakfast cereal seem to stick in the minds of children and adults alike. NEED FOR THE STUDY Need for the study is to know whether Mascot advertising effects the sales of the product OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 1. Mascot advertising can be a break or make situation for the product 2. Impact of mascot advertising on the consumers...

Words: 336 - Pages: 2