Coffee Overkill Has More Marketers Thinking That It's Time for Tea

From AdAge: 
Chai tea may have been an oddity at Starbucks years ago, but having a lengthy list of leaf-based options has become all the rage among the barista set, thanks in part to consumers having had their fill of grounds.

In December, Starbucks acquired Teavana, a specialty tea chain with 300 locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Among specialty retailers like Starbucks, servings of hot tea rose 18% for the year ended February 2013, compared with a year earlier, according to NPD, while the iced variety showed solid growth of 5% over the same period. With the summer months upon us, many chains are rolling out a slew of cold options to quench customers' thirst.

In supermarkets, ready-to-drink tea has been booming for some time; during the past six years, it has grown 58%, to $3.8 billion in wholesale figures, from $2.4 billion. In the U.S. last year, ready-to-drink tea grew 5%, making it the fourth-fastest growing beverage category, according to Beverage Marketing Corp.; it's behind energy drinks, ready-to-drink coffee and bottled water.
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FCO Minister Mark Simmonds twitter Q&A on Somalia

 

FCO Minister Mark Simmonds twitter Q&A on Somalia

LONDON, 16 May 2013 / PRNewswire Africa / - Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds will answer your questions on Somalia and the G8 live via twitter on 20 May. 

Rebuilding Somalia is one of the UK's top foreign policy priorities. Progress over the last year has been striking; security is improving, relationships with the international community are normalising and a new parliament has been appointed in the most representative political process in a generation. 

The G8 Foreign Ministers' meeting in April urged the re-engagement of the International Financial Institutions in Somalia. The Somalia Conference on 7 May in London brought together 55 countries and international organisations to demonstrate their support to the new Federal Government of Somalia's efforts to create a more peaceful and prosperous future for the country. Representatives of the Somali diaspora in the UK have also joined ministers from Britain and Somalia to help promote the position of women in Somalia.

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UK Presidency of G8 2013

 

This year the UK assumes the one-year Presidency of the G8, with the Leaders’ Summit taking place 17-18 June. Prime Minister David Cameron’s priority during the G8 Presidency will be the global economy. He will use the Presidency to help generate growth, jobs and prosperity for the long term. To achieve this the UK G8 will focus on open economies, open governments and open societies to support free trade, tackle tax evasion and encourage greater transparency and accountability.  Read the rest here

Azevedo formally appointed as new WTO chief

May 15, 2013



The World Trade Organization has formally appointed Roberto Azevedo as its new director general. He is replacing Pascal Lamy, whose tenure will end on Aug. 31st. The WTO general council held a formal meeting on Tuesday, in which 159 members approved by consensus the selection made on May 8th. 

Azevedo said he would do his best to help members in building consensus and achieving the goals set out in the agreements establishing the WTO. He added he had a lot to learn from Lamy’s experience. 

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