Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., the Massachusetts-based agricultural cooperative, said Thursday it has acquired a cranberry processing business in Chile that will expand its multinational footprint and increase its capacity to produce dried cranberries by 12 million pounds annually. Ocean Spray’s press release about its first acquisition outside of North America did not include financial details of the transaction. Dried cranberries make up the fastest-growing product in Ocean Spray’s portfolio. MassHousing, the state’s affordable housing bank, provided more than $1 billion in home loans in 2012 to local borrowers -- a record high amount and another sign of the recovering housing market, state officials said Thursday. Last year, 4,710 Massachusetts residents with low or moderate incomes received mortgage help that allowed them to buy or refinance properties through the agency, according to Thomas R. Gleason, MassHousing’s executive director. The nearly $1.1 billion total is 52 percent higher than the agency’s previous record for home mortgage lending set in 2009, the state said. Shaw’s and its sister supermarket brand Star Market are part of a larger proposed $3.3 billion deal that could leave the local chains owned by a group of private equity firms that include Cerberus Capital Management, the firm that controls the Steward Hospital Health Care System hospital chain in Boston. The parent of the Shaw’s and Star Market chain of roughly 170 stores, Supervalu Inc., has agreed to sell several of its supermarket chains across the country to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management LP, the New York private equity firm that controls the Steward hospital chain. Baskin-Robbins unveiled the list of finalists in its annual contest to find new ice cream flavors. Dessert devotees have a week to cast a vote online and help pick a winner that the chain will feature some time this year as its flavor of the month. One entry: Blondie Ambition, which is described as cream cheese ice cream with a caramel cinammon ribbon, Heath Bar pieces, and blondie brownie pieces. The sister chain of Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin-Robbins is based in Canton. Liberty Mutual, one of the largest insurance companies in the country, plans to phase out its regional brands this year, including Peerless Insurance in the Northeast, so it can focus on using the Liberty Mutual brand nationwide. In addition to Peerless, the Boston insurance giant is also eliminating the following brands: America First Insurance, Colorado Casualty, Golden Eagle Insurance, Indiana Insurance, Liberty Northwest, Montgomery Insurance, and Ohio Casualty. All of the units sell commercial insurance through independent agents. Beverly ad agency Rattle said it has been assigned a marketing project by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The assignment calls for the Rattle creative team to develop a campaign to make tourists to the Boston and North Shore areas more aware of the museum and its world-class reputation, Rattle said. Billings are not being disclosed. TA Associates, a private equity firm with offices in Boston, said Thursday that it has completed a majority investment in Dutch LLC, the parent company for the fashion brands JOIE, Equipment, and Current/Elliott. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. The Dutch brands of premium contemporary apparel are sold in more than 2,000 stores in 75 countries, including high-end department stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Barney’s. | 
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment