Benecol US Market Share Better than previously thought.
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Tuesday July 27, 5:32 am Eastern Time
Benecol's U.S. mkt share at least four pct -source
HELSINKI, July 27 (Reuters) - Raisio's cholesterol-cutting Benecol may
have an even higher share of the U.S. margarine market than four
percent, an industry official with access to market research data said
on Tuesday.
Investment bank Merrill Lynch has triggered the latest speculation about
Benecol's performance in the United States, saying it had captured four
percent of the market.
The figure, which was not sourced, came in a comment on second quarter
results of Johnson and Johnson (NYSE:JNJ - news), Raisio's global
marketing partner.
The figure has since been confirmed by two industry sources with access
to the data, with one saying it could be conservative.
''The figure is right, but you might find that the real figure is
higher,'' the official told Reuters, declining to elaborate.
Johnson and Johnson unit McNeil Consumer Products, which markets Benecol
in the United States, has so far declined to publish market share data.
Benecol was launched in the United States in late May.
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Raisio's Benecol has 4 pct U.S. mkt share-Merrill
HELSINKI, July 26 (Reuters) - Finnish food group Raisio's Benecol
margarine has a four percent share of the U.S. market, and will soon be
joined by a line of Benecol salad dressings and yoghurts, Merrill Lynch
said.
''Benecol...is off to a solid start and is ahead of plan with a roughly
four percent share of the margarine market,'' the investment bank said
in a comment to Johnson and Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ - news) second-quarter
results published last Wednesday.
Raisio's global marketing partner for Benecol, Johnson and Johnson unit
McNeil Consumer Products, could not immediately verify the figures.
''(McNeil) will launch four salad dressings during 1999 as well as a tub
form of the margarine spread,'' Merrill said. ''Other product
enhancements will follow including a yoghurt which should help consumers
achieve the recommended (daily) dosage.''
On June 16, Merrill said that Benecol had a 2.4 percent U.S. margarine
market share, and Raisio said that if the figures were accurate it was
pleased.
Raisio has said Benecol captured five percent of the British margarine
market in the four weeks after its March launch, but no U.S. figures
have beeen published.
Benecol was launched in the United States in late May. |
