Nestle in 2004

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Introduction

The 138-year-old Nestlé, headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, was the world's biggest food and beverages company. The company employed around 253,000 people and operated in almost all countries across the world. In 2003, Nestlé recorded sales of $70 billion and a net income of $5 billion. Nestlé was the global leader in coffee (Nescafé) and bottled water (Perrier). In 2001, by purchasing Ralston Purina, Nestlé had become a leading player in the pet food business. Ranging from kitty kibble to pasta, chocolate, and dairy products, the company's largest global brands included Buitoni, Friskies, Maggi, Nescafé, Nestea, and Nestlé.

Nestlé owned about 75 per cent of Alcon Inc. (ophthalmic drugs, contact lens solutions, and equipment for ocular surgery) and had a 26 per cent stake in the French cosmetics giant, L'Oréal.

In 2004, Nestlé was in the midst of a major corporate restructuring exercise, which aimed at simplifying operations, cutting costs and sharpening the business focus. Analysts wondered how effective the restructuring would be.

Early History
Nestlé was the result of a series of mergers of many small companies. In the mid-1860s, Henri Nestle, merchant, chemist and innovator, experimented with various combinations of cow's milk, wheat flour and sugar...

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