Paris, 18 June 2009 - Global food and non food consumer goods retailers and manufacturers voted today to join forces in a new global, joint trade and industry body, named The Consumer Goods Forum, whose members have combined sales of EUR 2.1 trillion (USD 2.9 trillion).
The new association unites not only the world’s leading consumer goods retailers and manufacturers, but also many regional specialists and independents. It has a mandate from its members to develop common positions on key strategic and practical issues affecting the consumer goods industry, to focus on non-competitive collaborative process improvement and to provide a network for thought leadership and knowledge exchange.
The organisation will be co-chaired by retailer Pierre-Olivier Beckers, President & CEO, Delhaize Group and by manufacturer AG Lafley, CEO, President & Chairman, Procter & Gamble.
The forum was created by the merger of CIES, the pre-eminent food and consumer goods industry body, with the Global CEO Forum and the Global Commerce Initiative (GCI), two global retailer and manufacturer collaborative platforms.
The Consumer Goods Forum , will be governed on a parity basis, and will have an equal number of manufacturers and retailers on its board of directors. The new forum will be headquartered in Paris.
Pierre-Olivier Beckers, former Chairman of CIES, said: “The global consumer goods industry is facing multiple challenges. We must address issues of environmental, social and food supply sustainability. We must continue to deliver affordable, safe food and useful, exciting products to consumers in an uncertain economic climate. We will continue to prioritise our industry-leading initiatives on food safety and social responsibility. We will continue to provide thought leadership and cutting edge business intelligence. But we will do so with a united focus.”
AG Lafley , said: “This new industry body will allow us to address non-competitive issues together more effectively than ever by giving an equal voice to all sides. It represents a radical change in the way we as trading partners are equipped to meet the demands of the global supply chain and is a true global network for serving shopper and consumer needs. ”
Paul Bulcke , CEO of Nestlé Group, said: “Consumer’s needs and demand continue to change at ever more increasing speed. For our industry, continuing to meet, and even exceed, consumer’s expectations, is a priority. The Consumer Goods Forum offers us a fantastic opportunity to join forces to work together to do this. The Forum will also re-enforce our joint actions by working on the key aspects that contribute to enhancing and protecting the reputation and image of our industry. Our goal is continuous improvement in delivering value and quality to our consumers and shoppers. ”
Mike Duke, CEO & Vice-Chairman of Wal-Mart, said: “Growing sustainably in the current climate means taking responsibility, not just in our respective companies, but together as an industry. We can only do that effectively by working together. Our customers demand more from us than ever – we are uniting to deliver it to them.”
