Yogurt War

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Julie Cruz, A Culture Clash in the Yogurt Aisle. Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Sept 9, 2013.
http://www.businessweek.com/arti ... eats-chobanis-lunch

Quote:

"Just two years [in 2009, that is] after releasing its first product in 2007 [founded in 2005, launched 1st product in 2007], Chobani became the biggest US seller of Greek-style yogurt * * * by 2011 Chobani had 15 percent of the overall US yogurt market, according to researcher Euromonitor International. More important, the upstart won almost half of sales of the faster-growing Greek variety, [researcher firm Sanford C] Bernstein says. One result: Danone’s share of the US yogurt market dropped from 40 percent in 2010 to 35 percent a year later, Euromonitor estimates. * * * [Danone's] Oikos sales increased 165 percent in the 12 months through May 2013, according to researcher Mintel Group. Although Mintel estimates that Chobani’s sales rose more than 20 percent in the same period—it still leads the segment—Sanford C Bernstein says it has lost share for 18 straight four-week periods." (order rearranged to reappear in quotation chronologically)

"The success of Danone’s belated push to slow Chobani’s momentum and narrow its lead in Greek yogurt is a testament to how an established player’s marketing heft can trump a newcomer’s .

Danone branching out: "To extend its brand’s reach, Danone has rolled out Oikos yogurt dips in flavors such as cucumber dill and French onion and is launching a trial of Oikos frozen yogurt. * * * first-mover advantageDanone will begin selling a new brand of Greek yogurt parfaits at Starbucks cafes next year before selling in supermarkets in 2015. * * * Chobani, by contrast, isn’t moving beyond its main product line.

Note:
(a) summary underneath the title of print: Danone, a latecomer to Greek yogurt, is eating Chobani's lunch
(b) Despite the URL, this is not a "blog," but a published report.
(c) "Danone, the world’s largest yogurt maker * * * Dannon, Danone’s US unit"
(i) Groupe Danone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_Danone
(Founded  Barcelona, Spain (1919); Headquarters  Paris; claims world leadership in fresh dairy products and also in bottled water)
(ii) Yogurt market share can be found in publications for example, of Euromonitor International, which however is locked behind pay wall.
(d) first-mover advantage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-mover_advantage
(Originally made apparent by the ever booming Internet phenomenon; section 2 First-mover disadvantages)
(e) French onion soup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_onion_soup