Waiwera Artesian Water Announces Multi-Million Dollar U.S. Expansion Plan Feb 9, 2010 07:15PM

Waiwera Artesian Water, voted the world's best water, will now be imported from New Zealand by BRANDCO, the Los Angeles-based beverage company that recently acquired the brand's U.S. distribution rights

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BRANDCO, the Los Angeles-based beverage marketing company, is proud to announce that it has acquired the distribution rights for Waiwera Artesian Water in the U.S., as well as for Mexico and the Caribbean. Known around the world for its award-winning taste, impressive health attributes and its iconic green bottle, Waiwera has drawn its water from an artesian aquifer in one of the purest places on earth, New Zealand's Waiwera Valley, since 1875. This makes Waiwera the Southern Hemisphere's oldest brand of bottled water. BRANDCO's initial U.S. expansion plans for Waiwera Artesian Water will focus on growth of on-premise accounts in California and Hawaii, followed by a nationwide rollout during the course of 2010 to 2011. The company plans to invest up to $8 million to market and promote the brand during this period.

"Waiwera Artesian Water is a product that BRANDCO is thrilled to share with the U.S. market," states BRANDCO's CEO, Philana Bouvier. "Waiwera's industry-leading water quality, award-winning bottle and environmentally-friendly policies make the brand a perfect fit for both high-end restaurants and today's quality and eco-conscious consumers. Given the recent findings published by The New York Times which question the safety of our nation's tap water, Waiwera's market expansion is timely for consumers looking for a clean water solution that not only tastes great, but is safe to drink and has additional health attributes not found in other bottled waters."

Carbon dated at 15,000 years old, Waiwera water is utterly free of human pollution and consequently has the lowest total dissolved solids of any bottled water available on the market. Given its outstanding historical pedigree, Waiwera also contains unique health characteristics including high alkaline levels (pH range of 8.5 to 8.9) which not only create its soft taste, but help counteract the damaging acidic conditions within the body and promote rapid healing and recovery.

About Waiwera Artesian Water:

Known around the world for its award-winning taste, impressive health attributes and its iconic green bottle, Waiwera has drawn its water from an artesian aquifer in one of the purest places on earth, New Zealand's Waiwera Valley, since 1875. This makes Waiwera the Southern Hemisphere's oldest brand of bottled water. Legend has it that New Zealand's Maori warriors would go to Waiwera to bathe in the waters to recover from the rigors of battle, adding further mythology to the Waiwera story.

Waiwera was voted the world's best water in 2008 by Decanter Magazine's expert taste test panel involving a pool of leading bottled water brands from around the world. The bottle has won several prestigious design awards including "Best Bottle in Glass" at the Bottledwaterworld Design Awards in Milan and the Gold Medal for "People's Choice for Package Design" at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Awards.

Waiwera Artesian Water is offered in 500ML and 1L sizes in both glass and PET bottles, with a sparkling offering in 500ML and 1L glass bottles. Waiwera is served at upscale hotels, restaurants and gourmet shops in California and Hawaii. For further information about Waiwera Artesian Water, please visit www.waiwerausa.com.

About BRANDCO and Philana Bouvier:

BRANDCO is a privately held, Los Angeles-based company that imports and markets premium beverage brands in the US. Since starting her career at Southern Wine & Spirits, the company's CEO, Philana Bouvier, has been at the forefront of the industry, uncovering the hottest beverage brands of today and tomorrow. Among the many prestigious brands she has helped bring to market are Roberto Cavalli Vodka, Pinky Vodka, Duval and Fever Tree.


    Source: Waiwera Artesian Water


Texas Governor Candidates File Lawsuit, Citing Exclusion from TV Debates Feb 9, 2010 07:15PM

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dr. Alma Ludivina Aguado M.D. P.A. L.L.C., Star Locke, Felix Alvarado, and Clement Glen, all candidates for Governor of Texas, joined forces and filed a $400 million lawsuit, Cause Number A10CA097SS in the United States Federal Court Travis County, Texas, against KERA Unlimited Television Station, The North Texas Public Broadcasting Inc., on February 9, 2010, for being excluded from the statewide Democratic debate on television on February 8, 2010.

All four candidates were excluded by the Television Station from joining in the statewide debate as they, did not meet a vague, subjective and flexible criteria. All Candidates are legal candidates, but yet were excluded from a chance to air their views in a public debate.

"Globalization has increased the gap between the poor and the wealthy in Texas creating an arcane culture of non competition," says Dr. Aguado. "This non-Democratic favoritism shown on behalf of wealthy candidates shown on public television discourages minorities, the poor, underprivileged and the politically underrepresented from voting."

Additional image available at: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100104006236/en/San-Antonio-Doctor-Joins-Race-Texas-Governor.

Watch Dr. Aguado talk about the importance of education at: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6162750&lang=en.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6173986&lang=en


    Source: Alma Aguado for Governor


Stater Bros. Holdings Inc. Announces First Quarter 2010 Results Feb 9, 2010 07:11PM

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Jack H. Brown, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Holdings Inc. announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ended December 27, 2009.

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030421/STATERLOGO)

The Company's supermarket sales were relatively flat, declining 1.11% in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 compared to the same period of the prior year.  Like store sales decreased 2.19% or $20.4 million for the thirteen weeks ended December 27, 2009 compared to the thirteen weeks ended December 28, 2008.  Consolidated sales in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 were $923.9 million compared to $959.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, an overall decline of $35.4 million.  The sale of dairy assets affected the comparison of sales between the first quarter of fiscal 2010 and the first quarter of fiscal 2009.  The dairy accounted for $25.0 million of the sales decline.  

During the thirteen week first quarter ended December 27, 2009, the Company completed the sale of substantially all of the assets of its dairy subsidiary to Dean Foods, Inc. and ceased all dairy manufacturing activity.  The Company recognized an after-tax gain of $4.7 million from the sale.

The Company reported net income for the thirteen week first quarter ended December 27, 2009 of $6.7 million compared to net income of $3.5 million for the thirteen week first quarter ended December 28, 2008.

Brown said, "During the quarter we completed the sale of the dairy to Dean Foods, Inc., the premier milk producer in the country.  We sold the dairy for the right business reason which was to protect the jobs of our employees at the dairy while allowing us to focus on our core business of operating supermarkets that provide outstanding value and service to our 'Valued Customers.'  

"Our economy continues to have a negative effect on the family budgets of our customers.  Our emphasis in these tough economic times is to retain customers by providing value so our customers get the most out of their shopping dollars while providing them with a friendly and satisfying experience on each and every one of their visits to our supermarkets.  

"While our quarterly like store sales declined over the previous year, our customer counts were up over the same time last year.  We remain committed to cost control as we navigate through this national economic recovery."

Stater Bros. Holdings Inc. is the largest privately held Supermarket Chain in Southern California and operates 167 supermarkets through its wholly owned subsidiary, Stater Bros. Markets.

For information contact: Jack H. Brown, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at (909) 733-5000.

STATER BROS. MARKETS...SERVING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR OVER 74 GOLDEN YEARS


Contact:

Phil Smith

Stater Bros. Holdings Inc.

(909) 733-5287



    
    
                          STATER BROS. HOLDINGS INC.                     
                     Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets             
                                (In thousands)                           
                                  Unaudited                              
                                                                         
                                                      09/27/09   12/27/09
                                                      --------   --------
    Assets                                                               
      Current assets                                                     
        Cash and cash equivalents                     $196,914   $242,247
        Restricted cash                                  3,121      3,121
        Receivables, net                                40,720     41,616
        Inventories                                    212,856    237,761
        Assets held for sale                            83,617          -
        Other                                           30,109     37,331
                                                        ------     ------
                                                                         
      Total current assets                             567,337    562,076
                                                                         
      Property and equipment, net                      671,493    667,608
                                                                         
      Deferred debt issuance costs, net                 11,276     10,473
      Other                                             64,629     65,348
                                                        ------     ------
                                                                         
    Total assets                                    $1,314,735 $1,305,505
                                                    ========== ==========
                                                                         
                                                                         
    Liabilities and stockholder's equity                                 
      Current liabilities                                                
        Accounts payable                              $153,083   $157,000
        Liabilities held for sale                        5,634          -
        Accrued expenses and other liabilities         132,931    121,592
        Current portion of capital lease                                 
         obligations                                     1,336      1,389
                                                         -----      -----
                                                                         
      Total current liabilities                        292,984    279,981
                                                                         
      Long-term debt                                   810,000    810,000
      Capital lease obligations, less current                            
       portion                                           3,768      3,400
      Other long-term liabilities                      144,228    146,658
                                                                         
      Total stockholder's equity                        63,755     65,466
                                                        ------     ------
                                                                         
    Total liabilities and stockholder's equity      $1,314,735 $1,305,505
                                                    ========== ==========
    
    
                         STATER BROS. HOLDINGS INC.                    
                Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income            
                               (In thousands)                          
                                 Unaudited                             
                                                                       
                                                    13 Weeks  13 Weeks 
                                                       Ended     Ended 
                                                       -----     ----- 
                                                    12/28/08  12/27/09 
                                                    --------  -------- 
    Sales                                           $959,253  $923,864 
                                                                       
    Gross profit                                     246,862   238,150 
                                                                       
    Operating expenses:                                                
      Selling, general and                                             
       administrative expenses                       211,004   205,288 
      Gain on sale of dairy assets                         -    (7,950)
      Depreciation and amortization                   13,360    12,666 
                                                      ------    ------ 
    Total operating expenses                         224,364   210,004 
                                                     -------   ------- 
                                                                       
    Operating profit                                  22,498    28,146 
                                                                       
    Interest income                                      205        59 
    Interest expense                                 (17,100)  (17,189)
    Other income (expenses), net                         149       (11)
                                                       -----     ----- 
                                                                       
    Income before income taxes                         5,752    11,005 
                                                                       
    Income taxes                                       2,211     4,294 
                                                       -----     ----- 
                                                                       
    Net income                                        $3,541    $6,711 
                                                      ======    ====== 

SOURCE Stater Bros. Holdings Inc.


Sonoco Board Declares Regular Quarterly Common Stock Dividend Feb 9, 2010 07:11PM

HARTSVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Board of Directors of Sonoco (NYSE: SON) today declared a regular quarterly dividend of $.27 per common share. This 339th consecutive quarterly dividend will be payable March 10, 2010, to shareholders of record as of February 19, 2010.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $3.6 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with more than 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.


    Source: Sonoco


Encore Energy Partners LP Sets Date for Fourth Quarter 2009 Earnings Release Feb 9, 2010 07:09PM

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Encore Energy Partners LP (NYSE: ENP) announced today that it will release fourth quarter 2009 earnings before market open on Monday, February 22, 2010. Encore Energy Partners LP will participate in the Denbury Resources Inc. (NYSE: DNR) fourth quarter 2009 earnings conference call to be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Central Time. The call may be accessed on Denbury's website at www.denbury.com.

About the Partnership

Encore Energy Partners LP was formed by Encore Acquisition Company to acquire, exploit, and develop oil and natural gas properties and to acquire, own, and operate related assets. ENP's assets consist primarily of producing and non-producing oil and natural gas properties in the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming and Montana, the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana, the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, and the Arkoma Basin in Arkansas and Oklahoma.


    Source: Encore Energy Partners LP


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