Bye bye Cadbury, hello Kraft ...

[SamLouise]

For some reason, I really didn't think it would happen!

[SamLouise]

[SamLouise]

Oops, forgot the link  :-[

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8467007.stm

[betula]

Being very familiar with the Bournville area of Birmingham that is home to Cadburys I feel quite sad about this  .

[emmy1978]

I'm sad.  :( Growing up in Brum, the Cadbury factory was a huge part of your life-going to the shop, looking round Bournville, school trips. It really should be protected in some way as a heritage site. I wonder if i've got time to take my girls.. :'(
Kraft...grrrr...I hate things that are spelled with a K.

[betula]

I remember the school trips emmy.Happy days. :)

[OllieC]

Coming from a Quaker family, I think this is very sad. I'm also a shareholder in the company at the moment - but will flog them if the takeover goes ahead as I don't wish to own shares in Kraft (it's a pretty stagnant business model as well as being too big & making kids fat!). I don't even think this is the best deal for individual shareholders in the long run, but the board will all get their perks and the funds will get a short term gain.

[betula]

Still no pubs allowed on the cadbury estate ollie.

One of the supermarkets tripped up over this  :)

[emmy1978]

Kraft are just so awful with their Oreos and plastic cheese.  >:( Shareholders suck (not you Ollie!) and I'm really quite devastated by this. I was cross when i saw it on the news, but, like Betula thought it would proably never happen. The world's gone crazy...Kraft Flake? No.
As Betula says the Bourneville estate is still run the same way as it was, no pubs, houses for the workers, what will happen to it? I can't see Kraft running it the same way. Grrrrrrrrrrr. If only I was Queen of the World..as I obviously should be.... ;)

[bridgehouse]

I to am sad about Cadbury, I live a few miles away from Bounville, and I went on school trips to Cadbury to, its such a shame one of the few firms left that are English,  and now going to be American owned.Seems its the end of a era
RIP Cadbury,   because it will never be the same again.
The Cadbury family have done a lot for B''ham, and they really looked after their employees
      June.

[OllieC]

Just reading the (lengthy) proposal they send through to shareholders... I know it's the way of the world, but statements like this just depress me...

"Kraft Foods believes a combination with Cadbury will provide the potential for meaningful cost savings and revenue synergies from which Cadbury Securityholders will benefit."

[saddad]

I'm ambivalent about it...
As a historian I am sad to see the "Quaker" legacy under threat, as a consumer I can't eat most of either companies products..
What I am worried about is

I hate things that are spelled with a K.

I'll have to change my name Emmy  ;D

[betula]

That sounds ominous......wonder how many will lose jobs............in fact will they close down the Brum factory??

[emmy1978]

Hehehe...sorry Saddad names not included! But Kosy, Kat, Kwik...aaaargh! I can barely type the words.
That statement is so depressing Ollie-meaningful cost savings? Sounds bad.

[shirlton]

The choclit challinge won't be the same will it Hyacinth

[betula]

The following is a post from another forum.

It gives an interesting snippet on how life used to be at Cadburys.




I worked for Cadburys for 36 years, 10 of them at Bournville. When I joined in 1967,it was still a bit paternal, and, i suppose, old -fashioned. The junior managers wore caps in blue with a white pinstripe to denote their status, while the senior managers also had jackets in the same material. I always thought of them as butchers coats.There were numerous dining rooms in the dining block for different grades, and some managers still took advantage of the facility of going over to their dining room to have their teabreak (though it wasn't called that). their was a visiters dining room , close to the directors area, with waitress service, and if you called in an engineer to service an instrument (in the laboratories anyway) you could book a lunch there, free of charge. Understandably the service engineers gave very good service to our labs. When new people joined, whatever the grade, they started off on the clock for a period. this was the old fashioned timeclock with a card you inserted and pressed the lever each morning and afternoon. If you were not late you got an ectra payment (£3 over 43 months rings a bell ) and you lost money (10d, I'm not sure) for each late event.  One new graduate entry, who came at the same time as myself, succeeded in losing all his £3 in the shortest possible time, being late every morning and afternoon. He didn't do badly though, and ended up as cocoa buying director.
There were still many quakers in the company then, and quite a few Cadburys. They all exuded a calm pleasantness which the employees respected. since knowing them I have always very much respected the quaker faith, though am not religious in any way. They could be a little over the top on occasion, Mr Paul (the family were always referred to in that way) had retired by the time I came, but you did see him visiting on occasion, particularly to the archives, which were iover the road in Franklin block. After the Bournville club gained a licence, on leaving the archives (which were next door to the club), he would cross to the other side of the road before carrying on, and avoid looking at the club building aas he went past. To us this would seem strange but he had his beliefs  and kept to them. As the chairman of one of the Cadbury Trusts he had occasion to visit Aston university every year to discuss the work carried out with the aid of that trust (which a good friend of mine was involved). Every year tthe university tried to send a car to bring him in , but he always refused. In earlier years he came in on his bicycle. Later by bus.  Oh that present leaders of the company (or the country) could do likewise.
Mike

[emmy1978]

Gosh how interesting! Thanks for that Betula.  :)

[cornykev]

Emms what about  K  for Kev.   :'( :'( :'(

[lewic]

My Dad used to work at a Cadburys factory back in 1950-something. Apparantly you were allowed to eat all you wanted on a shift, but couldnt take anything out. New staff always gorged themselves silly at first but got so sick of the taste and smell of it before long they never ate chocolate again!

Hope the new owners dont impose too many of their new-fangled American rules..

[cocopops]

I took my children to Cadbuy's World last summer when I was over on holiday.  They loved it, the whole ethos was it was a 'family' business.  The staff were brilliant and the chocolate cheap or included in the price.  Such a shame that it has been taken over  :'(

[Ninnyscrops.]

On Newsnight now..................it'll make you cry  :'(

Ninny