NESTLÉ S.A.: plans to buy 49% of Wagner Tiefkuehlprodukte GmbH, a privately held German maker of frozen pizzas. The deal is expected to close Jan. 1 following regulator approval.
SMITH & WESSON CORP.: has entered the recreational billiards market with a new line of billiard cues and accessories through a licensing deal with Leisure Pursuits of Wayne, NJ.
ONLINE COUPONER BOODLE: San Diego, will run Dollar Days promotions throughout December via 250 newspaper Web sites. Boodle coupons are distributed via newspaper sites by Consumer Networks; General Mills, SC Johnson, Kimberly-Clark and other CPGs use the service. For Dollar Days, marketers offer $1 coupons redeemable in supermarkets; newspapers support with e-mail and online banner ads.
PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS: will delay the release of its next film, Cars, until June 2006, opting instead to switch from a holiday release schedule to a summer schedule to reach a wider children’s audience. Pixar and Walt Disney, which are co-financing and distributing the film, originally planned to release the film in November 2005. The film’s delay will also give Pixar additional time to negotiate a new distribution deal with another studio, as Cars is the last film as part of a five-picture deal between Pixar and Disney.
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