CAGNY: Hillshire Brands Discusses Progress on Strategy

Chicago / IL. (hbc) The Hillshire Brands presented at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York´s (CAGNY) annual conference in Boca Raton (Florida). Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer, and Maria Henry, chief financial officer, provided an overview on the progress the company has made against its strategies. «We have made broad-based progress against our plan», said Connolly. «Hillshire Brands competes in attractive and profitable categories. Our disciplined investment in brand building and innovation, coupled with our focus on cost management, positions us to generate strong and sustainable shareholder returns». Specifically, Connolly cited the progress the company has made in increasing operating income, earnings per share and total shareholder return since it debuted as a public company in the summer of 2012. He also mentioned he expects further progress driven by a strong innovation slate that will launch in the next few months. The company´s core brands are leaders in their respective categories. To support these brands, the company has ramped up innovation, driven distribution gains and intends to increase MAP investment to five percent of sales by the end of fiscal 2015. The presentation highlighted numerous new product line extensions and adjacent innovations. Additionally, it covered capital deployment plans and touched on the company´s increased dividend and expected share repurchases of 200 million USD through fiscal 2015. The company also described its strategy to leverage its assets and capabilities through M+A activity.