Market Sales Manager - West, Poppi

FMCG veteran Dieter Lutz becomes marketing chief of Dr. Schär. 12 hours ago Free-from food maker Dr. Schär has named FMCG veteran Dieter Lutz - previously of Vitafy, Theo Müller, Bahlsen, Danone and PepsiCo - as its new marketing chief, a signal of how seriously special-diet brands now invest in mainstream brand marketing. Dr. Schär, the market-leading gluten-free and special-diet food maker headquartered in Burgstall, South Tyrol, has named German FMCG marketer Dieter Lutz as its new marketing chief, reported on 24 September 2026. He most recently ran Vitafy Brands in Munich as general manager. Lutz previously held marketing-leadership roles at Theo Müller, Bahlsen, Danone and PepsiCo, bringing more than 20 years of international FMCG and brand experience. He succeeds Hansjörg Prast, who is retiring. Special-diet and free-from food once competed largely on medical necessity - you bought gluten-free because you had to. As the category broadens into lifestyle and mainstream appeal, that functional pitch is no longer enough, and brand marketing becomes the growth lever. Recruiting a marketer with a blue-chip mass-FMCG CV is a clear statement of ambition. It says Dr. Schär intends to compete for mainstream shoppers and shelf space with the storytelling and brand-building muscle of a major consumer-goods player. The Takeaway The pattern is category maturation: as a niche broadens into the mainstream, the marketing challenge shifts from explaining a need to building a brand people prefer. That change calls for different talent. Its view: a hire like this is a leading indicator of where a category is heading. When a free-from brand recruits from Danone and PepsiCo, it is telling you the fight has moved from necessity to desire - and every brand in an adjacent niche should take note. Who is Dr. Schär's new marketing chief? Dieter Lutz, a German FMCG veteran previously of Vitafy, Theo Müller, Bahlsen, Danone and PepsiCo, reported on 24 September 2026; he succeeds the retiring Hansjörg Prast. Why is the hire significant? It signals the free-from category is maturing from medical necessity into mainstream lifestyle appeal, where blue-chip brand marketing becomes the key growth lever. When a free-from brand recruits its marketing chief from Danone and PepsiCo, it's telling you the fight has moved from necessity to desire. That kind of hire is a leading indicator of where a whole category is heading - and every brand in an adjacent niche should be paying attention. - Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing A niche brand hiring blue-chip FMCG marketing talent signals category maturation - the challenge shifting from explaining a need to building a preferred brand. As your niche goes mainstream, do you have the brand-building talent the next phase demands? If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact Marketing Minute on [email protected] Sources: HORIZONT and SWZ (Südtiroler Wirtschaftszeitung). Related reading

PepsiCo to raise some prices after cuts failed to grow sales. Doritos, Ruffles among brands to see increases. Bloomberg News September 24, 2026 11:39 AM, EDT Key takeaways: PepsiCo Inc. is raising prices on some chips, soda and dips just months after pledging to make its snacks more affordable. The company is expected to increase the prices on grocery-store-sized bags of chips, including Doritos and Ruffles, which had been cut earlier this year, according to people familiar with the plans. The price increases, which will extend to other brands, including SunChips, are expected to go into effect at the end of this year or early 2027, according to the people, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak publicly. The prices of certain chips will go up by a low-to-mid single-digit percentage, aligned with inflation, a spokesperson for PepsiCo said, adding that the new prices will be lower than where they were prior to the price cut earlier this year. The company is still working to maintain lower prices where it can and remains committed to its affordability effort, the spokesperson said. PepsiCo is under pressure to grow sales in North America, but heightened costs and an increasingly strained U.S. consumer are challenging its efforts. The prices of its chips, in particular, have come into focus after the company lost shelf space because they had gotten too expensive. In February, PepsiCo said it was cutting prices by as much as 15% for key chip brands in a bid to boost sales that had faltered after prices got too high, with some chips topping $7 a bag. But the company saw a 2% decline in revenue in its North American food business and flat volume in its most recent earnings in July. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the consumer was under more strain than expected, due to higher gas prices. PepsiCo is also raising prices this week on some dips, including extra-large and extra-extra large jars of Tostitos salsa and Fritos canned dips, according to a memo viewed by Bloomberg News. At Dollar General stores, the extra-large Tostitos salsa jars are now priced at $4, up from $3.80, while the extra-extra large jars are now $5.50, up from $4.95. The Fritos canned dips increased to $3.75 from $3.30. The company is additionally expected to increase prices on some sodas and has warned some retailers of the upcoming price hikes, according to people familiar with the matter. PepsiCo declined to comment specifically on price increases impacting dips and soda, but said it was balancing low prices with the company's long-term finances. Other food companies, including Campbell's Co. and Conagra Brands Inc., have said they are raising prices in the face of a sustained increase in energy and fertilizer costs, as well as tariffs on imports. Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the consumer price index rose 0.4% in August, adding to concerns that inflation isn't abating. Retailers ultimately decide how much of a company's price increases they want to absorb and when, weighing a range of factors including market competition and consumer demand. Kroger Co. has stopped selling Red Bull energy drinks and Boar's Head deli items at many stores because the grocery chain isn't accepting their price hikes. Laguarta said in February that the company negotiated double-digit increases in shelf space at stores along with the price cuts. PepsiCo ranks No. 2 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.

PepsiCo plans price hikes on some chips and sodas, Bloomberg News reports. Published on 09/24/2026 at 11:27 am EDT - Modified on 09/24/2026 at 11:59 am EDT Sept 24 (Reuters) - PepsiCo is set to hike prices on some chips and sodas by the end of this year or in early 2027, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The report comes as the snacks and beverage giant navigates a string of challenges, including surging fuel prices, waning demand and shifting customer preferences towards healthy snacking in key markets like the US. Earlier this year, PepsiCo cut prices by up to 15% on products including Lay's and Doritos after customer backlash against several rounds of previous price hikes. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which disclosed a roughly $4 billion stake in PepsiCo last year, has pushed the company to reinvigorate its soda business, boost its share price and explore selling non-core food assets. PepsiCo and Elliott did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. PepsiCo shares, which have fallen nearly 10% so far this year, dipped about 1% in morning trading. Several food and beverage companies have been contending with rising packaging and logistics costs as the Iran war keeps oil prices elevated. In its latest earnings report, PepsiCo warned of higher commodity costs in the second half of the year and posted a 2% drop in second-quarter sales in its North American food business, although it kept its annual forecast intact. The company also said in July that high gas prices had dented consumer demand more than it had anticipated. (Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Tasim Zahid and Jonathan Ananda) (C) Reuters - 2026