Page 24 - ARUBA TODAY

Friday 8 September 2017 BUSINESS
A24

Prime real estate: Amazon looks for 2nd headquarters

Amazon’s announce- the city itself doesn’t nec-
ment highlights how fast essarily have to be a million
the company is expand- people — but declined to
ing and is certain to create say how open it was to go-
a scramble among cities ing outside of the United
and states vying to make States.
the short list. They have a “We want to find a city that
little more than a month is excited to work with us
to apply through a special and where our customers,
website , and the compa- employees, and the com-
ny said it will make a final munity can all benefit,” the
decision next year. company said on its search
It didn’t hint about where it website, about why it was
might land, but its require- choosing its second head-
ments could rule out some quarters through a public
places: It wants to be near process.
a metropolitan area with Bezos has crowdsourced
more than a million peo- major decisions before -
ple; be able to attract top in June, just before Ama-
technical talent; be within zon announced its plan to
45 minutes of an interna- buy organic grocer Whole
tional airport; have direct Foods, the billionaire took
access to mass transit; and to Twitter seeking ideas for
wants to be able to ex- a philanthropic strategy to
In this Tuesday, May 30, 2017 photo, the Amazon logo is displayed at the Nasdaq Mar- pand that headquarters to give away some of his for-
ketSite, in New York’s Times Square. Amazon announced Thursday, Sept. 7, that it has as much as 8 million square tune. And tech companies
opened the search for a second headquarters, promising to spend more than $5 billion feet in the next decade. have been known to set
on the opening. That’s about the same size places in competition with
(AP Photo/Richard Drew)
as its current home in Se- each other: In vying to land
By JOSEPH PISANI close to transit, with plenty many as 50,000 employees. attle. Co-headquarters, Google’s ultra-fast broad-
AP Business Writer of space to grow. It plans to stay in its sprawl- though, often come about band network, many cities
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, The company said Thurs- ing Seattle headquarters as a result of mergers. used stunts and gimmickry
bursting out of its Seattle day that it will spend more and the new space will be Amazon said its search is to get the company’s at-
headquarters, is hunting than $5 billion to build “a full equal” of its current open to any metropolitan tention. Topeka even in-
for a second home. Must another headquarters in home, said founder and area in North America that formally renamed itself
haves: A prime location, North America to house as CEO Jeff Bezos. meets the parameters — “Google, Kansas.”
Nestle freshens up its image with vegetarian meals takeover

By JAMEY KEATEN as a key area a few years
Associated Press ago,” said Wayne England,
GENEVA (AP) — The maker head of strategic food op-
of Hot Pockets wants to erations at Nestle. “Giving
go vegetarian, California- the world better access to
style. vegetarian-based or plant-
Nestle, the world’s biggest based food is something
food and drinks company, we want to do.”
is buying husband-and- Nestle, which is based in
wife startup Sweet Earth, Vevey, Switzerland, said
which sells frozen burritos Sweet Earth, which report-
stuffed with quinoa, beans edly had $25 mlllion in rev-
and other vegetarian in- enue last year, will remain a
gredients. stand-alone business, and
The move echoes efforts stay at its headquarters in
by packaged food con- Moss Landing, California.
glomerates across the It declined to specify the
world that have been try- cost of the deal.
ing to appeal more to con- Sweet Earth co-founder
sumers who favor fresher Kelly Swette, who will con-
foods, smaller, local brands tinue to run the company
and are worried about the with co-founder and hus-
ingredients they eat. band Brian, said in an inter-
Nestle, whose frozen food In this April 7, 2016 photo Nestle’s directors speak in front of the Nestle’s logo during the general view: “We believe in rede-
brands include Lean Cui- meeting of Nestle Group, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The world’s biggest food and drinks company, fining frozen food.”
sine and Stouffer’s, recent- Nestle, says it is buying husband-and-wife startup Sweet Earth, which sells frozen burritos stuffed She said several compa-
ly invested in online meals with quinoa, beans and other vegetarian ingredients. The Swiss company, whose frozen food nies approached Sweet
company Freshly, which brands include Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s, said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017 that the deal will boost its Earth about a buyout, but
delivers cooked meals presence in the fast-growing market for plant-based foods. declined to name them.
to customer’s doorsteps (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP) The deal with Nestle, she
that it says are gluten-free Soup bought natural foods lever said it was buying al tea business. said, will help get Sweet
and don’t contain refined maker Bolthouse Farms. Pukka Herbs, a small but “This segment has been Earth into more frozen food
sugars. In 2012, Campbell And on Thursday, rival Uni- fast-growing organic herb- identified for us globally aisles. q