Coke Acquires Vitamin Water

The Coca-Cola Co., which has been looking to expand its water and energy drink portfolio and jump-start sales in its struggling North America unit, said Friday it has agreed to buy Vitaminwater maker Glaceau in a cash deal valued at $4.1 billion.

The world's largest beverage maker said the agreement to acquire privately held Energy Brands, Inc., known as Glaceau, provides Atlanta-based Coca-Cola with a strong platform to grow its active lifestyle beverages.

The acquisition, Coca-Cola's largest to date, will be financed with debt and is expected to add to Coca-Cola's earnings per share in the first full year following completion of the deal, Coca-Cola said in a statement.

Coca-Cola's chief financial officer, Gary Fayard, said in a conference call with analysts that the deal for full ownership of Glaceau includes the 30 percent stake of Glaceau held by holdings of India's Tata Group, a conglomerate with interests spanning steel, software services, hotels, chemicals and insurance. The Tata stake will be acquired later than the majority stake, Fayard said.

Tata paid $677 million for the stake last year based on an enterprise value of $2.2 billion for the entire company, Coca-Cola said.

"Let me be clear, we will operate this business to create value for Coca-Cola shareowners," Coca-Cola Chief Executive Neville Isdell said during the conference call with analysts.

Fayard said the company expects cost savings from the deal to develop later, and he added that Coca-Cola will invest those savings in further growth of Glaceau's brands.

Formed in 1996 and based in Whitestone, N.Y., Glaceau is the maker of Vitaminwater, Fruitwater, Smartwater and Vitaminenergy.

The deal to buy Glaceau, which will operate as a separate business unit within Coca-Cola's North America segment, is expected to close in the summer. It is subject to regulatory review. The boards of both companies have approved the transaction.

Glaceau is an attractive acquisition for Coca-Cola because of its position in the enhanced water and energy drink categories, which Coca-Cola is betting will make up a large portion of the beverage industry's volume and gross profit growth in North America through 2010.

Anti Virus Program Testing

In their June issue, PC World magazine rated eight stand-alone anti-virus programs. Each one had to face what the editors call the "zoo" - a collection of nearly 900,000 viruses, Trojan horses, bots, and other forms of malicious software.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6 ($50, renewal $35) had the highest overall score just squeaking past Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2007 and BitDefender Antivirus 10, which both rated an 84.

All three programs nailed 96 percent of the malware thrown at them, far better than the rest.

PC World named Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6 a Best Buy, even though it's the most expensive program tested. The editors say the smart way to buy it is online, since the download costs $10 less than the box.

Norton AntiVirus 2007 ($40, renewal $39) is "a solid program," but the editors says its renewal and support costs are high.

Click here for the full story from PC World.

GE Recalls 2.5 Million Dishwashers

General Electric Co. is recalling 2.5 million dishwashers because of a wiring problem that could cause fires. The recall, government regulators said Wednesday, includes dishwashers sold under the brands Eterna, GE, GE Profile, GE Monogram, Hotpoint, and Sears-Kenmore.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said consumers should stop using the devices immediately and contact the company for a free repair or a rebate towards a new dishwasher.

GE has received nearly 200 complaints of overheating, including 12 fires caused by the washers. The machines' wiring is susceptible to shorting out or overheating, the government said, if liquid rinse solution leak outs of dispensers.

Customers with one of the affected models can receive a $150 rebate to purchase a new GE dishwasher or a $300 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE Profile of GE Monogram dishwasher.

For more information contact GE at (877) 607-6395 or visit the company's website at www.geappliances.com.

Postage Rising To 41 Cents

Yesterday was the day folks. The price of stamps has increased to $.41 cents for first class rates. People sending heavier packages will get a but of a price break. That's because the 41-cent rate is for the first ounce, but each additional ounce will cost just 17 cents, down from the current 24 cents. That means a two-ounce letter will cost 58 cents to mail, compared with 63 cents now.

Also expected to be attractive to many people is the forever stamp. The first forever stamps will sell for 41 centshttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=24887108
Blogger: Best Consumer Tips - Create Post apiece, but they won't have a price printed on them and they will remain valid for sending a letter regardless of any future rate increases.

While a forever stamp will always be valid for mailing a letter, that doesn't mean the price won't go up. If rates were to increase to 45 cents, for example, that's what a forever stamp would sell for. But stamps already purchased at a lower rate could still be used without adding extra postage.


Postage rates last went up January 2006.

Best Washers And Dryers

Comsumer Reports recently tested a variety of washers and dryers to see which ones rated best. "A lot of the machines we tested just didn't do very well," says Consumer Reports deputy editor Steven Saltzman.

Today's washers must meet new federal energy standards. Since January all new washers must use 21 percent less energy. Many manufacturers are doing that by lowering wash water temperatures, which can reduce cleaning performance.

Consumer Reports says traditional top loaders with that familiar center agitator post are having a tough time keeping up with front-loaders when it comes to cleaning ability.

Consumer Reports says if you can afford it, go with a front-loader. They use less water, less energy and they get clothes cleaner. They can be rather expensive, with top lines going for almost $1000.

The magazine named the Whirlpool Duet Ht GHW9400P, Bosch Nexxt 500 Series, and the LG WM0642H as CR Quick Picks.

Credit Cards With Gas Rebates

Gas Rebate Credit Cards – Don’t let high gas prices get you down! Find gas credit cards that can save you as much as 10% on your gas bill. All credit card applications are secure. Apply safely online today!