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SUPPLIER NEWS — Procter & Gamble battery brand Duracell assisted with post-Hurricane Sandy relief efforts by bringing a little power to, coincidentally, Battery Park in New York. 


ATLANTA — A majority of retailers say delivering a consistent customer experience is their top priority this holiday season, according to a new survey.

Supply chain and retail technology provider RedPrairie released results of its "Holiday Hiring Snapshot" survey of 250 big-box, specialty, grocery, convenience store and food service retailers based in the United States, finding that nearly 60% cited the importance of consistency, with 29% saying they would hire more seasonal workers this year than last year.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Newcastle on Wednesday announced the first nationwide release of its limited edition beer, Newcastle Winter IPA. The Winter IPA will be on retail shelves and on draught in on-premise locations now through January 2013.

New Castle IPA features a copper color with a strong hop aroma, subtle caramel notes, a full body and a balanced finish, as is characteristic of traditional British-style IPAs.

SAN DIEGO — Health warning labels on cigarette packages that use pictures to show the health consequences of smoking are effective in reaching adult smokers, according to the results of a new study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 

BOSTON — Samuel Adams has once again stepped into the realm of "extreme beers" with its latest 10th anniversary release of Samuel Adams Utopias, the brewery's legendary barrel-aged beer. Aged to perfection — for some ingredients, 20 years — the new brew contains slightly more than 29% alcohol by volume, which compares with 5% ABV in Samuel Adams Boston Lager.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Static Guard has partnered with celebrity fashion stylist Phillip Bloch to launch the year-long Stylist's Secret Weapon Campaign, the company announced Tuesday.

Bloch, who has experience dressing award-winning celebrities for the red carpet, will encourage style mavens across the country to unleash their inner stylista by embracing Static Guard. The partnership between the Hollywood stylist and Static Guard will include several appearances at key fashion and industry film events as well as social media contests and giveaways.

LOS ANGELES — Quest Nutrition on Tuesday launched Quest Cravings Peanut Butter Cups, a high-protein chocolate candy with 20 g of protein per serving. 

The peanut butter cups are made with non-Dutch processed 100% chocolate rich in amino acids, containing no soy, trans fats or sugar. Suggested retail price is $27.99 for a box of 12 packages, with two cups per package.

In September, Quest Nutrition introduced the Cravings line exclusively to Facebook fans. 

MINNEAPOLIS – The pranksters at 30 Watt have introduced a new way to fool family and friends this holiday season, with a fake new product that supposedly solves the issue of hard-to-reach electrical devices — Connect-A-Cord, 50 one-foot sections of cord — the company announced on Monday.

With 50 separate cords, Connect-A-Cord is a new solution to tangled cords, the product's box claims. The product's packaging also boasts that it comes with an optional contractor case for tangle-free storage.