Irene Rosenfeld

Mondelez International Inc. (MDLZ) is trying to stay ahead of competitors, eyeing emerging markets' growing appetite for snacks.The maker of Oreos cookies, Cadbury chocolates and Trident gum added to its sales team, expanded distribution into areas like Northeast Brazil and more cities in China, and boosted marketing behind many of its top brands in the first quarter, which Mondelez hopes will pay off with faster sales growth down the road."The race is clearly on for us and our competitors to fortify and expand our positions in these fast-growing, highly-contested emerging markets," Mondelez Chairman and Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld said on Tuesday's earnings call.The increased spending came as Mondelez encounters weakness in its sales growth due to drops in retail coffee prices in countries like Russia and in Europe, as well as gum sales that plunged by double digits in developed markets like the U.S., Europe and Japan. For the third straight quarter since Mondelez spun off its Nor...

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