A good week for Marthinus Stander
Rainbow Chicken CEO Marthinus Stander could be forgiven for crowing last week when the poultry group’s market value surpassed that of its former parent, RCL Foods. RCL unbundled Rainbow just more than two years ago. For a while after that, the poultry group traded at less than a third of RCL’s market value. But Stander, a poultry industry veteran, has sharpened operational efficiencies and fattened margins, turning Rainbow from a long-time laggard into a high-flying bird.
A bad week for Paul Cruickshank
RCL Foods, which holds a heap of well-known household brands, slumped to a five-year low last Friday. CEO Paul Cruickshank is working with a solid and potentially scalable grocery basket, but the group’s sweet spot in pet foods was recently hit by a salmonella contamination. Nothing quite compromises brand strength like a widespread product recall. Cruickshank and his senior management team have their work cut out for them to collar the market share losses.
