Godiva

Annie Young-Scrivner, who has rich experiences in global retail industry, has been named the new chief executive of famous chocolate maker Godiva, Turkey's Yıldız Holding, which owns Godiva, has said. 

In a statement on July 28, the company said she will start her new job on Sept. 14, replacing Mohamed Elsarky. 

The first sound I hear upon entering İzmir's Chocolate Festival is the piercing wail of a seven-year-old boy crying that there is no place left for the kids chocolate-making workshop. His mother, a long-legged 20-something who looks like she never let a single chocolate cross her lips, tells him she will get him to the next one.

Yıldız Holding has decided to sell 71.8 million shares of Ülker Bisküvi, Turkey's largest cookie and biscuit company, to its wholly owned unit Pladis as part of a strategy. 

"Yıldız Holding will be the indirect owner of the Ülker Bisküvi shares through Pladis," said the company in a written statement on Dec. 23. 

The sale will represent 21 percent of the company.

Yıldız Holding chair Murat Ülker said that the group, which has grown through a series of key global acquisitions for the last couple of years, will make over 5 billion Turkish Liras ($1.7 billion) in investment in Turkey over the next five years. 

Turkey?s largest food group, Y?ld?z Holding, has sold its Ak G?da dairy unit to French food giant Groupe Lactalis after an intended initial public offering (IPO) was canceled, the company has announced.

Ak G?da, the dairy unit of Turkey?s largest food group Y?ld?z Holding, said on March 13 that it had applied to the Capital Markets Board (SPK) for an initial public offering (IPO) of up to 45 percent of the company.

While Turkey seems to be on a downward path in democracy, freedom of speech and fighting against corruption, the situation of the country?s football is no different.

Turkey's largest food group Yıldız Holding, which became the world's largest cookie maker after the acquisition of the U.K.-based cookies and snacks maker United Biscuits in November for $3.2 billion, has recently added vegan products to its manufacturing line, following halal and kosher products.