Consumer Industries Correspondent

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We are looking for a Consumer Industries reporter to cover one of the most interesting and eclectic corporate beats at the FT. The role covers makers of food and drinks, household and personal care products, as well as the UK’s farming industry, and offers opportunities to write for every part of the FT.

This reporter has a core corporate beat, breaking stories on FTSE bluechips such as Unilever, Diageo and Haleon as well as helping to cover European giants such as Nestle, Danone, ABInbev and others. This is a sector that is always restructuring and looking for growth, with ample scope for a steady stream of scoops on deal making and strategic rethinks. Many of these companies are mired in complicated turnarounds, under pressure from impatient investors.

The job also involves charting the rise of entrepreneurial challenger companies and scrutinising publicity-shy movers and shakers, such as 3G Capital, as well as keeping an eye on the emerging consumer brands going global from China, Brazil or elsewhere. The beat involves finding ways to cover secretive private groups such as Mars and Ferrero, who have been striking some of the biggest deals in the sector.

M&A activity is the norm for these companies and the job will require collaboration with the deals team.

This is a role that also offers scope to write across the FT about offbeat stories that tell a tale of consumer behaviour or economic developments. The role has global reach, which means working closely with correspondents all over the world to capture trends, be that the impact of inflation, tariff wars, the boom in everything protein or falling alcohol consumption.

• Generating ideas and breaking news
• Seeking out a wide range of contacts in and around the industry to inform stories and generate scoops
• Writing original longer-form pieces for the Companies section and other parts of the FT
• Liaising effectively with the news desks and overseas bureaux
• Working closely and proactively with the data, visuals and videos teams to produce ambitious and eye-catching projects
• Weekend shifts are required as part of the newsroom rota
• Working with, and providing cover for, reporters on leisure and retail beats

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