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The shares ought to be attractive to other investors but, for the moment, it looks as though Mr Van de Walle's gadgetry and his directors' enthusiasm are providing only scant encouragement. George Clooney the Hollywood actor who has been endorsing in Europe Nestl's fastestgrowing brand, Nespresso did not show up at this week's grand opening in Paris of the Swiss multinational's lavish new coffee shop on the ChampsElyses. But Sharon Stone turned up instead to ensure maximum publicity for what, after all, has become Nestl's biggest marketing success story in recent years. Sales of Nespresso coffee machines and capsules have been growing during the past six years by an average of 30 per cent a year. Last year, they increased by 42 per cent to SFr1.16bn and are expected to hit the SFr2bn mark by 2009. The Swiss food group is planning a massive expansion of Nespresso boutiques round the world, targeting luxury shopping streets such as Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The idea is to turn Nespresso into a luxury brand that can sit alongside a Louis Vuitton or Harry Winston store.
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