February 21, 2006
IR Web Report, the world's
leading investor relations website evaluation
service, today announced the World's Best IR
Websites™ in the global Consumer Staples
sector.
Out of the 51 large-cap companies evaluated,
only five companies achieved a score worthy
of the World's Best IR Websites™
designation. In order of their ranking, they
are:
1. J. Sainsbury
2. Metro AG
3. Nestle SA
4. Cadbury Schweppes
5. Boots Group
Companies recognized as having World's
Best IR Websites™ are an elite group.
They have achieved a high ranking after a detailed
evaluation in IR Web Report's survey
of online investor relations communication practices.
Companies with World's Best IR Websites™
demonstrate a strong commitment to communicating
effectively, openly and fairly with all investors.
They provide broad and deep investor information
and their websites are well-designed and easier
to use than most other sites. World's Best
IR Websites™ are also kept up to date
and are actively managed.
In addition, companies may not use invasive
tracking technologies on their websites that
enable them to monitor and compile detailed
reports on identifiable investors' website use.
How we choose the
sites
IR Web Report inspects more than 500
investor relations websites every six months.
Companies in the survey are mostly international
large-cap companies in North America, Europe
and Asia.
Each company's investor relations website is
inspected against 133 criteria. The criteria
cover financial and corporate governance information,
shareholder services, securities trading, news
and events, and the ease of use of the site.
From the 133 criteria, we calculate a total
score for each company that measures the overall
effectiveness and credibility of the site and
its information. The formula has four inputs:
- Completeness of the site's content in terms
of depth, breadth and timeliness.
- Transparency of the site in terms of how
information is presented.
- Service attitude of the site in terms of
resources and services offered to shareholders.
- Ease of use of the site including navigation,
information design and technical formatting.
We are confident that the companies chosen
through this process are serious about communicating
effectively with shareholders and investors
in a democratic fashion on the Web.
Why World's Best
IR Websites™?
By recognizing companies with the best IR websites,
IR Web Report aims to encourage more
companies to use the Web effectively and responsibly.
This can benefit all investors because the Internet
has the ability to democratize access to corporate
information to give all investors an equal chance
to make informed decisions.
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