Grocer back issues from July 2008:
Opinion.(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... The numbers don't lie. There's been a lot of speculation that supermarkets have been profiteering from food price inflation. Here, in The Grocer/OC&C survey of the top 150 manufacturers (see pp4, 30-37), is strong evidence that they have. Of the 4.3bn [pounds sterling] in energy and raw ...
This week's hot topic.(M and S)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... The retirement of the 'This is not just food this is M&S food' cannot come to soon Alas, poor Steven. Esom is not the only person to lose his job as a result of Project Genesis, as the workers at Northern Foods will tell you. But the MD of the M&S food division is certainly the ...
Supermarkets deny milking rising costs.(news)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Supermarkets have denied profiteering from a period of unprecedented food inflation despite passing on 200m [pounds sterling] more to consumers in price increases since 2005 than they inherited from suppliers. A new study, published exclusively in The Grocer, reveals that a 14% ...
Nation loves spreadable butter's taste.(news)(spreadable butter)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Convenient. Tasty. And fairly healthy. Spreadable butter is ticking all the fight boxes for shoppers as they turn their back on products sold solely on the basis of health claims. It's now the dominant force in the butters and spreads category with a 27% market share. Value ...
Asda 'acting like slave trader' with latest banana price cuts.(news)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Asda's recent banana price cuts and a decision to pull out of a supplier conference make it "no better than a Victorian slave trader", claims an international banana trade organisation. The attack was provoked by Asda's decision to slash the price of bananas from 67p to 50p/kg ...
ACS: Tesco competition test appeal is just spoiling tactic.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Tesco's appeal against the Competition Commission's proposed competition test "should be seen as an attempt to delay and subvert the outcome of the inquiry". That's the view of the ACS, the organisation that forced the OFT to refer the grocery sector the commission in the first ...
Freedom Food farm lapses face scrutiny.(news)(Somerset chicken farm )(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... The RSPCA has suspended a Somerset chicken farm from the Freedom Food scheme following a Five News investigation revealed it was not meeting the scheme's standards. The Five report claimed perches were not in use, chickens were not let outdoors early enough in the morning and ...
Florette scores TV first with groundbreaking thermal ad.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Florette has launched what is believed to be the first TV advertising campaign to run only when the weather is warm enough. In a move set to revolutionise food marketing, the prepared salad specialist is using 'thermal advertising' to dictate when its World of Florette ad airs ...
Whole Foods to be 'everyday' choice.(news)(Whole Foods Market Inc.)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Whole Foods Market is to launch its first-ever marketing campaign in the UK as the US-based organic produce giant gears up to expand its UK offering. The campaign will be orchestrated by brand design consultancy Boxer and aims to position Whole Foods as an 'everyday' choice for ...
Kallo buys up So Good soya product brand.(news)(Kallo Foods)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Kallo Foods has bought So Good's businesses in the UK and Continental Europe for an undisclosed sum. So Good is the UK's number two dairy alternative brand behind Alpro. "Our intention is to grow the existing portfolio and use our substantial established soy business ...
Wiseman gets full Netto supply back.(news)(Robert Wiseman Dairies PLC)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Robert Wiseman has won back its full contract to supply Netto following a supplier review by the chain. Wiseman lost two-thirds of its Netto business during pricing talks last October, with the retailer switching to Payne's Dairies. However Wiseman is believed to have ...
Fresh & Easy grows again.(news)(Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market Inc.)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fresh & Easy has resumed opening new stores after Tesco put the brakes on expansion of its US operation for three months to tweak the stores' format. The 62nd outlet opened this week, in Manhattan Beach, California--less than a mile away from Tesco's US ...
Axed Esom counts cost of MOS's food slump.(news)(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Sir Stuart Rose has vowed that Marks & Spencer will "stick to its principles" of selling premium food despite poor first-quarter sales and the sudden departure of director of food Steven Esom. Shares in the retailer sank by 25% to 240p--a seven-year low after M&S revealed a ...
Downturn likely to hit green spending, warn food chiefs.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Almost half of global food business leaders would reduce investment in sustainability during a period of recession, according to the findings of a new poll. Of 159 senior food industry executives that responded to a questionnaire at the CIES World Food Business Summit in Munich ...
Somerfield spends on as sale looms.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Somerfield is continuing to open new stores despite an expected imminent sale of the company to The Cooperative Group. The supermarket chain, which has been up for sale since the beginning of this year and is currently in talks with the Co-op Group, opened stores in Crowthorne, ...
Brakes strikes a deal to purchase Woodward.(news)(Brakes purchased Woodward Foodservice)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Catering giant Brakes has confirmed it will buy wholesaler Woodward Foodservice, as predicted by The Grocer last week. The offer, believed to be 20m [pounds sterling], has been accepted by Woodward Foodservice's current majority owners, Icelandic group Baugur, and will go ahead ...
Finsbury feels the impact of rising prices.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... The rocketing price of cake ingredients reduced Finsbury Food's margins by 1.5m [pounds sterling] last year, but strong sales cushioned the blow, the company claimed in its trading update this week. The own-label bakery supplier had eventually passed on rising costs to its ...
Asda fails to read its own small print.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... When Asda decided to flog 10 of its most popular products at 50p each last weekend, its marketing team was in such a rush to publish adverts that it forgot to read its own small print. Buried at the bottom of the press adverts, which offered discounted best-sellers such as bread ...
Brands go supersize to reach bulk-buying online shoppers.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Big-name brands are considering manufacturing bulk packs of household products for sale exclusively online. The plans could see manufacturers producing packs of 50 or more toilet rolls and supersize packs of nappies to appeal to internet shoppers in search of bargains and home ...
Stobart snaps up Innovate.(news)(Innovate Logistics)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Logistics firm Stobart Group has increased its presence in chilled food distribution after snapping up the chilled and ambient goods operations of Innovate Logistics. Stobart has also picked up a number of the company's contracts, including a ...
Sales of cigarettes to underage kids up 50%.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Retailers' hopes of blocking a ban on cigarette displays suffered a blow this week as new figures revealed the number of shops caught selling cigarettes to underage smokers has increased by nearly 50%. Of 457 retailers across England tested by trading standards officers, 19% ...
Supplier in legal battle to stop Tesco using face on egg boxes.(news)(Ian Chisholm )(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... An Essex free-range egg farmer has won the battle to stop Tesco using his family business photographs on its packaging. The contract for Ian Chisholm of Norton Mandeville, Essex, to supply Tesco with free-range eggs ended last month, yet the retailer has continued to use images ...
Payzone to supply Bestway retailers.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Troubled electronic payment provider Payzone has secured a three-year contract to supply stores owned by Bestway Cash & Carry retailers across the OK. As part of the deal, Payzone will offer utility bill payments, mobile top-ups and gift cards to Best-One and Best-In stores, as ...
Key Lekkerland comes to the end of the road.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Buying group Key Lekkerland is to be wound down and its national accounts shared between Booker, Palmer & Harvey McLane and JW Filshill, as predicted by The Grocer in April. Speculation over the future of the group has raged ever since three of its four independent ...
Makro staff back to floor.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Makro staff are set don their aprons as part of an initiative to help the wholesaler understand customers better. Under the scheme, called Beyond Back to the Floor, staff will work in restaurants, pubs and caterers to develop closer ties with ...
Sandwich range to improve margins.(news)(Musgrave Retail Partners GB )(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Musgrave Retail Partners GB is set to roll out a new sandwich range for its Budgens franchise. The range will hit stores on 17 July and is made up of 34 sandwiches and wraps including four products from Budgens' premium range Our Kitchen, six Weight Watchers sandwiches and ...
Every little bit of mosquito repellent helps.(news)(Testa)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They am the scourge of the summer holidays, but irritating mozzies could have finally met their match in the form of some new clothes on sale at Testa. The retailer is stocking what it claims is the world's first natural anti-mosquito t-shirts ...
Co-op Group turnover outstrips John Lewis.(news)(Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Co-operatively owned businesses generated 27.4bn [pounds sterling] for the UK economy last year, helped by the clout of The Co-operative Group. The sector made a combined pre-tax profit of 539m [pounds sterling] in 2007 and 10.88 million [pounds sterling] people--about a fifth ...
Instore rejects Crown Crest bid as too low.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Value retailer Instore, which operates the Poundstretcher and Instore fascias, has rejected a 5p-a-share cash bid from Leicester-based wholesaler Crown Crest. The offer values the retailer at 11.4m [pounds sterling] and represents a discount of 17.1% on Instore's dosing price of ...
Asda ups scrutiny on driver fuel use.(news)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Asda is kitting out its vehicles with satellite technology that highlights individual driving styles as part of a push to cut its fuel consumption by 40%. Technology from transport management company Isotrak aims to help Asda staff improve their driving efficiency and save fuel ....
Carrefour rebrands Champion chain.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... LEVALLOIS-PERRET, FRANCE: Carrefour is to rebrand its 1,000-strong Champion supermarket chain as Carrefour Market. Carrefour said a trial of 13 Champion stores had been successful and that the new name would now be rolled across the whole chain. Carrefour said that the test stores had ...
Wal-Mart readies logo revamp.(WORLD NEWS)
Jul 05, 2008 ... BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS: Wal-Mart is changing its logo for the first time in 16 years. According to reports in the US press, the new logo will remove the hyphen in the company's name and will feature white lettering on an orange background, followed by a small starburst. Wal-Mart said it ...
Discount duo get merger go-ahead.(WORLD NEWS)(Edeka)(Emil Tengelmann)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... BONN, GERMANY: The merger of Tengelmann and Edeka's discount supermarket chains, Plus and Netto, has been approved by Germany's Federal Cartel Office, subject to Tengelmann selling almost 400 Plus outlets. Reports claim the company may consider shutting some stores if it cannot find a ...
Del Monte to sell seafood arm.(WORLD NEWS)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... SAN FRANCISCO: Del Monte is to sell its seafood business, including the StarKist brand, to South Korean company Dongwon Enterprise for $363m (182m [pounds sterling]) as it focuses on higher-margin produce and pet foods. Del Monte said the said the sell-off would improve margins and reduce ...
Kelly on board at Premier.(movers & shakers)(Tim Kelly)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tim Kelly, formerly chief operating officer at RHM, has been made an executive director on Premier Foods' board. Kelly joined Premier last March when it acquired RHM for 1.2bn [pounds sterling]. He retained his position overseeing cakes and ...
Duty managers go in Sainsbury's shake-up.(movers & shakers)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... All duty managers at Sainsbury's supermarkets have been put on a 12-week redundancy plan and are having to reapply for their jobs as part of a radical overhaul of its management structure. The changes, which will result in some job losses, will see duty managers replaced by ...
Clayton Smith takes the Fairtrade chair.(movers & shakers)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Business and brand consultant David Clayton Smith has been named as the new chairman of the board of the Fairtrade Foundation. The director and cofounder of the Andrum business consultancy's appointment comes as the Fairtrade Foundation tries to increase the scale of its ...
Shadbolt to boost Costcutter services.(movers & shakers)(Sarah Shadbolt)(Costcutter Supermarkets Group)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Costcutter Supermarkets Group has appointed Sarah Shadbolt to the newly created position of head of customer services. She previously spent 28 years with fuel distributor and retailer JR Rix and Sons and worked closely with Costcutter in her most recent role as forecourt ...
Waitrose makes the day: the Sudbury store offers more than just the weekly groceries. Shoppers can have lunch in the cafeteria or pick up some cookware or gardening equipment from the large non-food section.(the grocer 33)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Folk come from miles around to visit the Waitrose in Sudbury, and for good reason if our shopper's experience is par for the course. Not only does the store boast a cafeteria and one of Waitrose's largest non-food offerings, but the friendliness and knowledge of the employees ...
Q&A with Paul Reeley store manager of the week.(the grocer 33)(Interview)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Who are your biggest competitors? Our main one is Tesco which is currently undergoing an extension. There's also an Aldi in Sudbury but our customers are extremely loyal to the Waitrose brand. Would you like to change anything about the store? If you'd ...
This week a year ago the winner was ...(the grocer 33)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Morrisons in Bramley was Rotherham's knight in shining armour this time last year as the torrid floods that swamped the region forced its peers to close their doors. At the time, manager Darren Atkinson praised "the Dunkirk spirit" of his ...
Price survey.(the grocer 33)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Asda has clung on to the title of cheapest retailer by the skin of a sun-dried tomato to secure a sixth straight week at the top of the charts. Despite offering unbeatable prices on seven items, Asda found itself in the unusual position of being most costly on two ...
Availability.(the grocers 33)(ASDA Group Ltd.)(Morrisons)(Tesco PLC)
Jul 05, 2008 ... * ASDA Sheffield, South Yorkshire 2 [OUT OF STOCK] This Asda was coping admirably with the Friday afternoon rush when our shopper visited and although there were numerous shelf stackers on duty, there was ample room to navigate the aisles. Staff were friendly and ...
Sponsors make most of Wimbledon tie ups: he only lasted to the quarter finals but that didn't stop tournament sponsors capitalising on Andy Murray fever.(promotrack)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Of the seven official 'grocer' sponsors of Wimbledon, only Lansons was not captured on featured space promotion last weekend in any of the retailers researched by Assosia. As in previous years, Robinsons used secondary space in all five retailers, with offers on Fruit Shoots and ...
Share of space.(promotrack)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... <Pre> Share of space Weekend 30 June 2008 * WEND-TOP 5 BRANDS Nestle 22% Coca-Cola22% Cadbury 19% Heinz19% McVitie's19% * WEND-TOP 5 PROMO MECHANICS ...
The food shock: learning to live with rising prices: as everyday commodity prices rocket, shoppers are finding ways to tick off their weekly shopping list ever more economically.(SATURDAY ESSAY)(Survey)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Shoppers need to reduce their household expenditure and are now looking closely at where savings can he made on food. First the bad news. The global changes in supply and demand for basic foodstuffs that are pushing up the cost of the weekly supermarket shop are long term and ...
Daily Mirror.(WHAT THE PAPERS SAID)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Almost a quarter of a million smokers kicked the habit in the months before and after the introduction of the smoking ban last July, the Daily Mirror ...
Daily Mail.(WHAT THE PAPERS SAID)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Annual grocery bills have risen by 1,000 [pounds sterling] for the average family in the pest year, according to the Doily Moil. It quoted a report published by the Economic Research Institute ...
The Independent.(WHAT THE PAPERS SAID)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Criminal gangs are targeting rare chickens to feed the demand for breeds including Orpingtons and Morons, with rustlers pocketing up to 250 [pounds sterling] a bird, The Independent reported. "Chickens are being ...
Sunday Mirror.(WHAT THE PAPERS SAID)(Andrex Quilts )(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Andrex Quilts has emerged as the top performer in a poll of leading toilet rolls, according to the Sunday Mirror. The brand scored 89% in the Which? survey, which rated ...
The Times.(WHAT THE PAPERS SAID)(Brief article)
Jul 05, 2008 ... The Food Standards Agency has issued a warning over cheep meat and fish products in wholesalers following the arrests of seven Yorkshire men in connection with a 2m [pounds sterling] fraud. FSA ...
Regaining the art of carrot peeling: we've paid a ludicrously high price for convenience in the past. Now it's time to get a little wiser in our approach to cooking affordably.(SECOND OPINION)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Have you noticed how supermarket supremos have stopped mouthing off about the cash-rich/time-poor shoppers of late? These were the people who would pay exorbitant prices for an aspirational-looking ready meal that came in three layers of pricey packaging because they were convinced they ...
Don't debase values of celeb chefs.(LETTER OF THE WEEK)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 05, 2008; ... I feel compelled to comment on your article 'A Licence to Print Money?' (The Grocer, 21 June, p28). As the MD of Fresh Retail Ventures, which holds the worldwide licensing rights for the Jamie Oliver brand in all retail markets, I feel that there is a clear divergence of approach and ...
Hey, we think we're a top product too!(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 05, 2008; ... SIR; The 100 new Must-Stock New Products (The Grocer, 28 June, p28) was a great idea, with some super new products and a few long shots. How did you select them? I would like to have had the chance to enter Cawston Vale apple juices. Launched in 2007 to great applaud, we have changed the ...
Economic climate will help symbols.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 05, 2008; ... SIR; We couldn't agree more with Jerry Marwood's belief that Spar stores could benefit from the current challenging climate (The Grocer, 21 June, p10). Having just interviewed 29,000 shoppers face-to-face while shopping in branches of 42 convenience chains or retail brands, the sector as a ...
Wal-Mart fascia tells a new story.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 05, 2008; ... SIR; Wal-Mart has taken the plunge and changed its identity. While I'm specifically referring to the logo and the design elements that support it, it seems to be an indicator of an identity shift in the more universal sense. While highly profitable, perceptions of the world's richest ...
Don't let anti-gay lobby win, Heinz.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 05, 2008; ... SIR; I am shocked and appalled that Heinz has pandered to reactionary, kneejerk complaints over the recent Dell Mayo 'gay kiss' ad. I am saddened that a company that purports to embrace diversity is pandering to the mindless homophobia of a s mall-minded minority. I will not be ...
What's in a filling? Well, you're about to find out: sandwich makers are fuming over Lacors' labelling proposals--and not just because they don't feel they were consulted. Sarah Butler reports.(analysis)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Fancy a reformed chicken sandwich? Or one containing ham made from 5% water? They don't sound too enticing, do they? Yet, these are exactly the sort of descriptions that could soon become the norm on the front of sandwich packs if proposals made by Lacors last month are implemented. ...
UK chicken industry set for merger wave: does the Moy Park deal signal the beginning of the end for UK ownership of meat companies asks Michael Barker.(analysis)
Jul 05, 2008; ... So it's finally started. For years, experts have been predicting a wave of consolidation in the meat processing industry. And now, two of the biggest poultry producers have fallen into foreign hands. First, there was Grampian Country Food Group's acquisition by Dutch giants ...
Whose turn is it in the sun: with the economic cycle swinging full circle, we are seeing a realignment of the retail scene.(the grocer/oc&c top 150 suppliers)(Statistical data)
Jul 05, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the cost of living rises and daily news reports continue to flood us with glum les of inflation in the price of food, fuel and interest rates, good news is certainly at a premium. A new report, though, shows reason for optimism. The Grocer/OC&C Index, ...
Costs haven't hit peak yet.(the grocer/oc&c top 150 suppliers)
Jul 05, 2008 ... The phrase 'It's going to get worse before it gets better' could not be more apt. After a year where profit margins across the industry were squeezed by a combination of global factors including the credit crunch, rising food inflation and increasing costs of energy and ...
Times turn a bit sweeter.(the grocer/oc&c top 150 suppliers)
Jul 05, 2008 ... Commodities were first into the bear market. As prices have risen, margins have recovered. Because commodity producers were among the first hit by the credit crunch and the rising cost of raw materials, they were quicker to react and have now restored margins. ...
Taking on Tesco: the credit crunch has created the ideal environment in which Aldi can radically grow. But MD Paul Foley has set his sights still higher. So, can he challenge Tesco's dominance in British retailing?(the big interview)
Jul 05, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paul Foley is perhaps the only man in retail who believes he can take on Tesco. And he may also be the only man in the country who is seeing the credit crunch in a positive light. As exclusively revealed in The Grocer last week, the man behind ...
'I can't believe it's not cheaper': with soaring prices the butter and spreads market is up 10%. But as the battle between Lurpak and Flora rages, will price force a category rethink?(focus on ... butter & spreads)
Jul 05, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A fry-up costs 13% more than it did a year ago, according to an article in the Daily Mirror last week. But the paper left out one ingredient synonymous with breakfast--and it's the one that would, certainly for some brands, have topped the list in terms of ...
Research notes.(butter & spreads)
Jul 05, 2008; ... Shoppers spent 952.7m [pounds sterling] on butters and spreads last year--a 10.5% increase over the year before. Rising shelf prices have driven this growth. To put it into context, while volume has remained fairly static year-on-year, sales were up just 0.7% in 2006. Consumers ...