Grocer back issues from January 2009:
"So, did the earth move for you on 23rd December?".(leader)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... In these apocalyptic times, there's a lot to take in. Yet the consensus seems to be that it's not as bad as it had been painted, with forecasts from analysts for retailers (even non-food ones) being revised upwards since the start of the year. This clearly reflects both some skilful ...
"With basket price comparisons ... the devil is in the detail, but it's often simple impressions that count".(HOT TOPIC)(Tesco PLC)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... New year, new price cuts. And new ads. As the supermarkets battle to prove the real steal on pricing, Tesco has wheeled out Real Baskets, to challenge Asda's Dad's Army arrows. Tesco's new campaign uses 220,000 'real' shops, from Clubcard records, to conclude Tesco would have ...
Collapse in sterling fuels fresh hike in food price inflation.(news)
Jan 10, 2009; ... The price of food in the big four supermarkets rose sharply in December--flying in the face of retailer claims that inflation had peaked. The Grocer Price Index reveals that the retail price of groceries was 2.5% higher in December than November, and was up 15.1% on last ...
And yes, more expensive bananas.(news)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One product particularly vulnerable to currency movements is bananas. Shoppers have already had to stump up on extra 24p/kg over the past year as input and transportation costs hit home, and ...
Stag to be first casualty of AB InBev merger.(news)(Anheuser-Busch InBev)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Newly created super-brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev has announced the first UK casualty of its merger, the Stag brewery in London. It will be closed next year with the loss of an estimated 180 jobs as part of a 690m [pounds sterling] cost-saving programme. The company confirmed up ...
Tesco press ads hit back at Asda cheapest claim.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Tesco is challenging Asda's positioning as the UK's cheapest supermarket with a new campaign claiming Asda's big green arrow ads are "misleading". The new Tesco adverts use items collected from Clubcard data on 220,000 shops on Friday 2 January to claim that Tesco was cheaper on ...
Bakkavor axes jobs as demand slumps.(news)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Ready meals manufacturer Bakkavor has announced plans to restructure three sites in Lincolnshire as it moves to cut capacity in the face of falling demand. GMB union officials say the cuts could result in up to 400 of the 2,000 staff at the sites being made redundant. Some ...
Sixty Jeyes jobs go.(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Jeyes is closing its former power and liquid products plant in Consett, at a ...
Majestic down 2.9%.
Jan 10, 2009 ... Like-for-like sales at Majestic Wine fell 2.9% in the 10 weeks to 5 ...
Sainsbury's police.(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... A police station is set to open next month at a Sainsbury's store near Southampton, ...
Big four and [pounds sterling] stores 'will fill Woolies gap'.(news)(Woolworths Group PLC)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Multiples are better placed than pound shops and discounters to win Woolworths' 2.7bn [pounds sterling] of sales, say researchers. With non-food sales flagging since the economic downturn, said Colin Harper, MD of Storecheck Marketing, the best-positioned retailer was Tesco, ...
Morrisons is top of the tree for Christmas sales growth.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Morrisons was the clear winner this Christmas with 9.1% sales growth. The retailer's market share is now l0.6% up 50 basis points on last year, according to Nielsen figures for the 12 weeks to 27 December. "Morrisons has consistently ...
City: axing 25 Simply Food stores won't fix M&S food problems.(news)(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Marks & Spencer's closure of 25 "underperforming" Simply Food stores will do little to fix its struggling food business, analysts said this week. Defiant chairman Sir Stuart Rose claimed he was "encouraged" by this year's 5.2% drop in food like-for-like sales, because they were ...
Wal-Mart will pay $640m to settle 63 lawsuits accusing the retailer of breaking labour laws by denying employees breaks and forcing them to work unpaid overtime.(USA)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Wal-Mart will pay $640m to settle 63 lawsuits accusing the retailer of breaking labour laws by denying employees breaks and forcing them to work unpaid overtime. The retailer said it would continue to ensure it complied with the law. Meanwhile, Wal-Mart aimed to bring festive cheer to its ...
The country's largest retailer, X5, has acquired one of its Pyaterochka-branded franchisees, soft discounter Agrotorg-Rostov, for an estimated $15m.(Russia)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The country's largest retailer, X5, has acquired one of its Pyaterochka-branded franchisees, soft discounter Agrotorg-Rostov, for an estimated $15m. The move will strengthen X5's presence in southern Russia, in a region of 6,000,000 sq miles with 4.4 million residents ....
K-Mart owner Sears Holding plans to pilot a drive-thru shopping facility at two stores, including one in Joliet, Illinois.(USA)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... K-Mart owner Sears Holding plans to pilot a drive-thru shopping facility at two stores, including one in Joliet, Illinois. The "marriage between online shopping and bricks and mortar", run by Sears subsidiary myGofer, will reverse the 80/20 percentage split ...
The owner of Cencosud, the country's second-biggest retailer, said it was ready to compete with Wal-Mart, after the US giant agreed the takeover of D&S, Chile's largest supermarket operator.(Chile)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The owner of Cencosud, the country's second-biggest retailer, said it was ready to compete with Wal-Mart, after the US giant agreed the takeover of D&S, Chile's largest ...
Grocery sales robust in face of recession.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Food and drink retailers are weathering the economic storm far better than the retail sector as a whole, research from financial advisers Grant Thornton has confirmed. Sixty seven per cent of food and drink retailers issued positive statements in the fourth quarter of 2008, ...
Premier suppliers' trade insurance limit cut again.(news)(Premier Foods)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Trade credit insurers have reduced Premier Foods' suppliers' cover for the second time in a month. The credit insurers, who insure suppliers against a customer defaulting while owing money for orders already delivered, are looking to reduce their exposure after having to pay out ...
Co-op offers flag up healthy eating lines.(news)(Co-operative Group)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The Co-operative Group has pledged to help its customers eat more healthily as part of a major health campaign to coincide with the government's Change4Life programme. The society will launch a string of offers on healthy products throughout the year as part of its Make ...
New Co-op HQ.(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The Co-op Group is to build a 400,000 sq ft HQ on a car park bordering Miller Street and ...
New Fox's factory.
Jan 10, 2009 ... Northern Foods has submitted plans for a new 40m ...
Sainsbury's book club.(Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd's partnership with HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Sainsbury's is teaming up with HarperCollins to launch a book club. Each month, a different ...
Grocer Gold Awards now open for entry.(news)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The Grocer Gold Awards 2009, which recognise excellence in service, initiative and commitment, are now open for entries. The awards, sponsored by Reach and emarket.com, celebrate the very best-performing companies from across the industry. Three new categories have ...
The food cycle.(PICTURE THIS ...)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Waitrose is encouraging customers to get on their bikes after developing a trailer to enable them to cycle their ...
Iceland gets back in business in Ireland with franchise deal.(news)(Iceland Foods PLC)(C and C group )(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Iceland, the frozen food retailer, is back in the Irish market, almost four years after closing its stores in the Republic because of mounting losses. The chain has agreed a franchise deal with Dublin-based C&C group AIM, under which the defunct stores still held by Iceland can ...
Big retailers 'lagging on cutting bag use'.(news)(East of England Co-op)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... East of England Co-op CEO Richard Samson has blasted major retailers for not doing enough to reduce customers' carrier bag use. After introducing a charge for its carrier bags in September this year, the UK's third-largest co-op said it had reduced carrier bag usage by 84%--far ...
Birds Eye flourishing.(Birds Eye Wall's Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Frozen food giant Birds Eye posted strong results for 2008. UK Sales at the private-equity owned ...
Olympic King?(Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Sainsbury's is refusing to confirm if chief executive Justin King has accepted a ...
Carr's optimistic.
Jan 10, 2009 ... Carr's Milling Industries reported first-quarter profit ahead of ...
Asda offers to check out shoppers' blood.(news)(ASDA Group Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... An Asda store in the Midlands is offering customers blood tests with their shopping. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust has installed a senior hospital phlebotomist one day a week at the superstore at Great Bridge, West Bromwich, to ease the strain caused by the 38,000 ...
Discounters in frame for high street grave dance.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... In the week Woolworths closed its doors for the last time, the discounters have been tipped to be the main beneficiaries of empty property and land in 2009, according to analysts from property consultants King Sturge. High-street retail space available for "grave dance" lease ...
Shares of FishWorks suspended.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shares in fishmonger and restaurant chain FishWorks remained suspended at 1.85p as The Grocer went to press, pending clarification of its financial position. The chain, which has 10 stores in London, Bath, Bristol and ...
Christmas chill hits sales at Thorntons.(news)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Sales at Thorntons fell during the build-up to Christmas, due to "weak high-street footfall and consumer demand." The company posted a 2.3% decrease in total sales to 77.6m [pounds sterling] for the 12 weeks to 27 December in a trading statement this week. As a ...
Zoo gang get on the case with bacon.(PICTURE THIS ...)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Anna Ryder Richardson has been given another opportunity to display her love of the countryside. The TV presenter has been unveiled as the celebrity face of the third annual Bacon Connoisseurs ...
Graves says recession will aid growth.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Costcutter Supermarkets Group)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With sales up 4.7% in the past eight months, Costcutter is well placed to ride out the recession, executive chairman Colin Graves has insisted. Turnover was expected to have risen to between 555m [pounds sterling] and 560m [pounds sterling] by ...
Beer duty fraudsters hit cash carry sales.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Cash & carries have revealed that sales of leading beer brands were down by up to 90% in the run up to Christmas--because of duty fraud. Carling and Foster's were the brands most affected by retailers buying cheap beer from duty fraudsters, with sales down as much as 90% at ...
Profits hike for Spar wholesaler James Hall and major customer.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(James Hall and Company (Holdings) Ltd.)(Lawrence Hunt and Company)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Spar wholesaler James Hall & Company and one of its biggest retail customers, Lawrence Hunt & Company, have reported strong uplifts in profits. Results published this week for the wholesaler showed a surge in pre-tax profit of 14.7% to 11.4m [pounds sterling] for the year to ...
New format developed for Mace stores.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Musgrave Group has begun rolling out an upgraded format for its Mace symbol in Northern Ireland. The company has developed a format it claims will modernise the symbol, which it bought in 2007. It is also now able to give Mace retailers access to the same product range as its ...
Glasgow's G101 slips into pre-tax loss.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Glasgow-based off-licence and c-store chain G101 Off Sales has fallen into the red, according to latest accounts. The company, which has 46 stores, reported a pretax loss of 657 [pounds sterling] in the year to 31 May 2008, against a profit of ...
Fast forecourt work helps boost profits of Snax 24 by 40%.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009; ... "Speedier shoppers" have helped forecourt operator Snax 24 boost its full-year pre-tax profit by nearly 40% and sales by nearly 20%. Snax 24 group MD Bill Ahearn said sales rose 19% to 228.8m [pounds sterling] and pre-tax profit by 39% to 3.5m [pounds sterling] in the year to ...
Nearby sells 13 stores to Southern.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Nearby Stores)(Southern Co-operatives )(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Southern Co-operatives has snapped up 13 stores from stricken c-store operator Nearby Stores. The 33-strong chain fell into administration last month after running out of cash. The 13 stores are all in Southern Co-ops' trading area, which has more than 100 food stores across ...
Booker's new range to appeal to Scots.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Booker Wholesale Foods)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Booker is stepping up its activity north of the border with the launch of a 30-strong range of Scottish lines to meet growing customer demand. The 'Booker Scotland' range, which will officially be launched in Edinburgh on 26 January, includes distinctly Scottish products such ...
Booths store plan.
Jan 10, 2009 ... Booths has submitted a planning application to build ...
Brookfield prospect.(Nisa Today's Ltd.)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Nisa-Today's has recruited a petrol forecourt in Morley, Leeds, run by The Brookfield ...
Easter egg offer.
Jan 10, 2009 ... Hancocks Cash & Carry has launched a free Easter eggs offer to help ...
The last FreshXpress store closes its doors.(news: WHOLESALERS & INDEPENDENTS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... The last store in the FreshXpress chain that emerged out of the collapse of Kwik Save will be sold to a major multiple in the next couple of weeks. Three stores have closed since November, leaving just the store in St Helens still open. This is now expected to close early next ...
Supermarkets adopt fresh tactics as price war escalates: January sales are nothing new--but this year the supermarkets are taking a brave longer-term approach. James Ball reports on the latest pricing battle.(analysis: PROMOTIONS)
Jan 10, 2009; ... As we enter what is set to be the toughest year for retailers in almost two decades, a strong pricing message is crucial for the major supermarkets to hold their share and sales in 2009. So it comes as no surprise to see the opening shots in this year's price war have been fired ...
Does Change4Life offer a way to escape legislation? The Change4Life campaign unites Government and industry against obesity. But what will be the impact on the industry if it's a failure.(analysis: CHANGE4LIFE)
Jan 10, 2009; ... It's bright, bold, and doesn't beat about the bush. If (somehow) you've missed it, the new 8m [pounds sterling] Change4Life TV advert is a cartoon timeline of man's relationship with food. A journey that begins with woolly mammoth hunting and ends with junk food in front of the telly. ...
Recession is good news for frozen food manufacturers: the average price of frozen food may be up 12.3% year-on-year but the sector is still set to pass the 5bn [pounds sterling] barrier this year.(analysis: RETAIL & COMMODITY PRICES)
Jan 10, 2009; ... As the release of Birds Eye's results this week confirmed, it is a good time to be in the frozen food category. The company posted a 5% increase in UK sales to 545m [pounds sterling], with pre-tax profit up 10% to 203m [pounds sterling]. The strong performance was put ...
Trading data.(analysis: RETAIL & COMMODITY PRICES)(Statistical table)
Jan 10, 2009 ... <Pre> TRADING DATA % CHANGE % CHANGE PRICE [pounds sterling] KEY COMMODITIES W-O-W Y-O-Y Skimmed milk 1.5 -16.51514 Orange juice powder 4.80.5 1,052 Coffee 4.4 ...
Waitrose gets off to strong start in 2009.(SERVICE)(Interview)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Waitrose's Bath branch has kicked off the new year with a promising start. The immaculate store provided full availability and the checkout assistant was described as "friendly, cheerful and helpful" after she made polite conversation with our shopper, efficiently scanned her items and ...
Availability.(analysis: THE GROCER 33)
Jan 10, 2009 ... ASDA Ashton-under-Lyne Date: 2 January 2009 Time in Shop: 75 mins Time at till: 7.5 mins Not stocked: 0 OUT OF STOCK: 2 MORRISONS Swadlincote, Derbyshire Date: 2 January 2009 ...
Asda book on top with five promotions.(PRICES)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Asda has made a strong start to 20o9, regaining its familiar cheapest retailer title and undercutting nearest rival Sainsbury's by 1.13 [pounds sterling]. Asda's 58.26 [pounds sterling] basket boasted five promotions--the most out of the five retailers, as well as a whopping 26 ...
Two up, two down: this week's top price risers and fallers.(analysis: THE GROCER 33)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Goodfella's Solos Store: Tesco Reason: Off promotion PRICE: 2.15 [pounds sterling] [up arrow] 115% [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chicken tikka/korma Store: Tesco Reason: Off ...
Danone gives ads a healthy kick.(ADVERTISING)(Survey)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Ad spend in the yoghurt and yoghurt drink category was up 75% year-on-year in the four weeks to 13 December thanks to Danone turning up the firepower behind Actimel and launching a Stay Actiwell campaign. Over the four-week period it spent an extra 1.5m [pounds sterling] ...
Ad of the week: Benylin goes viral.(analysis: ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONS)(Brief article)
Jan 10, 2009 ... Getting yourself heard through the post-Christmas fug can be tough, when the cash-strapped and partied-out stare glossy-eyed at the television, drained for o week or two of the irrepressible impulse to Buy Things. A spot of controversy often does the trick, so top marks to ...
Retailers get set for tough new year.(PROMO DYNAMIC)(Statistical table)
Jan 10, 2009; ... It's all change in the Promo Dynamic top 50 this week, as retailers shift their promotional tactics after the excesses of the Christmas holiday period. The biggest change is the steep drop in the number of featured space promotions, down to 1,689 this week from a peak of over 2,000 just ...
Don't put environmental issues to one side: the smartest businesses will continue to invest in green improvements, despite the downturn.(THE SATURDAY ESSAY)
Jan 10, 2009; ... With commentators predicting the worst is yet to come for an already fragile economy, you could be forgiven for thinking tackling environmental issues is the last thing embattled manufacturers should be worrying about. There are signs some sectors of the UK business community ...
It'll be a tough year--but with opportunities: grocery is a better place to be than most, if you are flexible and willing to adapt to consumer needs.(THIRD PARTY)
Jan 10, 2009; ... As far as retailers are concerned, 2009 will break records--but for the wrong reasons. Once we are through Christmas present returns, rent quarter day and January sales (over in a blink of an eye), the retail sector will have to do everything it can to motivate consumers to open ...
Are tighter times healthier times? Not necessarily--many consumers may seek solace in comfort eating.(SECOND OPINION)(Viewpoint essay)
Jan 10, 2009; ... How will consumers react to the recession as it deepens? The current search for lowest prices or best value will obviously intensify, squeezing retail margins and costs still further. More bad news for those who have staked everything on the organic market or some other high-priced premium ...
Higgins.(comment & opinion)
Jan 10, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Who's ...
Critical eye.(comment & opinion)(Viewpoint essay)
Jan 10, 2009; ... "January detoxes are so 2008. Who can be bothered? Especially when Wetherspoon has cut the prices of a pint of Greene King IPA and a bottle of San Miguel lager to 99p. But if rubbing shoulders with the local alchies isn't your pint of beer, you could stay at home and watch Oz ...
Unite science with practicality.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Sir, I was surprised to read in your news item on Deirdre Hutton leaving the FSA (20 December, p6) that someone had said the FSA was "putting science before practicality in policy-making". In fact, in its relentless demands for removal of essential ingredients from existing ...
Time for honesty in negotiations.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jan 10, 2009; ... Sir, Attempts to save Woolworths have failed. It is likely that more open negotiation methods could have saved one of Britain's favourite high-street retailers. Retailers must be open and honest in negotiations, and secrecy and deception should become a thing of the past so that ...