The uncertain economic and political conditions in 2003 put a major
brake on international retail growth, with relatively few mergers
and acquisitions in the global market. But 2004 should see
something of an upturn, driven by the...
Coop Suisse benefited from the consolidation of two recent
acquisitions to steal market share from its rivals in 2003. Despite
a continued downturn in consumer spending, organic and ethical
products performed particularly well during...
Sugar giant British Sugar helped boost six month results for its
parent, food and ingredients firm Associated British Foods, which
this week reported double-digit growth in profits. But
international agency Oxfam has criticised the...
Swiss drinks packaging equipment provider SIG Combibloc says that
the continuing growth of the soft drinks market in Hungary is
likely to support a period of growth that will last well into next
year.
Romanian sugar producers say they are facing possible collapse
because of suffocating sugar quotas which have been in place for
the last five years, in the run up to accession.
Nestle Sofia, the Bulgarian division of Swiss food giant Nestle,
has made a clear break into profitability, having announced a 70
per cent increase in its net profit for the 2003 period.
Assessing consumer tastes and demands is all part and parcel of the
modern food retail business, but keeping track of their hopes and
fears can also help supermarkets ensure that they have the right
products on their shelves at the...
Masterfoods Romania, part of the US manufacturer Mars, has
announced that it is expecting its sales turnover to exceed €20
million in 2004, encouraging the company to invest further in the
country.
Nestle Russia has started construction of a €100 million coffee
processing plant in the Krasnodar Territory. The full-cycle
facility is Nestle's first processing for coffee in the region and
is an attempt to muscle in on fast...
Burgeoning ingredients firm Corn Products International will drive
harder into the nutritional ingredients market signing on a deal to
acquire a 75 per cent stake in prebiotic supplier GTC Nutrition.
Carrefour might be Europe's biggest food retailer, but even it is
not immune to the continued weakness of the economy in its home
market. The ongoing drop in French consumer purchasing power has
forced the company to invest heavily...
Switzerland's sweet and savoury biscuit sector saw a return to
growth in 2003 due entirely to a strong upswing in export sales -
but domestic sales fell for the second year in succession as a
result of cheaper imports from the...
Sainsbury's interest in UK convenience store operator TM Retail
appears to be waning after the multiple grocer's offer for the
business was rejected by its owners. But this could be no bad thing
for Britain's number...
Global manufacturer and marketer of soy protein products signs
agreement with a leading distributor to represent its line of soy
protein products throughout the US.
Baltimore, Russia's largest producer of mayonnaise, has announced
the go ahead to build two major vegetable oil processing factories
in an effort to feed ever-rising demand and to tighten its grip on
a fragmented market. Simon...
The Ukraine city of Odessa is fulfilling its ambitions to become a
hub for the country's food and beverage processing industry having
reported a 35.7 per cent production growth in the sector during the
course of 2003.
Germans munch their way through more organic foods than the French
and British put together, so finds a new report from Mintel, that
reveals in Germany alone the organic market tipped €3.2 billion.
Price remains a key barrier to growth...
Number one flavours and fragrance firm Givaudan ambles along in the
first quarter with higher sales in flavours offsetting a drop in
the fragrance division, suggesting that strategies to boost profit
announced back in January this...
Roasted ground coffee is still by far the biggest category in the
German coffee market, but sales dropped by 2 per cent last year as
consumers switched to more exciting variants such as Cappuccino and
Espresso, writes Chris Jones.
British retail chains have led the way in terms of own label
development, with many chains having several different ranges at a
number of price points and quality levels. But with new research
suggesting that own label penetration...
Leading Polish soft drinks and ingredients manufacturer Mokate says
it is planning to boost its production on the back of an
anticipated 15 per cent increase in sales, which it says will be
largely derived from enlargement. But to...
Despite Italian food giant Parmalat's financial crisis, its
divisions in both Romania and Hungary continue to operate. Indeed,
Parmalat Hungary is expecting that in the run up to accession,
production will increase in response...
US hydrocolloid firm International Specialty Products (ISP)
continues to consolidate its position in the ingredients sector
announcing the acquisition of UK ingredients company Hallcrest. In
March this year the ambitious company acquired...
British food retailers have welcomed the delay to proposed European
food labelling rules which would have "reduced the ability of
retailers to offer customers healthier eating options". But the
legislation has just been...
Friesland Romania has confirmed that it has made a public bid for a
controlling stake in Romanian dairy group Napolact. The Dutch-owned
company says that it intends to increase its 41 per cent stake to
over 50 per cent.
Rising prices for ingredients sourced from raw materials may find
little relief in 2004 with the UN-backed Food and Agriculture
Organisation yesterday predicting a fall in cereal stocks again by
the end of the 2003/2004 season. 'Soaring...
Roasted ground coffee is still by far the biggest category in the
German coffee market, but sales dropped by 2 per cent last year as
consumers switched to more exciting variants such as Cappuccino and
Espresso, writes Chris Jones.
Intensified competition in the ingredients marketplace and
disappointing orders for Cocoa Butter Equivalents (CBE) following
the new chocolate rules leads to job losses at Danish fats and oils
firm Aarhus United.
Eroski, the Basque retail group, is to rebadge all its 804
supermarket outlets this month after its joint venture with the
Consum group was wound up earlier this year. The company will take
advantage of the change to introduce a new...
Whyte and Mackay, the spirits group formerly known as Kyndal, is
launching a new ready-to-drink vodka-based drink onto the UK market
- a major gamble at a time when RTD sales are starting to decline
and where only truly innovative...
Sainsbury's poor performance over the last year has led to renewed
speculation that the number three UK supermarket group could be a
target for takeover, with US buyout specialists Kohlberg Kravis
Roberts named this week as the...
Swiss retailer Bon appétit has shrugged off a drop in turnover to
post double digit growth in operating profits for 2003 - a welcome
return to the black after 2002's figures were impacted by
extraordinary charges, writes Chris...
Growth for food and beverage manufacturers will continue to lie in
health-driven foods with a new survey direct from Brussels
confirming that consumers have faith in fruit and vegetables, while
the majority remain extremely sceptical...
Global chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut said that recent
acquisitions had boosted its six month figures, with net profit
showing double-digit growth. But low cocoa prices affected
activities at the processing arm of the company.
Natural colours UK firm Overseal Foods is set to carve a deeper
position in the US market, signing a new distribution deal with US
company RFI Ingredients and meeting growing demand for natural
colouring foodstuffs, writes Lindsey...
Growing through international expansion, chewing gum giant Wm.
Wrigley Jr has closed on a €215 million deal to acquire the Joyco
gum and confectionery businesses from Agrolimen, a privately-held
Spanish food conglomerate. The acquisition...
Building up a market position through direct contact with the
consumer and cashing in on the growing low carbohydrate fad,
ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients will see its low-cal,
low-carb tagatose sweetener emblazoned on the...
Heineken, keen to increase its presence in the all-important
Russian market, is said to be considering a huge investment to
develop facilities in the Sverdlovsk region.
Significant investment into production facilities and new product
launches seem to be paying off for Heidi Chocolats Suisse Romania,
after the company announced that its sales for the month of
February grew by 80 per cent.
French natural ingredients firm Diana-Ingredients will shift from
one equity investor to another with confirmation yesterday that its
owner, a BNP Paribas holding company managed by PAI Partners, will
spin the company off to London-based...
Rathbones Bakeries, one of the leading suppliers of own label bread
and baked goods to the UK retail trade, has been sold by Greencore,
the Irish food group which is keen to focus on building its
convenience food operations.
Swedish probiotics firm BioGaia has developed a screw cap for use
on PET bottles, which releases ingredients such as its probiotic
bacteria or vitamins into the beverage,writes Dominique
Patton.
Despite recently announcing end-of-year results which were impacted
by last year's heavy investment programme, Wimm-Bill-Dann is
continuing its aggressive expansion policy with a major investment
in an Uzbekistan dairy facility.
The EU has made no secret of the fact that it is now looking into
sourcing meat and dairy products from Russia. Simon Pitman
spoke to the Russian Ministry of Agriculture to find out how
discussions on the subject are progressing.
Focusing on expanding its operations in Romania has helped French
retail group Hyparlo offset the impact of the sluggish domestic
economy - and clear its debts to free up more cash for further
growth, writes Chris Jones.
Food manufacturers are aware that in a visually noisy world, their
product must be carefully packaged to appeal to the target
audience. Over 80 per cent of consumer decisions are made at the
store shelf.
Major processors of canned tuna in the US have described a recent
ad campaign by environmental activists as being "an
irresponsible and highly inflammatory tactic" that will scare
consumers away from what they call a safe...
Despite repeated pledges to tackle the problem, many of the big
brand breakfast cereals on supermarket shelves in the UK still
contain excessive levels of sugar, salt and fat, according to new
research from the Consumers' Association...
The German company Bayer CropScience has scrapped plans to
cultivate its genetically modified (GM) forage maize variety
Chardon LL in the UK, citing government constraints for making it
'economically non viable', reports...
In under one month European food and beverage manufacturers face an
exponential increase in paperwork as new rules on GM ingredients
come into force, setting up a 'Dante-esque' paper trail for the
tracking of GMOs. The rules...
