Products displayed in green point-of-sale (POS) positions have a
much better chance of catching the eye and ending up in consumers'
shopping trolleys, according to new research due to be presented
next week.
Retailers' distribution costs in the UK have risen slightly over
the last year, but stock levels have been reduced and supply chains
are becoming more efficient, according to the latest survey of
retail logistics published by...
The price of soy ingredients could ease in the next twelve months
for manufacturers and processors as the US government predicts
farmers, on the back of rising soybean prices, will plant more
soybeans for the 2004-05 marketing year.
Food retailers in the UK this week committed to a programme aimed
at reducing salt levels in their own label processed foods such as
soups, pizzas and ready meals.
US alginate producer International Specialty Products (ISP) will
take on a new range of cellulose ingredients after shaking hands on
a deal with Tawainese manufacturer Mingtai Chemical.
The biggest potential consumer market in the world has flung open
the doors to GM foodstuffs. Approving a handful of biotech soybeans
and corn from US biotech giant Monsanto, China's permanent approval
- the first ever issued...
Driving hard into value added ingredients has paid off for Irish
food group Kerry as the company faces off tougher currency exposure
in 2003 to see a steady rise in sales and operating profit.
European bottom line benefits from greater...
Countdown to the integration of 10 new member states in Europe this
April begins under the aegis of the Irish presidency. For
manufacturers, a clear understanding of the marketplace in these
countries will be vital to pitching the...
Britain's third largest food retail group Sainsbury looks set to
increase its presence in the convenience store sector even further
in the next few weeks with a bid for the TM Group.
Eastern Europe's thirst for bottled water shows no signs of being
quenched, with all of the 15 biggest countries in the region
showing volume growth over the five years, according to a new
report from beverage industry analysts...
Hypermarkets and discount stores are likely to increase their share
of the grocery retail market in central and eastern Europe in the
years following European Union accession, according to a recent
study of shopping habits in the...
The dominance of the multiple retailers in the UK has had a
devastating effect on the specialist retail sector there, with the
massive buying power of the major chains allowing them to undercut
independent operators at the same time...
Axfood, the Swedish retail group, has completed the remodelling of
35 Matex discount stores, rebranding them under its own Willys
banner. The move is part of a wider strategy of focusing on a
handful of brands for different store...
Sugar, biotechnology, farm reform and failed WTO talks were on the
agenda this week as the EU's farm minister Franz Fischler staked
out Europe's position to the US.
Movement in the global hydrocolloids industry continues this week
with ISP Food Specialities, the UK arm of US private company
International Specialty Products (ISP), announcing it will buy the
UK stabiliser firm Red Carnation Gums...
A trial by UK convenience store operator Spar of a new digital
network allowing targeted information about promotions to be
disseminated throughout its stores has been highly successful, the
company announced last week.
The majority of Polish shoppers still prefer to stock up on
groceries at their local store rather than at western-style
supermarkets or hypermarkets - although urban shoppers are
increasingly turning to the larger store formats.
Mercadona, the biggest Spanish supermarket group, is to increase
its investments by more than 50 per cent this year as it seeks to
spread its portfolio of stores across the country and build on its
excellent performance in 2003.
The UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) last week fell short of
confirming what food producers, farmers and lobby groups have been
saying for the last year – that the Supermarket Code of Practice is
failing to curb the power of the...
Kraft Foods says it is preparing to launch the international
chocolate brand Milka in Russia in an attempt to further increase
its slice of the confectionery market there.
A gathering of Russian ice cream producers in Moscow this week has
revealed the latest production and sales figures for one of the
country's most important food sectors. And it seems that demand for
the comfort product is still...
A new emulsifying agent from US-based TIC Gums is being touted as
more cost-effective that existing products and the first of a new
generation of emulsifying agents.
Britain's Tate & Lyle group and the US-based McNeil
Nutritionals are to change the way they handle production, sales
and marketing of sucralose, the sweetener developed jointly by the
two companies, following the recent opening...
Supermarkets have invested a great deal of time and money in
improving the quality of service that they offer to their customers
in recent years, and this has become as much a way of
differentiating between fascias as the products...
Continued demand for its amino acid supplement Amino Vital was one
of the main drivers of growth for Japanese monosodium glutamate
seasonings and sweeteners group Ajinomoto in the first nine months of 2003.
Carrefour, the French company which is the world's second largest
food retailer, has this week opened its first hypermarket in China
for nearly two years after finally ensuring that its operations
there comply with Chinese regulations.
Sainsbury's already tarnished reputation took another serious knock
this week when the company bowed to shareholder pressure and
decided not to appoint its preferred candidate to the post of
chairman designate.
Compared to other central European nations, the presence of foreign
retailers in Hungary is relatively low, with the likes of Tesco,
Delhaize, Tenglemann, Rewe and Auchan among the few western
companies already present there. And...
FYR Macedonian food processor Zitoluks has secured an €8 million
loan from the EBRD to extend its production facilities and enable
it to work alongside Greek food group Filippou.
The Russian sugar industry has suffered under the weight of poor
logistics, erratic raw supplies and a lack of financing. We spoke
to a leading industry analysts to find out how the industry is
facing up to these challenges and what...
Leading Russian dairy and juice processor Wimm-Bill-Dann has
confirmed that Emerging Markets Growth Fund has raised its stake in
the company to 5.6 per cent.
French yeast giant Lesaffre is driving deeper into the US market,
announcing a link up this week with crop processing titan Archer
Daniels Midland to break ground on a new yeast plant in the US.
Exalted of late for their antioxidant health benefits, fruit
berries continue to show growth in a range of food applications.
Fruit ingredients stalwart J.O. Sims has launched a new Canadian
produced berry onto the market marking...
New research into the cultivation of cereals on semi-arid land
could lead to less fertiliser use, claim scientists in Spain who
looked into various production methods to up yield.
Costcutter, the York-based convenience store operator, is the
latest company to throw its hat into the ring in the Londis
takeover battle. The symbol group confirmed last week that it was
"actively targeting" 1,200 Londis...
Pricer, the
Swedish company which specialises in electronic shelf label (ESL)
systems for the retail trade, saw its losses deepen last year but
remains confident that increasing numbers of supermarket operators
will make the...
Ahold's plans to dispose of its entire Latin American store network
have been stalled for some time by delays in the core markets of
Brazil and Argentina - but this could soon be about to change.
Frutarom Switzerland, the recently acquired Swiss arm of Israeli
flavours group Frutarom, has pulled on synergies from its new
parent to launch a new line of grapefruit flavours, the first in a
range of citrus flavours.
Britain might not have the best reputation when it comes to
upmarket cuisine, but a new report from market analysts
Datamonitor shows that UK consumers are becoming
increasingly more sophisticated in their eating habits - and
Supermarkets in the UK come in for a lot of criticism about their
business practices, with the pressure exerted on suppliers in order
to boost retailers' margins the most recent flashpoint.
Hyparlo, the French retail group which operates a number of
franchised Carrefour outlets, reaped the benefits of a new focus on
just two markets last year - and benefited from the extraordinary
gain from the sale of its Italian business.
In a classic case of closing the stable doors after the horse has
bolted, Dutch retail group Ahold has today announced that it is to
introduce strict new rules on corporate governance a year after the
discovery of a €1 billion hole...
It is now two years since the publication of the so-called Curry
Report on the future of the British farm and food industry, but
many of the recommendations in the report - notably those
concerning the power of the major supermarket...
The European Commission has announced a number of initiatives to
help developing countries enhance their export performance and
reduce their vulnerability from price fluctuations of major
international agricultural commodities such...
Merkur, the Austrian supermarket group owned by Germany's Rewe
group, has just signed a new agreement with the UK-based
international logistics service provider Tibbett &
Britten assuring the long-term supply of chilled foods...
Fine foods are flourishing across Europe as consumers become
increasingly uninspired by mass-produced food, finds a new report,
that also confirms growth opportunities in the organic and natural
foods domaine.
Ingredients giant Danisco leapfrogs into the second global position
for cultures as the Danish firm acquires the food ingredients arm
of ailing French chemical business Rhodia.
A small Canadian milling company has found a novel way of creating
more value from its by-products ?by tapping into the growing craze
for low carbohydrate products made popular by the Atkins Diet.
