Keeping customers loyal can be better achieved by offering them the
lowest prices rather than gimmicks such as loyalty card schemes,
according to Asda citing data from a new survey from NOP. Not what
Sainsbury wanted to hear as it...
Dutch retailer Royal Ahold said on Thursday that its US Foodservice
subsidiary would acquire certain assets of US distributor Lady
Baltimore Foods for an undisclosed amount.
Dairy farmers in UK received a boost this week with the decision of
several retail groups to increase milk prices. But the long term
problems will remain unless the middle men - milk processors - can
be persuaded to pay more for their...
Starch derivatives company Cerestar, recently acquired by US
agribusiness Cargill, claims this week that it has met the
challenge to develop a gum type that differs from typical gelatine
and starch gums. According to the company sales...
Purchases and new production facilities have so far marked the
healthy growth of Dutch life science company DSM in 2002. This week
the company announced further acquisitions with the purchase of the
food coatings activities of Vaessen...
Laurent-Perrier Champagne has released a new version of its Grand
Siecle La Cuvee wine in the US, at the same time reducing the price
to around €80 a bottle in a bid to attract greater numbers of
consumers to high quality wines.
A loyalty card programme from food retailer Sainsbury and
compatriot groups Debenhams, BP and Barclaycard is to be launched
next week with the ambitious target of attracting half of the UK's
households in its first year. But...
Confectionery maker Hershey Foods on Monday was downgraded to
"neutral" from "buy" by Merrill Lynch, which cited concern that a
sale of the company could prompt Hershey to give up powerful
licensed brands such...
Scientific research would suggest that the colorants called
anthocyanins in strong-coloured berries like red berries,
blueberries and blackcurrants may have a role in preventing heart
disease. A three-year European-funded collaborative...
Organic fruit sales continue to rise in France as consumer demand
for organic fresh produce remains buoyant, write market analysts
Organic Monitor this week. In spite of flagging growth in other
organic categories, organic fresh fruit...
Those European retailers with the biggest international spread -
Carrefour and Tesco - top the latest rankings, but the continued
downturn in the global economy means that this policy of expansion
is not without its risks, according...
Archer Daniels Midland, the leading US ethanol producer, on Friday
won conditional approval from US antitrust authorities to acquire
privately owned Minnesota Corn Processors LLC, a smaller rival.
Potential buyers for US confectionery giant Hershey are close to
putting their bids on the table, despite ongoing legal hitches,
sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.
UK food, ingredients and retail group Associated British Foods
(ABF) announced on Friday that the minority shareholders of its
Australian subsidiary, George Weston Foods Limited, have voted in
favour of a proposal for a selective...
Swiss life science company Lonza has agreed to sell its fatty acid
and glycerine operation in Ohio, USA to oleochemical producers Twin
Rivers Technologies.
A rumoured takeover bid for beleaguered food retailer Safeway by
larger rival Asda has been dismissed as speculation by both chains.
But Safeway's problems continue and an eventual buy out cannot be
ruled out entirely.
A proposal which would have meant an increase in beer and wine
duties in some EU countries and a sharp reduction in others has
been scrapped by the Commission in the face of fierce opposition.
British consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety, but
the government's efforts to get the message across are falling
largely on deaf ears. Instead, food manufacturers and,
increasingly, retailers are being called...
All members of the board of Japanese company Duskin have tended
letters of resignation over the use of a banned additive in food
sold at Mister Donuts, a subsidiary, the firm said on Thursday,
reports the Daily Yomiuri.
Belgium's Interbrew has acquired the US rights to its Bass Ale
brand, bringing a premature end to an earlier agreement with
Diageo. The comapny also reported a slide in profits in the first
half, despite some good performances...
Shares in food giant Nestle jumped 2.8 per cent on Wednesday as
investors bet a US court would intervene in the sale of Hershey
Foods, reducing the odds that Nestle would overpay for the
chocolate icon.
A new energy bar with guarana has been launched by UK confectionery
group Cadbury Schweppes, the first 'mainstream' chocolate bar to
enter the energy market. Boost Guarana is said to offer as much
extra energy as an energy...
Carbohydrate ingredients company Tate & Lyle on Wednesday
announced that despite expressions of interest from a number of
parties and several weeks of detailed negotiations, it has not
managed to sell its molasses and storage...
The Casino group has concluded the sale of 11 shopping malls
centred around its Geant hypermarkets in Poland. The deal, which
allows for the sale of two other malls, was valued at €163m.
Regulatory bodies in the US have given US oil processor Bunge the
go ahead to continue with its proposed acquisition of a 55 per cent
controlling stake in French oil seed company Cereol. Ingredients
company Central Soya, a subsidiary...
The ownership of two of the best-known vodkas from Eastern Europe
could be under threat. The Russian government has announced that it
plans to sell licences to produce Stolichnaya to the highest
bidders, while Poland is proposing...
The UK joined the ongoing and heated debate about the meat
alternative product Quorn this week when the UK Food Standards
Agency (FSA) rejected claims by an American organisation that the
mycoprotein Quorn is unsafe.
A failed revamp of Dutch stores and poor results from Belgium and
Spain kept Dutch retailer Laurus firmly in the red in the first
half. But the recent acquisition of a stake by Casino, and cash
promised for restructuring, should aid...
The South Korean market is one of the largest in the world for
Scotch whisky, in particular deluxe blends. With this in mind, the
maker of Famous Grouse has created a new range of whiskies under
the Lancelot name in association with...
Disposal of various loss-making businesses has helped Portuguese
retailer Jeronimo Martins to reduce its debts in the first half,
but exposure to volatile economic conditions means a return to the
black could take some time yet.
The market for top-end Cognacs or Single Malt Scotch whiskies is
set to grow as consumers across Europe become wealthier. But too
much growth is a bad thing, warns market analyst Datamonitor, as
the products become less prestigious...
Food giant Nestle said on Monday that a closely watched court
hearing on delaying the planned sale of US chocolate maker Hershey
is unlikely to be the last word in the controversial transaction.
In June 2002, as compared to June 2001, the volume of retail trade
in the euro-zone decreased by 0.9 per cent but increased by 0.4 per
cent in the EU fifteen member state zone (EU15), estimated
Eurostat, the statistical office of...
Eurofins, a French company that supplies bioanalytical support
services to the food industry, witnessed a 23 per cent leap in
sales for the second quarter of 2002. This week the company
reported that consolidated sales reached € 39.4...
The Australian federal government is to bailout the struggling
sugar industry in order to prop up towns along the Queensland and
northern NSW coast, Trade Minister Mark Vaile said on Sunday,
IndustrySearch.com reports.
Japanese seasoning producer Ajinomoto said on Monday that it is to
double its Brazilian unit's annual production of amino acid-based
Lysine for animal feed products by the end of 2004.
Nestle and Cadbury, the two European confectionery giants, are
reported to be discussing a joint bid for Hershey, the US chocolate
maker. But while a joint bid is unlikely, both firms could profit
from the sale.
The first half of the year was not a good one for Spar, the German
retail group, but it would have been even worse if the Netto hard
discount unit had not performed so well.
Nestle believes it will walk away with lucrative US rights to its
KitKat brand whether or not it wins a takeover battle for American
chocolate icon Hershey because of a deal dating back to 1970,
reports Reuters on Thursday.
Danish oils and fats company Aarhus Oliefabrik on Thursday reported
a drop in operating income to DKK93m (€12.5m) for the first six
months of 2002, down from DKK 125m (€16.8m) for the same period
last year, but despite this the company...
Europe's leading food retail chain Carrefour has surprised even
itself with the publication of first half results which were much
better than expected.
For the first time in many years, the Dutch retail group Ahold has
reported a quarterly loss for the second three months of the year,
an announcement which "hurt" the proud company.
Cheese and nutrition remains a focus for Irish food ingredients
company Glanbia but difficult international dairy markets had a
negative impact on the financial year, the company confirmed in a
statement this week that accompanied...
Dutch food company Wessanen reported sales of €1,449.5 million for
the first half of 2002. Net sales remained close to figures for
last year's first half, while EBITA decreased to €36.6 million from
€43.2 million in the same...
Signs that European industries are gaining confidence on the
Internet were evident this week when a new report released by
Forrester Research projects that online trade will account for 22
per cent of all European business trade in...
Food giant Nestle yesterday moved to quell market speculation it
was poised to launch a top-dollar bid for US chocolate maker
Hershey Foods, suggesting it would only pursue deals that met
certain growth and cost criteria.
Dutch retailer Royal Ahold said on Monday that it would bid about
$50 million for the shares of Chilean supermarket firm Santa Isabel
that it did not already own.
Food conglomerate Nestle has emerged as the favourite to win a
multi-billion auction for American chocolate icon Hershey Foods
although investors took a cautious approach to reports a firm offer
was already on the table.
Japan's Nippon Meat Packers is considering spinning off its meat
operations, after a devastating beef mislabelling scandal sent
consumer confidence plunging.
