All The Grocer articles in 14 May 2011
Previous issues.
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News
Wheat prices to soar as drought deepens
The food industry is on red alert again over wheat - and this time it's wheat used in food, rather than feed, that's most at risk.
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Grocer 33
Sainsbury's Crystal Peaks
The Grocer 33 is a weekly mystery shopping survey, tracking price, service and availability at the five leading grocery retailers: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. Each week the winning store manager is interviewed by The Grocer.
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News
Former boss Baile back for failed Oddbins stores
Former Oddbins owner Simon Baile has bought the leases to five defunct Oddbins stores from the chain's administrator and plans to re-open them as ExCellar wine shops. Baile was putting the final touches to two of the stores, in East Sheen...
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News
Research hub hunts for ‘quantum leap’ in brewing
Scientists at a new UK research centre will be hoping to develop the ‘holy grail’ of brewing: longer shelf life for beers. SAB Miller today announced it is building a £3m global brewing research facility, which will be sited at the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences.
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News
Japan boss Fleming handed top Tesco strategy role
Tesco has promoted the head of its Japanese business, Michael Fleming, to a new global strategy role. Fleming is handed the title of group strategy director and has returned to the UK after three years in Japan.
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News
Bottlegreen bought by WKD maker
Bottlegreen Drinks has been sold to Northern Ireland’s SHS Group, the maker of WKD. The soft drinks producer was previously controlled by Piper Private Equity. Piper paid around £5m for a majority stake in 2007 and reportedly valued the company at £30m.
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Comment & Opinion
The only thing worse than being talked about
Few people these days will believe there’s really no such thing as bad publicity. Even so, most marketers would consider a few snarky comments from internet critics a price worth paying for acres of free coverage.
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Comment & Opinion
Gluten-free goes super-Novak
On Saturday The Times reported with some gusto that food intolerances were a figment of our oversensitive and pampered western imaginations.
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News
Asda to pioneer George franchise stores in Middle East
Asda is taking its George clothing brand overseas with the launch of two franchise stores in the Middle East. The outlets will be run under the George banner in the retailer’s first foray into franchising.
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News
Property and wage hikes hit Clearys
Manchester-based Spar retailer Clearys has blamed spiralling property and wage costs for falling into the red. Accounts filed at Companies House this week revealed a pre-tax loss of £41,502 for the year ending 30 June 2010 compared with...
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Comment & Opinion
Clarke starts to feel the quality
In The Times today, Andy Clarke is again banging the drum on his supermarket’s new focus on quality.
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News
Hovis fights back after sales slump
Sales of Hovis have plummeted in the past year, The Grocer can reveal. The brand's pre-packed bread dropped 9% to £406m in the year to 19 February, with volumes down 3.3%, according to SymphonyIRI.
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News
No smooth outcome as Stella 4% sales fall
Sales of Stella 4% - hailed as the most successful alcohol launch of the past 10 years - have crashed by more than 30% over the past 12 months. The beer, which was developed for the UK market and debuted in August 2008, was called the...
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News
The Sainsbury's coupon offering 1p off your next shop
The popularity of coupons is soaring, with a record 61% of consumers claiming to use the money saving device, up from 52% a year ago, according to a survey by coupon company Valassis. And coupon usage was just as high among shoppers in...
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News
The rise of the super-trucks
Under new government plans, trucks are set to grow in length. Supermarkets point to the potential for efficiency gains and CO2 reductions, but not everyone is convinced. Adam Hill reports
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News
PayPoint takes Western Union transactions
PayPoint is now accepting Western Union payments from retailers through its terminals. Retailers previously required a PC, printer and broadband to offer the service. PayPoint described the response from retailers to its initial...
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News
‘Hobrobs’ row has McVitie’s in Twitter tizz
Jemima Khan and Jeremy Clarkson weren’t the only well-loved British brands on the defensive thanks to Twitter this week. Biscuit king McVitie’s was at the centre of some online argy-bargy over the advert for its Medley bars.
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Comment & Opinion
McIntyre’s got Marmite
The inexorably linked worlds of grocery and performance art crossed paths yet again this week.First as art student Nathan Wyburn wowed judges on Britain's Got Talent with a portrait of Michael McIntyre made from Marmite on toast.
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News
Rain in Spain falls and UK tomato prices soar
British fruit and veg growers may be having a hard time dealing with the recent unusually warm and dry weather, but it's the opposite problem for growers in Spain, where unseasonably heavy rainfalls are threatening this year's tomato crop.
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News
Shapland exit triggers reshuffle at Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury's commercial director Mike Coupe is being tipped as the most likely successor to CEO Justin King following the shock departure this week of group development director Darren Shapland.Shapland revealed he was leaving the...