All articles by Charlie Wright – Page 47
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Woolworths posts £90m H1 losses
The scale of the task facing new Woolworths chief executive Steve Johnson has emerged after the embattled high street retailer posted first-half losses of more than £90m. Johnson said a "good dose of basic shop-keeping" was required, with Christmas the top priority, after Woolworths today announced that it had racked up losses of £90.8m for the six months to 2 August.
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Asda trumps Tesco discount move
As revealed on thegrocer.co.uk (15 September), Tesco this week launched a new range of 350 discounted items in response to the recent gains made by discounters such as Aldi and Lidl. But the news was trumped yesterday when Asda signalled a major price war by slashing the cost of 5,000 items, including every product in its Smart Price range, as Asda chief executive Andy Bond said food inflation had peaked.
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Kids have lost touch with cooking, says Balls
School pupils should be taught how to cook classic meals such as spaghetti Bolognese and shepherd’s pie to help tackle rising obesity levels, schools secretary Ed Balls said yesterday.
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Calypso seizes Mr Freeze after Zed deal
Calypso Soft Drinks has completed a deal to acquire cult ice lolly brand Mr Freeze. Calypso has acquired Mr Freeze from Irish confectionery group Zed Candy, which also makes brands including Jawbreakers and Fizz Bombs.
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Asda shuns celebs for new George ads
Asda is to use regular people - rather than professional models or celebrities - in the latest advertising campaign for its George clothing line, after saying it felt "wrong" to pay for celebrity endorsement during an economic downturn.
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Diageo ditches Cobra purchase plan
Diageo has ditched plans to acquire a stake in Cobra Beer. The drinks giant, which owns brands including Guinness and Smirnoff, had previously planned to invest up to £30m in a stake in Cobra.
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Associated 'on track' but debt grows
Associated British Foods has said its end of year results, set to be published in November, will be in line with expectations, although the consumer products giant expects its total debt to rise "substantially". The company said its grocery arm - owner of brands including Ryvita and Blue Dragon ...
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Celeb chef Vickery leads £10m Aldi push
Aldi is to plough £10m into a new advertising campaign featuring Michelin-starred celebrity chef Phil Vickery. Vickery, a regular on the BBC’s Ready Steady Cook, will star in a run of television adverts beginning on 15 September and is also to produce a number of podcasts and recipes for Aldi...
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Drinks giant sponsors alcohol disease guide
Diageo, the owner of brands including Guinness and Smirnoff, has sponsored a new report on the perils of alcohol-related liver disease.
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Lightbody takes top role at Finsbury
Premium cake maker Finsbury Food Group has announced a series of changes to its senior management, with chief executive Dave Brooks set to hand over the reins later this month.
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InBev tries to restore Stella to former glory
It has a premium look and a 5% abv, but can the so-called ‘wifebeater’ shake off its old image, asks Charlie Wright.
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Premier posts 43% surge in sales
Premier Foods has announced a surge in sales for the last six months, with the UK’s largest food producer reaping the benefits from a run of major acquisitions. Premier, the company behind brands including Mr Kipling and Batchelors, saw H1 sales climb by 43.5% to £1.29bn, up from last ...
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Risqué Orangina ad attracts charity’s ire
The Advertising Standards Authority is investigating a number of complaints over a risqué television commercial for Orangina that features animated animals in bikinis dancing provocatively. The ASA has received around 150 complaints since the advert was first screened at the beginning of the month and will now decide whether ...
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Tesco wholesale ruled out for British market
Tesco wholesale ruled out for British market: Tesco has ruled out a move into UK wholesale after it announced the launch of a C&C business in India, marking the next phase of its international expansion. International director Philip Clarke, who will oversee the new Indian operation, said there...
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Whole Foods inthe red
Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey insists the UK operations will break even by 2011 – despite reporting pre-tax operating losses of $18.4m (£9.4m) on its London-based stores and a 31% reduction in its global third-quarter profits amid the...
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Food export prospects get a big health boost
The health and wellbeing market is booming across Europe and has doubled in size in the UK alone over the past decade – but food and drink manufacturers hoping to exploit the overseas market are being warned not to adopt a one-size-fits-all...
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Supermarkets plunge down Superbrands list
The UK’s leading supermarkets are plummeting in shopper estimations as media criticism intensifies and consumer concern over their ethical and environmental stances mounts. Tesco has slumped more than 200 places in the latest Superbrands list of the...
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Binge drinking: blame hits offies and c-stores
The public blame supermarkets and pubs alike for the rise of binge drinking – but it’s local stores and off-licences that are most at fault, according to a poll. The survey of 1,000 UK consumers, conducted by retail consultancy Harris International...
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Banana news
Caribbean anxiety Now that the WTO has officially ruled the EU banana regime must change, Caribbean producers are anxiously awaiting the format which will not drive its US critics back to the international negotiating panel. A spokesman for the Caribbean Banana Exporters Association has expressed the hope the EU will ...
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Avocado news
Peru fills a niche Peru has become a new source for avocados, filling a niche market between the end of the South African crop and arrivals from Mexico. This is the result of a marketing deal between importer Poupart and a producer better known for asparagus.