Archive of all comment and opinion articles – Page 498
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Comment & Opinion
our man from drip Don Pumsey - 28th April 2007
I suppose it was The Grocer wot done it. Just as I was seated, scanning the stunning revelation by Crawley's finest that Peter Freeman's comatose Commission for the Long Grass was still desperately seeking Britain's last honest estate agent, ?the...
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Comment & Opinion
Finding a planning expert can't be that difficult, surely
News that the Competition Commission does not appear to have appointed any experts to advise it on the planning implications of its investigation (The Grocer, 14 April, p6) should surprise and disappoint in equal measure those who are expecting...
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Comment & Opinion
Bogof's week
Sir Robin Janvrin, the Queen's private secretary, likes to compare Marmite to the royal family, saying that the former has moved with the times "but the changes have been made gradually and with respect for tradition". I'd say Marmite was moving...
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Comment & Opinion
Letter of the week - Protect and celebrate our food
I have recently returned from a very enlightening trip to Barcelona Degusta. What really opened my eyes was not the good quality food on show, but the space dedicated to celebrating EU Protected Food Names (EUPFNs). It is this level of awareness and...
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Comment & Opinion
Ghostbusting - putting life back into our communities
The term 'ghost town Britain' has been used by the media to sum up the decline of the local community - particularly through the closure or loss of facilities such as post offices, pubs, shops, doctors' surgeries and bus services. But this...
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Comment & Opinion
Retailers should learn from the US
The announcement of a small tie-up between Daylesford Organic and Planet Organic might not be the biggest deal in the world but it has obvious benefits for both organisations and could point the way to more such links. From the end of...
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Comment & Opinion
Are major retailers stifling the creation of new brands?
I t is often claimed that the presence of powerful retailers acts as a deterrent to the development of new brands in the UK food and soft drinks market. Retailers used to stock a wide range of brands and pack sizes within a category, in...
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Comment & Opinion
Bogof's week
Self-important chief executives who seek newspaper profiles, the adulation of the gabfest and the unquestioning support of their colleagues should stay put (in plcs) says Lord Hollick, the not-at-all self-important ex-ceo of United Business...
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Comment & Opinion
You can make promises... the key is sticking to them
Study the works of any great writer and you'll discover a variety of styles and subjects, but one common thread links them all. It's the uncertainty of outcome and it's a technique used to devastating effect by every popular writer, from...
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Comment & Opinion
Retail micro-marketing: a cocktail for discrimination
The current Competition Com-mission inquiry into the grocery market is examining competition issues in three key areas. These are: retailers' behaviour towards suppliers, retail competition in local markets, and the planning regime and...
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Comment & Opinion
"Like some mad scientist in a remote castle in a Gothic fantasy novel, the FSA has created a monster"
This week, The Grocer calls on Ofcom to abandon its use of the Nutrient Profiling Model with immediate effect. Using a standard 100g unit to measure each food or drink product, this model was developed by the Food Standards Agency to help the...
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Comment & Opinion
The clock must start at the ticket barrier, not the desk
I used to know a man who left his home near Farnborough in Surrey at about 6am every morning so he could avoid a traffic jam on the M25 on his way to his work, somewhere near Watford. He'd then stay at his desk until 8pm to avoid the return...
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Comment & Opinion
Expect another toothless result
A sentence leaps out from the Competition Commission's 'emerging thinking' on supermarkets: "We will wish to consider very carefully whether, taking account of likely future trends, the grocery market is sufficiently competitive to prevent any...
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Comment & Opinion
Facts speak volumes in the industry quest for low salt
There's a lot of nonsense written about the salt content of food. All too often facts are ignored in the quest for scaremongering headlines. In reality the manufacturing industry has a fantastic story to tell about salt reduction so Salt...
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Comment & Opinion
Sticking to your resolution: now there's a real challenge
Belatedly, I wish you a happy New Year. I hope your resolutions are still in place and Santa was good to you. I certainly put in a good word for you because I went up to see him. Or at least hang about in his neighbourhood. In the week...
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Comment & Opinion
Listen hard and plan well for successful negotiation
One of the most common statements made to me is 'you can't learn to be a negotiator - some people are good and some are bad'. I agree some people prefer negotiating more than others. But I disagree that you can't learn to enjoy it and achieve...
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Comment & Opinion
Grocery industry must do more to promote local food
It is time for an honest debate about the culture of food in Britain because it matters in so many ways. It matters to our health, our rural communities, our environment and our economy. Therefore, any change in our attitudes towards it has...
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Comment & Opinion
Don't panic over the interest hikes
In the middle of a Christmas trading reporting season that was unfailingly upbeat, the Bank of England decided that interest rates needed to go up, for the third time in six months. Looking ahead at the industry's prospects, will this increase...
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Comment & Opinion
UK industry should step up GM opposition in US style
While the majority of Europe's governments have been voting against proposals for new GM crop varieties to be imported or grown and used for food in Europe, the greater voting power Britain has over smaller countries in the EU means the UK's...
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Comment & Opinion
At last! Quality comes to the fore
It looks as though the grocers have enjoyed a strong Christmas trading period. Availability in the stores seemed strong and there were some very impressive new ranges particularly in fresh foods. There was a marked change in the focus of the...