Asda has denied rumours that its Extra Special own label range is to be redesigned. A spokeswoman said the brand was under ongoing development but said Asda was not making changes to the design of the packaging. Subjects up for discussion at the Co-op Special Congress in November include the creation of a performance panel, a brand panel, a Co-op foundation and a new ventures working group, as recommended by the Co-operative Commission. Own label cake maker Interlink Foods is starting to reap the benefits of recent acquisitions through increased economies of scale, said chairman Jeremy Hamer at its agm. Tesco claims to have agreed to buy more than a third of this year's crop of English Cox apples after unique weather conditions made for a bumper crop following years of poor harvests. Woolworths will launch National Chocolate Day on September 22. The day will be marked instore with promotions, tastings and free gifts from Nestlé, Mars and Cadbury. Foodservice firm Brake Bros has posted a 22% drop in pre-tax profit to £14m on sales up 31% to £653.8m. The company blamed integration costs for recent acquisitions and a "squeeze on certain national account margins". Smart card service provider ID Data has won a £1.7m contract to supply 10 million new loyalty cards for the relaunch of Tesco's Clubcard. Leeds Co-op has launched a free home delivery service on orders over £25 in Hunslet, Beeston and Holbeck. Spar will open its first Millennium store in Australia on September 22. The store is the first of several in New South Wales to be upgraded to the new format. Swedish grocery and wholesale group Axfood has taken a controlling stake in Spar Finland. A $2m cash injection from investors into US online shopping provider MyWebGrocer is being seen as proof financiers have confidence in the store based fulfilment model. Senior government food safety advisor Professor Hugh Pennington claims the stomach bug E.coli has spread to nearly half of the English cattle herd. Harriet Spicer will take over from Lord Burns as chairman of the National Lottery Commission on October 15. Danish retailers SuperBest and Favor are to merge to form the country's fourth largest grocery chain. The new company will operate under the name SuperBest. Ahold ceo Cees van der Hoeven has criticised the European Central Bank's handling of the changeover to the single currency next year. A nationwide probe into BSE has begun in Japan after a cow tested positive for the disease. US retailer Target has struck a deal with internet giant Amazon to boost its online shopping operation. French retailer Casino is reported to be considering a move into the Italian market. {{NEWS }}

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