All articles by James Ball – Page 10
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NewsSnack and booze deals hide retail price rises elsewhere
Hurrah, November retail prices are down! Or are they? Behind the festive promotions, the sales figures seem to tell a different story. James Ball reports
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Suppliers sweat in the price pressure cooker
The price of food commodities is rising, The Grocer can reveal. Sharp falls in the pound have minimised or reversed the effect of falling world commodity prices, leading the average price of food commodities tracked by The Grocer to rise 4.5% since...
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Wilson leaves Kraft to oversee flagship Premier cake brands
Stuart Wilson has joined Premier Foods as director of ambient - sweet, overseeing several flagship brands, including Mr Kipling and Cadbury cakes.
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Bakkavör debt sparks retailer supply nerves
Supermarkets have held informal talks with Northern Foods and other suppliers about taking on Bakkavör's business amid concerns around the company's high levels of debt, The Grocer has learned.Bakkavör, the UK's second-largest ready meal...
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Analysis & FeaturesPromo Dynamic: Booze makes up a quarter of all deals
Wine reclaimed its place at the top of the Promo Dynamic table this week, as alcoholic drinks accounted for three of the top four categories
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NewsGrocer 33 Online: Asda delivers all-round excellence
Bags for life. Bags under the counter. The supermarkets might be doing their darnedest to cut plastic bag usage in stores but for the online teams that pick and deliver, the plastic bag continues to be an Achilles heel
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Own-label lines pinch brands' featured space
Supermarkets have dramatically changed their promotional tactics in response to the economic downturn, reveals exclusive research carried out for The Grocer.They have slashed the number of branded lines on promotion in high-value featured...
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Analysis & Features
Promo Dynamic: Biscuits feel the festive price crunch
The Christmas buildup of promotional activity continues, with the number of promotions in featured space topping 1,600 for the first time since Promo Dynamic began
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Analysis & Features
Promo Dynamic: Spirits offers more than double to 108
This week’s promotional activity remained at a similar level to last week’s, finds James Ball, with a massive 1,546 lines on offer
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NewsDairy prices remain high as producers fight over milk
Food prices are falling for the first time this year. But due to tight supply, the dairy category looks set to buck the trend. James Ball reports
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Tesco and suppliers at odds as commodity prices drop
As commodity prices fall, Tesco claims suppliers should cut their prices, but manufacturers argue they've yet to feel the benefits. James Ball looks at both sides
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Trade credit insurance blitz hits wholesalers
Smaller wholesalers are being forced to pay suppliers upfront for deliveries because their trade credit insurance limits have been reduced or removed. Sources within the sector claimed wholesalers were coming under closer scrutiny from trade...
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Bakkavör profits less than interest payments on debt
Bakkavör has not made enough money in the past three months to cover the interest payments on its £1.5bn debt and other liabilities, the latest quarterly results reveal.The ready-meals maker, which is a major supplier to M&S, made operating...
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Wholesale 'absorbing price cuts'
Retail food and drink prices at the big four fell month-on-month for the first time in 2008 - but wholesalers claim suppliers are being forced to pick up the shortfall with price hikes. The Grocer Price Index shows that prices at the...
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'Retailers profit while growers are crucified'
Retailers have been accused of increasing retail prices but failing to share the proceeds with vegetable growers hit by heavy costs. The UK retail price of vegetables has risen significantly in the past year, with potatoes up 25.2%, carrots up 18.3%...
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Supermarket pressure slows rise in price of fruit and veg
Growers say retail prices must increase further to offset cost hikes, but abundant EU harvests may prompt further reductions, reports James Ball
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Analysis & Features
Promo Dynamic: Trick or treat knocks wine off top spot
Wine has been knocked off the top spot for the first time since The Grocer first published its promotions league table in September. Its conqueror was confectionery, which had over 165 lines on promotion in featured space as Hallowe’en deals reached...
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Yes, we can predict future price of food, claims EFFP
A new retail food price forecasting tool launched this week is aiming to predict the price of food in the future. Can it be accurate, asks James Ball
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Weak pound pushes suppliers to the brink
Suppliers warn that the tumbling pound could drive them out of business.The pound has fallen almost 25% against the dollar in recent months, and nearly 20% against the euro. Though the UK, which imports almost half its food, does not import...
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Companies face pension deficits as shares slump
Leading food manufacturers are facing massive, in some cases devastating increases in their pension deficits as a result of the tumbling stock markets. Uniq’s situation in particular was “increasingly desperate and fraught”, said analyst Panmure...