All articles by James Ball – Page 8
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News
Smiles at Innocent but will Coca-Cola be its new mate?
Bruised by recession and intense competition, Innocent is in talks with investors to fuel overseas expansion. How's it hanging? By Adam Leyland and James Ball
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Bakkavör chiefs face loans probe
Ágúst and Lýdur Gudmundsson, CEO and chair of ready-meals giant Bakkavör, are facing investigation into loans they received from failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing.This week it emerged Kaupthing had lent hundreds of millions of pounds to its...
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Schofield upbeat as Premier reveals its debt-defying plan
Premier has unveiled plans to handle its debt by raising £404m of finance. Is it enough to mark a turning point for the company, asks James Ball
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Analysis & FeaturesPromo Dynamic: It's spring - and time to clean up
No-one can accuse the UK's grocery retailers of being slow to cash in on a cliché - and spring cleaning is no exception
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NewsNow Waitrose rolls out own-label range for budget shoppers
Waitrose is launching a new own-label range to broaden its appeal with credit-crunched shoppers.
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NewsUp to half the lines in latest 'Rollback' offer just 1p saving
Asda might be rolling back prices every day, but many of them aren't rolling all that far, as research by The Grocer reveals up to half Asda's price cuts are only 1p reductions. Last week Asda announced that it would cut a further 5,000...
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Whitehall under fire over loan insurance delay
The Government has come under fire for delays to its loan insurance scheme designed to re-start lending to small and medium businesses.
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Revealed: how money-off deals hide price rises
Money-saving deals at the big four are being used to conceal price rises, research from The Grocer reveals.While more than a third of branded products are on promotion, according to Nielsen, analysis of data from The Grocer 33 database shows...
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Should brand giants ride out the storm or face it head on?
When even the likes of Unilever refuse to predict what 2009 could bring, it is time to question the position of the major players in brands, writes James Ball
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NewsCommodities: Chocolatiers brace as poor harvests inflate cocoa price
As other manufacturers breathe a sigh of relief at falling costs, the cocoa industry is taking a deep breath as it watches prices rise. James Ball reports
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Coppola role boosts technical innovation at Northern Foods
Northern Foods has appointed John Coppola to the new role of group technical innovation director as the food manufacturer bids to increase its NPD. Coppola joins Northern, which makes products including Goodfella's pizza and Fox's biscuits,...
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Can businesses survive the big credit insurance lockout?
The withdrawal of credit insurance has hit suppliers hard. But it doesn't necessarily spell the end for a company, report Peter Cripps and James Ball
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Are the big four playing fair?
As the pricing battle becomes more heated, calls are mounting for advertising and promotions to be more rigorously policed. James Ball reports
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Unilever just first of many to feel freeze, warn City analysts
As the UK suffered its biggest freeze in decades, analysts warned that Unilever’s results heralded a “chill Siberian wind” for the top global food and drink suppliers.Despite revealing that disposals and currency changes had helped boost net...
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M&S losing customers to big four
Marks & Spencer will continue to struggle against the big four over the next year, a report from research group Bernstein warns.
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NewsSteady inflation pushes up food prices 1.7% in January
The supermarket price wars failed to keep a lid on inflation this month as prices rose 1.7% on last month. The Grocer Price Index, our inflation-tracking index of grocery staples weighted to typical consumer shops, indicated annual food price inflation was holding steady at 15.1%, defying expectations of falling prices…
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NewsCommodities: Dairy prices stay on a level despite wholesale volatility
Retail prices for dairy products remained virtually unchanged this month but the picture at wholesale level was very different says James Ball
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Analysis & Features
Promo Dynamic: Frozen ready meals climb the rankings
The total number of featured space promotions has remained high this week, though it fell back slightly to 1,655 as Christmas trading faded to a distant memory
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News
Bond warns suppliers: focus on value not NPD
Retailer insistence on new product development at the expense of value could become the "key strain" this year in the relationship between retailers and suppliers, Andy Bond told The Grocer this week. Briefing reporters at The Grocer's...
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News
Food brands confused by Channel 4 position
Food companies were left bemused after Channel 4 held an event seeking food advertising on the same day as screening a Dispatches documentary attacking cheap food.
Major food brands were invited to the event last Thursday, in which Channel 4…