All articles by Ronan Hegarty – Page 94
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NewsMorrisons profits provide cheer amid retail gloom
Morrisons delivered some welcome good news for the retail sector this morning with a 9% jump in pre-tax profits. Like-for-like sales for the six months to 31 July were up 2.2%, which Morrisons said was 0.8% ahead of the grocery market.
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Analysis & Features
At 4%, food price inflation is stable... but it’s all relative
Prices at the big four are up 4% on average – 3% when deals are taken into account – but only Asda has kept a lid on inflation. Ronan Hegarty reports
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Comment & Opinion
Not so big in Japan
The principle of not losing face is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture. Luckily for Tesco it’s not such a problem for the Brits.
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NewsIndustry asks science to cure salt addiction
The food and drink industry is calling in the boffins to help it meet its commitments on salt reduction under the Responsibility Deal. Retailers and manufacturers admitted this week that they had hit a brick wall in some areas and were...
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NewsMorrisons drops biggest hint yet of bid for Iceland
Morrisons appears to have signalled its intention to bid for frozen food retailer Iceland by appointing Credit Suisse as an advisor. Iceland’s majority owners, the officials responsible for the winding up of Icelandic bank Landsbanki, put their 67% stake up for sale in May.
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Analysis & FeaturesWhy those free plastic bags are still hanging on in there
The media and the green lobby are, as ever, venting their fury but retailers are in no mood for taking plastic bags away from tills, says Ronan Hegarty
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NewsMorrisons trial puts wine next to fresh fruit & veg
Morrisons has put its wine aisle next to fresh produce in trial move to capitalise on the rise in popularity of scratch cooking and dining at home. The retailer is carrying out the trial at its 'fresh lab' concept store in Kirkstall in...
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Comment & Opinion
The not so mighty Quinn
Musgrave Group today announced plans to pick up the debris from the sudden - if not entirely surprising – demise of Irish retailer Superquinn.
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NewsHealth defines new Morrisons own label
Morrisons is stripping out vast amounts of fat, salt and sugar from its own-label products ahead of its own-label relaunch in the autumn, The Grocer has learnt. The retailer kickstarted a comprehensive overhaul of its own-label offer...
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Analysis & FeaturesWill Morrisons’ M-local be a convenience game-changer?
It has a wider range of fresh food at no mark-up to superstore prices, but is M-local really that different from other c-stores, asks Ronan Hegarty
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NewsAd pressure eases as NotW calls it a day
The News of the World sensationally revealed plans to publish its last-ever edition on Sunday, following an astonishing week in which the public piled pressure on retailers and manufacturers to drop advertising from the paper at the centre of a phone-hacking scandal.
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Analysis & Features
Grocery prices still on the up despite impact of promos
Food prices are up 4% on last year, even with promos factored in. And with sales flat, the future looks tough for consumers.
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News
Tobacco research by ASH board member has Imperial fuming
Imperial Tobacco has launched a stinging attack on the government over its Tobacco Control Plan, calling into question the impartiality of its 'independent' report on which it is basing much of its policy.The government published in...
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NewsAsda hands McKenna chief operating officer role
Asda chief financial officer Judith McKenna will step into the chief operating officer role unexpectedly vacated by Simon King last week. McKenna, who joined Asda over 15 years ago, will take over responsibility for all Asda’s retail operations, including its stores, distribution network and IT systems.
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NewsOcado celebrates profits landmark with Carrefour tie-up
Ocado has announced its first-ever interim pre-tax profits. The online grocer turned the £6.7m deficit it suffered for the first half of last year into gains of £200,000 this time around. Sales rose almost 21% to £296.7m for the 24 weeks to 15 May.
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Analysis & Features
Promotional plans vary as consumers slow spending
Consumer spending has fallen with the rain, and retailers’ responses have been mixed, with deal numbers fluctuating. Ronan Hegarty reports
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News
Café Crème thinks bigger with Grande cigar variant
The UK's leading miniature cigar brand Café Crème has launched a larger cigar to go head-to-head with Hamlet.Scandinavian Tobacco Group, which launched Café Crème Grande this week, said it was "the first major piece of innovation in the...
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Analysis & Features
Monthly inflation eases as promos mitigate its impact
Prices remain up year on year, but without promotions the outlook would be worse, and month-on-month, the picture is improving
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NewsWalker ‘still favourite’ to take over at Iceland
As newspaper reports confirmed a 'beauty parade' of financial advisors strongly linking Morrisons with a £1.5bn swoop for Iceland, Malcolm Walker is still the favourite to get his hands on the company he founded, a senior City source close to the...
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NewsMorrisons snares another brace of Netto stores
Morrisons has bought a further two Netto stores from Asda. The latest acquisitions – in Worsley, Manchester, and Dunstable – are in addition to the 16 former Netto stores it bought from Asda in January.