The Co-op news and analysis – Page 104
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News
Press-round-up ... Somerfield
A new bid for Somerfield could be mounted by Gareth Jones, the former head of Abbey National’s wholesale banking division.The Times said Jones – a non-executive director of Somerfield until last August – is in discussions with two private...
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Somerfield to downsize stores
Somerfield is to focus on cost control with target cost savings of around £100m over the next three years, to be reinvested “to improve the customer offer". Chairman John von Spreckelsen was confident that the delivery of the refocused group...
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The Co-op buys Balfour
The Co-operative Group has bought convenience store operator Balfour for £30m from venture capital company 3i and Balfour’s senior management team.Balfour’s estate includes 76 c-stores and 35 newsagents based in southern England and had...
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Legal threat in the wash for Co-op's Pods
Mary Carmichael The Co-op has launched what it claims is a revolutionary laundry product, but under the threat of legal action. The retailer claims Powder Pods dissolvable plastic sachets of washing powder, made by Robert McBride ...
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Audas bows out of farmers co-operative group
Robert Audas, managing director of Dairy Farmers of Britain, is leaving in a restructure designed to make the business more customer-focused. Audas will quit the co-operative group at the end of the month and will not be replaced, because...
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All three shortlisted campaigns for The Grocer Gold Award fo
Following its transformation from a tired, underperforming business to a major convenience-based operation over the past five years, the Co-operative Group wanted to strengthen its brand image in the eyes of consumers. In particular, in...
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Ballymena sale
Northern Ireland Co-op has sold its 26,000 sq ft superstore in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, to SVM Properties, landlord of the Fairhill Centre where the store is located. The move is part of the Co-operative Group's retail strategy to...
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Asda has this week been named as the country's favourite sup
Shoppers were asked to rank retailers as best or second best on five key attributes: price, range, quality, service and shelf stocks. They were asked to choose between Asda, the Co-op, Kwik Save, Iceland, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Safeway,...
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Sir; I wholeheartedly agree with Siân Harrington's Opinion
While the last six months have seen major convenience initiatives from retailers as diverse as Tesco, M&S, BP, The Co-operative Group, Budgens and TM Retail, there is a real vacuum in supplier activity. While we know the UK convenience market is...
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Somerfield rejects new offer
Somerfield has rejected an increased offer of almost £600m for the supermarket chain from retail entrepreneurs John Lovering and Bob Mackenzie as not high enough. The pair offered £510m in April for the Bristol-based company which Somerfield...
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Asda shines in tough market
Anne Bruce Asda continues to clock up strong sales growth and grab market share from rivals, it emerged this week, while Safeway and Somerfield are struggling to make any headway in a tough sector. Wal-Mart said first quarter like-for-like...
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a round-up of the hottest recent action in FMCG
Co-op challenged n The Co-op faces a possible legal challenge from Scottish detergent company Aquados which claims the retailer's new soluble Powder Pods sachets infringe its patent. n The product has again put the Co-op ahead of category...
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Somerfield refits grow sales
Somerfield has revealed an upturn in sales growth in the second half of the year, to back its argument that the group is worth more than the £509m offered by John Lovering and Bob Mackenzie last month.The Bristol-based supermarket operator...
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Norpak agreement
The Co-operative Group has agreed to buy United Co-operatives’ chilled and frozen distribution arm Norpak for an undisclosed sum.There are at least two months of due diligence to go through first, said a spokeswoman, but “the deal has been...
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calum kirk
Senior buyer iceland Scotsman Kirk has been at Iceland for three years. He started his career in the grocery department of Scottish co-operative Scotmid and then moved to Somerfield as a buyer. He says his style of working with suppliers is...
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Owen moves on impulse
The Co-operative Group's category manager for chilled foods, Michael Owen, is to move across to become head of category buying for ambient and impulse lines. Owen will be responsible for categories that include confectionery, crisps and snacks,...
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Scepticism that trade would bid
The prospect of a trade buyer emerging as the mystery bidder for Somerfield has been dismissed by analysts, although some sources close to the business believe it could be an attractive target. Somerfield announced on Tuesday it had been...
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Press round-up ... Somerfield
Potential bidders for the supermarket group Somerfield, John Lovering and Bob Mackenzie, could make an all cash offer of around 100p a share this week to value the UK’s sixth biggest supermarket chain at about £500m, according to The...
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Sir Terry Leahy might have stolen Malcolm Hepworth's thunder
While Tesco bosses faced a barrage of negative publicity about the devastation a pumped up Tesco Express could wreak on the independent sector, the man at the helm of the Co-operative Group's food retail business has been left to get on with...
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Troubleshooter O'Neill must shake up Conveco
Convenience store operator Conveco has appointed Tony O'Neill, former managing director of Somerfield Stores, chief executive. O'Neill replaces MD Allen Hutchby who left last week. He will be seeking to improve Conveco's growth programme, in...