All The Grocer articles in 16 December 2006
Previous issues.
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News
Kingsmill suspected tampering continues
Allied Bakeries has reported further suspected malicious tampering at its Kingsmill bread bakery in Orpington, Kent.Incidents of suspected tampering have dogged the site for 18 months, with sewing needles, glass and chewing gum found in...
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Costs and weather hit Premier Foods
Premier Foods, which plans to buy RHM for £1.2bn, has warned trading for the year will be at the lower end of expectations because of increasing cost pressures and warmer weather.“The warmer weather, which extended through to early December,...
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Tesco recalls indoor Christmas lights
Tesco has recalled five batches of indoor Christmas lights due to a manufacturing fault which may cause an electric shock. The recall only affects products that have been on sale since October 2006. They were all sold in red packaging and all...
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Management changes at United Biscuits
Malcolm Ritchie, chief executive of United Biscuits, which was acquired by private equity groups Blackstone and PAI for a reported £1.6bn in October, has left the company.Ritchie joined UB in 2000 and, according to the company, had decided...
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The specials are steaming in
The Brits are rightly famous around the world for their love of a quick cuppa, but the take-home hot beverages market is struggling: in the past year, it was down a slight 0.5% to £1.3bn. What's going on? With more people quenching their...
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Climbing the ladder
How did you get where you are today? I began my career in marketing working for HarperCollins, the publishing arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. I have held various commercial and category marketing roles in fmcg, including a stint as a...
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Buyer's View
There are two major trends - ethical products carrying the Fairtrade logo, and indulgent lines such as Taste The Difference Dark Drinking Chocolate. Consumption of instant coffee and standard normal tea is declining, with customers...
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Cold comfort for the brands
The laundry category managed to turn last year's slight decline into growth in 2006, with a rise of 1.4% to £1.2bn. However, this has been primarily as a result of strong performance from own label. Although it only accounts for £66.7m...
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Your resolution: overcome artificial barriers to success
Sing: 'Tis the season to be bling bling, tra la la la la la la la la...' If you, like most, live in the commercially driven world, then gold, frankincense and a Gucci watch are the order of the day (oh yes, and goodwill to all men, of course,...
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Findus recalls skewers
Findus has withdrawn certain batches of its gourmet salmon skewers due to the presence of crystal violet, an illegal veterinary medicine.The chemical dye is not allowed in food in the European Union.The affected product is Findus...
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Co-op withdraws crisps
The Co-op has withdrawn all batches of its own-label multi-pack crisps because the ready salted flavour contains casein which is not declared on the label.Casein is unsafe for people with a milk allergy or milk intolerance.The...
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Britvic in takeover rumours
Britvic is back in the takeover spotlight after a shareholder, believed to be French Insurance Group Axa, sold a stake in the company to a mystery buyer.Reports put the stake at between 9.2% and 11%, or around 25 million shares for Britvic,...
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FSA appoints interim deputy chair
The Food Standards Agency has appointed FSA board member Richard Ayre as interim deputy chair.He will act as deputy chair until a replacement is found to succeed Julia Unwin who steps down from the role on 31 December.Ayre was deputy...
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Glass contamination prompts more product recalls
A further seven frozen ready meals have been withdrawn from Asda due to possible glass contamination. Last week, Asda withdrew 24 ready meals because the rice in the products could contain small fragments of glass. Sainsbury's and Birds Eye...
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Rules on deliveries are confusing
Independent retailers feel they are unfairly penalised when it comes to parking restrictions on loading and unloading goods. Three quarters of independent retailers quizzed this month admit they are unsure about what the rules are for loading...
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How to deal with age restrictive products
Stephen Everett, retailer. As a retailer you have to be very concerned about this, although identification usually solves the problem. I've had test purchasing from Camelot and probably test purchasing for alcohol too but I'm not too...
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Yoghurt: from sweet to sporty
In the £2bn yoghurt and pot desserts market the so-called functional yoghurts have once again driven category growth. Big brand names Bio Activia, Müller Vitality and Flora helped the category climb 4%. It was a particularly good year...
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Talking shop
A profusion of healthy eating campaigns, from the government's five-a-day to Jamie Oliver's school meals odyssey, means we all know what we should be eating.But what is missing is a campaign to make shoppers want to choose, prepare and serve...
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Top-Up shop
Who we visited. Cost Cutter Eden Street, Kingston-upon-Thames. Budgens Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol. Mace Monkstown Road, Newtownabbey, Belfast. Co-op Group High Road, South Benfleet, Essex. Tesco express,...
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Not such a sweet scenario...
Quality not quantity has been the mantra of the major confectionery players this year, which have been eschewing mass NPD for more focused launches. However, their approach has not yet managed to turn the tide for confectionery - at least not as...