All The Grocer articles in 6 December 2003
Previous issues.
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News
OFT reduces Safeway divestments
Morrisons will only have to sell 52 stores if it buys Safeway – as opposed to the agreed 53 – the Office of Fair Trading has ruled. The OFT has decided that Morrisons would not have to divest a store in Towcester. Earlier this week,...
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Gillette to cut UK workforce
Gillette is to shut two UK factories and move to a new plant in Eastern Europe to cut costs.US-based Gillette, the world’s largest razor blade company, said the closures would mean at least 415 UK jobs would be axed over the next four years....
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Arla in union deal
Dairy firm Arla has announced that it has negotiated an agreement with the unions who had balloted for strike action. Sales director Simon Stevens said: “Following the success of this week’s meeting it is very much business as usual in the...
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Musgrave to buy Londis
Irish food group Musgrave – which bought UK supermarket chain Budgens last year – has offered to buy symbol group Londis for £40m. If Londis shareholders give the deal the go-ahead after a meeting on December 30, each Londis member will...
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Unilever sells homecare brands in North America
Unilever has agreed to sell four of its homecare brands in the US and Canada to New York-based investment bank Lehman Brothers. The brands include Rit fabric dye products worldwide; Niagra ironing aid products; Final Touch dishwashing...
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Arla faces strike action
Milk supplies to Britain's supermarket chains could be under threat over Christmas after workers at Arla Foods voted for industrial action over pay.The GMB and Transport and General Workers' Union said workers at Arla had rejected a 3% pay...
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Geest to simplify supply chain
Geest is to form a new business to combine its English village salads (EVS) sold at Asda and Thames Fruit, which imports citrus fruits and melons to the supermarket. The aim of the new business – NewCo – is to simplify the supply chain for...
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virgin snowman
Virgin Cola is getting its first seasonal packaging this winter, with labels on two and three litre bottles featuring a Mr Snowman character. The bottles also carry the chance to win a day at a luxury spa and enter an ongoing ‘Get a Life’ prize...
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Team Talk: Scotmid
>>Adrian Lorimer, head of property developmentScotmid’s property and development team has refitted eight of the society’s 75 food shops, which include convenience formats and supermarkets, this year. The most recent refits were...
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Whitworths scoop
Whitworths’ Sunny Raisin Nuggets has scooped the top prize – the Barrow Lane & Ballard trophy – in this year’s Dried Fruit New Product Awards. The company also won the snacking category.This was the sixth year of the competition, run by the...
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Outdoor type
Interbrew has unveiled the first ad campaign for Bass ale for seven years.The campaign centres on outdoor posters that will be sited in London and the south-east in a £3m push.Tim Bertin, MD of confectionery importer and marketer Sweet...
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Ocado ‘set for second slot’
Online retailer Ocado is set to overtake Sainsbury’s to You in turnover in the next few months, according to chief financial officer Jason Gissing.He said Ocado had achieved 300% sales growth this year and was set to be taking £1.5m a week by...
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Non-food is pivotal
Tis the season to be merry for Tesco and Asda whose superior non-food offers will give them the edge, says Sean McAllisterThe City and retail analysts are predicting both Tesco and Asda will have a bumper Christmas. In fact both...
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Superquinn.ie motors
Turnover at Superquinn’s online shopping portal Superquinn.ie is approaching 5% of the chain’s annual sales.The anchor tenant in the Irish virtual shopping precinct www.Buy4Now.ie, Superquinn’s site was set up in autumn 2000 before Tesco’s...
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Spottiswoode thinks local for Somerfield
Somerfield has promoted Kieran Spottiswoode to local marketing controller to help support its £70m store refit programme and new formats roll-out.He replaces Rachel Warren, who left in August to become head of retail marketing at Oxford,...
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Tesco tills will be a’ jingling
Exclusive research for The Grocer reveals how consumers will be spending their money this Christmas. Liz Hamson reportsShoppers plan to spend just as much this Christmas as they did last yuletide and Tesco is their number one...
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Make room for a hero
A major £0.25m investment in a new packaging store by Inverness-based seafood processor Strathaird Salmon is now operational, providing extra capacity as Christmas nears.The 410 sq m store has created additional space, allowing Strathaird to...
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Hellmann’s launches UK’s lightest mayonnaise
Unilever Bestfoods is continuing its push to turn Hellman’s into a £128m “master brand” within five years by launching the UK’s lightest mayonnaise.Hellmann’s Extra Light will debut during the next few weeks, and will be supported by a £1.9m...
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No go says Portman
Watchdogs have urged retailers not to stock a raft of newly launched drinks because it believes they appeal to underage consumers.The Portman Group has ruled that two vodka jelly products – Buzzpots, which is made by the Tubular Drinks Company,...
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Water takes on the Glenlivet name
The Glenlivet name is being extended beyond its whisky heartland – and into water.Speyside Glenlivet natural mineral water is rolling out to Waitrose nationwide after an exclusive launch period inHarrods. The water, from a source in the...