All articles by Adam Leyland – Page 47
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Comment & OpinionEditor's Comment: Supermarkets don't run the economy, shoppers do
At the start of the year, we undertook an exercise to see whether supermarkets were exploiting the VAT hike to push through price increases. It's a well-known technique, and was definitely used by a number of retailers both when VAT rose to 17.5%...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Tax breaks could promote lower-abv drinks - and advertising
The camel is a horse designed by committee. So what creature will be created by the tortuous deliberations of the European Council and the European Union to create a unified front-of-pack food health label scheme?
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NewsStella launches cider brand extension
Stella Artois is set for a dramatic move into cider, The Grocer can reveal – the first time a leading lager brand has crossed the category divide. Stella Cidre, a 4.5% abv premium cider, will be brewed exclusively for the UK market in Belgium.
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News
Kerry Group accused of pushing up prices after acquiring rival
Customers and rivals of frozen ready meals giant Kerry Group have accused it of trying to take advantage of its dominant market position to force through price rises after quietly snapping up a major rival this month. Kerry moved to buy...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: There are major question marks over the risks for Boparan
Noisy. That's the only way to describe the battle over Northern Foods, as Ranjit Boparan trumpeted a ballsy 73p per share cash offer for the chilled ready meals, frozen pizza and biscuit business last Friday.
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Comment & Opinion
Whitehall's binge drinking crackdown will be as effective as Cameron’s big society
In its juggling act to kickstart the economy, the government is cutting public expenditure… while increasing VAT… at the same time as keeping a lid on inflation. Just like that!
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News
Beer prices to rocket as cost hikes hit industry
The price of a pint of beer could rise by as much as 10%, or 30p, experts are predicting, as the soaring cost of barley adds to the above-inflation increases in duty and VAT. As Whitehall announced plans to ban "below-cost" sales of...
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NewsTesco in multi-pronged Asda attack over ‘misleading’ ploy
With Tesco fighting Asda’s 10% cheaper price pledge on a number of fronts, who will be successful? Adam Leyland and James Halliwell report
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News
Bond: I joined Euro to grow it, not sell it off
Former Asda CEO Andy Bond has dismissed suggestions fast-growing forecourt chain Euro Garages is looking for a sale, after his appointment as non-executive chairman this week. Euro has enjoyed a meteoric rise in sales since it was founded...
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Comment & Opinion
Listen to the eerie silence surrounding Asda’s Price Guarantee
What took you so long? It was a strange way for Asda to respond after it was overtaken by Sainsbury’s in the Kantar Worldpanel data this week. But there was no shortage of strange responses.
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Nudges and swapathons won't change many lives
The new year. A time for resolutions, rollbacks and, er, price hikes. Actually, the price hikes have not exactly kicked in thus far. While Starbucks and McDonald’s (along with utilities and rail services, of course) have been exposed for opportunist…
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Let me know if you can find a better value deal than this issue of The Grocer
It's said that retail is detail. Well, there is a lot of detail in this week's bumper issue.
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: VAT rise will hurt round-pound deals and single-price retailers
I often wonder at the micro-price management we see in this industry. It’s not just the cavalcade of constantly changing promotions: if you study, week in week out, the prices in our weekly Grocer 33 survey, you regularly see price changes of…
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: What kind of a chocolate factory is Kraft going to run?
With a nice Brit presenting the case for Kraft this week at the first media briefing since its acquisition of Cadbury in February, journalists found it hard to portray Cadbury as having been gobbled up by nasty, predatory Americans.
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Brown paper cigarette packs is a crazy idea
Smoking is a filthy habit. This is not the opinion of The Grocer. It's mine, and I would not be able to look myself in the mirror if I didn't preface my defence of the industry against Andrew Lansley's proposed new measures with that...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Supermarkets have power to create game-changing new brands
Own label is undergoing a revolution. In particular, Tesco, Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury's and, most recently, Asda, have been transforming entire ranges.
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NewsBond seeks wiggle room but Massmart safari is no holiday
Led by Andy Bond, Walmart’s bid to buy South African Massmart has sparked a frenzy of rumour and activity. Adam Leyland and Simon Mathers report
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Bolland did not compare M&S with Waitrose this time
Cocktail sticks. Every supermarket has to sell them. And Marc Bolland evidently views his food and drink brands in the same way.
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NewsThe new generals of retailing
In just over six months a new generation has emerged in grocery retailing, with new leaders at Asda, Morrisons, M&S and, early next year, Tesco. What are they like? And what are they likely to do? Adam Leyland interviewed all four, along with insiders, ex-colleagues, rivals, analysts and other senior ...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: Next week's interims mark a new era for Marc & Spencer
Timing is everything and nothing. Certainly Marc Bolland's timing looked as immaculate as his suits when he quit Morrisons a year ago to join Marks & Spencer.