Joanna Allen Little Moons

Little Moons hires Graze boss Joanna Allen as new CEO

Ice cream challenger Little Moons has appointed industry heavyweight Joanna Allen as its new CEO to fill the vacant position left by the surprise exit of Mike Hedges last month, The Grocer can reveal

Accrol Mighty Big roll

Accrol subject of £130m takeover bid as Navigator sets sights on UK toilet tissue

Portugal’s Navigator, a paper and pulp group listed on the Lisbon Stock Exchange, offered 38p a share to buy the Blackburn-headquartered business that counts all the UK’s major supermarkets and discounters as customers

Hovis Tasty Wholemeal bread

Freshways swoops to rescue bread wholesaler Coultons from collapse

Freshways has swooped to rescue bread wholesaler Coultons from administration in a deal that solidifies the acquisitive dairy group’s position in the bread market

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Lactalis launches Président extra creamy brie to Ocado

The brand said the mild and creamy cheese was “highly versatile” but had “special melting properties and extra depth” which made it best enjoyed hot

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​Müller Yogurt & Desserts launches large Frijj cartons

Shoppers will be able to purchase 950ml cartons of Müller Frijj in fudge brownie and strawberry flavours

Juvela

S-Ventures in takeover talks with AIM-listed investment firm

Struggling fmcg investor S-Ventures is in talks with an AIM-listed firm over a potential takeover to support future growth

Magnum Classic

Unilever to spin off ice cream division in £15bn move

Unilever has unveiled plans to spin out its €7bn (£6bn) global ice cream business in an acceleration of new boss Hein Schumacher’s strategy to turn around the group’s performance

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Avara Foods facing legal claim over alleged links to River Wye pollution

Leigh Day argued Avara was a major contributor to the pollution that had blighted the River Wye

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Bold Bean Co leaves Dragons’ Den with £50k investment

Bold Bean Co has struck a deal with Deborah Meaden during an appearance on Dragons’ Den tonight

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Supermarkets to be hauled before Efra supplier fairness probe

It is investigating how profitability and risk is shared through the food supply chain, following a period of soaring food price inflation and dwindling returns for producers

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Richmond launches £2.6m ‘Good Times’ brand campaign

A 360-degree campaign spanning TV, VOD, social and out-of-home has launched to celebrate the brand’s heritage while also providing a look ahead 

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City snapshot: General Mills Q3 profits beat expectations

Profits at US consumer packaged goods group General Mills have risen more than expected in its third quarter as price hikes and cost cutting offset volume declines

Will Howard GrowUp Farms

GrowUp Farms appoints former Ella’s Kitchen boss Will Howard as UK MD

Howard, who joined in February, will oversee a scaling up as the business grows to sell more than one million bags of salad a week

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Progress on rolling out Better Chicken Commitment ‘falling behind’

UK retailers were singled out in CIWF’s new Chicken Track report over their slow progress

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Graham’s The Family Dairy launches protein yoghurt drink

It’s designed for on-the-go consumers who want to make the most of their workouts

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Valeo Foods secures €50m cash injection from Bain as turnaround begins

Valeo Foods has secured a €50m cash injection from private equity owner Bain Capital as a turnaround at the ambient giant gets underway

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City snapshot: Unilever to separate ice cream business as part of growth plans

Unilever has unveiled plans to split off its ice cream business and also separately identified €800m in cost savings in a move that will impact about 7,500 jobs. Plus, Diageo appoints new chairman, interims from Eagle Eye and final results from MP Evans

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Pilgrim’s Food Masters plans closure of London factory, with 260 jobs at risk

The manufacturer said it was continuing to ‘face industry challenges and lower than expected market volumes’

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City snapshot: Reckitt Benckiser shares reeling after US baby formula ruling

Shares in Reckitt Benckiser have rallied this morning but remain at ten-year lows after the multinational saw £5bn wiped from its value on Friday as investors worried about the group’s exposure to lawsuits in the US

Mark Doherty_John West Managing Director

John West appoints Mark Doherty as new MD

Doherty was previously commercial director at the tinned fish giant but will now lead all John West entities

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Sainsbury’s restructure folds Future Brands incubator into product development team

The restructure comes as part of Sainsbury’s Next Level strategy, unvieled by CEO Simon Roberts in February

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Onken launches Paddy McGuinness-fronted ad push

The integrated campaign will set out to help the nation make time to ‘feed their inner happiness’ with tongue-in-cheek content featuring McGuinness

Fakeaway Group

Moy Park launches frozen Fakeaway products into Asda

The poultry giant has launched four product lines as part of the range, including Peri Peri Chicken strips and Tempura Chicken Chunks

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Chocomel launches £5m marketing campaign

The milk drink brand has created a TV advert to raise brand awareness and increase penetration under the tagline ‘When Life Gives you Chocomel’

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Promise Gluten Free set for auction as owner explores options

The Grocer has learned an information memorandum is set to be sent to possible buyers in the coming weeks by Lincoln International, which is running the auction process

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Bold Bean Co hires Andrew McIntosh as head of grocery

McIntosh’s past roles include sales manager for posh popcorn brand Joe & Seph’s and most recently as head of international, UK grocery and wholesale sales at vegan confectionery brand LoveRaw

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Gymkhana Fine Foods appoints former Oatly UK boss Ishen Paran as MD

Michelin-starred sauces brand Gymkhana Fine Foods has appointed former Oatly UK boss Ishen Paran as its first managing director for the UK and international markets

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British Apples & Pears launches manifesto ahead of election

The manifesto is designed to provide all political parties with clear guidance on how best to secure the future of the British apple and pear industry

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The Collective launches limited edition strawberry matcha yoghurt

The triple layer yoghurt sandwiches strawberry compote, gourmet yoghurt and matcha sauce

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Meat businesses agree to do more on gender equality

Action to be taken following research by Meat Business Women, which revealed gender equality had fallen last year

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Thanet Earth acquires new business to produce lettuce all year round

The new venture will trade as Thanet Earth Lettuce and will produce lettuce under glass for 12 months of the year in a deep flow, hydroponic system

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Plant-based players plan to ‘refocus and collaborate’ in bid to revive sales

More than 40 plant-based protein businesses, retailers, and NGOs came together for an ‘unprecedented’ summit in London last week

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Clarence Court launches limited-edition traditional breed egg box

The box of eight includes two eggs each from the Burford Brown, Seabright Sage, Old Cotswold Legbar and Leghorn White breeds

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Growers hunt for buyers following UK Salads collapse

The Grocer understands the vast majority of the crop from UK Salads was intended for Aldi which will now be facing a significant shortfall

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Kerrygold explores power of connections in new advertising campaign

The multichannel campaign, ’May your table always be full’, is designed to explore the power of reconnecting with friends and family at mealtimes

Charles Lanceley and Fiona Fitzpatrick

Alantra teams up with Brand Growth Heroes for challenger ‘Mini MBA’

Mid-market financial services firm Alantra has teamed up with the Brand Growth Heroes accelerator led by Fiona Fitzpatrick to launch a ‘Mini MBA’ for challenger brand founders

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Welsh farmers kick off wellies in protest over sustainability plans

Farmers displayed 5,500 pairs of wellies at the Senedd on Wednesday to represent the potential job losses created by its new sustainable farm subsidy scheme 

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Samworth Brothers leads £3m investment round for non-HFSS doughnut brand Urban Legend

Samworth Brothers has taken a minority stake in Urban Legend as part of a multimillion-pound investment round to back national expansion at the ‘healthier’ doughnut brand

Little Moons

Little Moons seeks new CEO as Mike Hedges departs

Little Moons has parted company with CEO Mike Hedges after only two years, with co-founder Vivien Wong taking charge while a replacement is found

Pukka pizza

Pukka Pies kicks off £100m potential sale process

Pukka Pies has kicked off an M&A process that could value the brand at upwards of £100m as supermarket sales of its savoury pastries continue to boom

Aldi supplier

How British are the supermarkets and what’s behind their marketing claims?

Much has been made of online ‘buy British’ sections, but farmers aren’t impressed. A consultation is looking to make claims clearer

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What will change under regulated dairy contracts?

New rules and the creation of an Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator are set to shake up producer-processor relationships

opinion

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After Unilever ice cream sale, what future for food and nutrition?

First it was frozen. Then spreads and tea. Now it’s ice cream. What’s next for Unilever’s food and nutrition division?

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Unilever’s ice cream detachment – what does it mean?

Hein Schumacher is wasting no time in his attempt to kickstart Unilever’s sputtering growth as the CPG giant this morning revealed plans to spin off the ice cream business

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Morrisons must sell suppliers a clear turnaround vision

The next stage requires more strategy from Morrisons and serious judgement from suppliers, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants

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