All articles by Chloe Smith – Page 5
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Ocado sale unlikely in wake of £40m losses
Ocado has been touting itself for sale, but is struggling to find a buyer, a senior supermarket executive has claimed to The Grocer. “Clearly where the money markets are, and at the price that they want, there are not many takers,” said the...
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Tertiary Tesco: It’s a brand, Jim, but not as we know it...
Tesco’s new tertiary brand ranges aim to fight off the advance of the discounters. But do they run the risk of confusing consumers, asks Chloe Smith
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Waitrose, Booths alliance 'is not prelude to merger’
Waitrose has ruled out a future acquisition of northern chain Booths, after the two retailers announced plans to join forces on a new buying alliance. The move will allow both retailers to make savings by negotiating together on branded goods....
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Devon online co plans nationwide franchise
A south-west online grocer is set to roll out its model nationwide after receiving an approach from a potential franchisee. Devon-based Own Online specialises in local food and drink and claims to provide a full weekly local shop for its 2,500...
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Asda slashes 5,000 prices as Bond claims inflation has 'peaked'
Asda has today announced over 5,000 price cuts and said that food price inflation has peaked. From tomorrow Asda will cut the price of every Smart Price product and is claiming shoppers could cut their shopping bill by 50% by switching. It is also lowering the prices of some branded goods and own-label products.
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Tesco in bid to become 'Britain's biggest discounter'
The "biggest ever launch", to be unveiled this week, will see Tesco become "Britain's biggest discounter", The Grocer can exclusively reveal. A completely new 350-strong range of low-cost products features two new lines: 'Market Value' will be a new fruit and veg line, while the second line, dubbed 'Discounter', includes ...
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Suppliers use desperate tactics to get price rises
Suppliers are threatening to stop deliveries to supermarkets in a desperate bid to negotiate increased prices for their goods. The week after leading own label manufacturer McBride announced a 47% fall in UK pre-tax profit, a leading investment...
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Brandless McBride is jilted at the supermarket altar
Although the credit crunch should nudge consumers toward private-label goods, McBride’s profits are plummeting. What’s going wrong, asks Chloe Smith
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Suppliers shocked as own-label blitz launched on brands
Branded suppliers were left reeling this week as Tesco and Sainsbury’s both launched concerted campaigns promoting their own-label ranges at the expense of brands. Sainsbury’s announced a massive Switch & Save campaign, across all media, that will...
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Egg margins get poached
Supermarkets have again been accused of exploiting food price inflation to boost profits, after it emerged that the retail price of eggs had increased 39% in the past 18 months, while the price received by producers had increased by just...
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Waitrose turns waste into green electricity
Waitrose is planning to use waste food to generate electricity, instead of sending it to landfill, after a three-month trial at five stores. A total of 71 tonnes of food waste produced at the five stores in the Midlands was sent to Cawley’s in...
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Aldi celebrates 19.8% growth by joining BRC
Aldi has joined the British Retail Consortium, as new figures confirm the growing success of discounters. The German discounter joined the likes of Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s while celebrating 19.8% sales growth in the past year, and a record 3%...
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Tesco meets discounter threat with new range
Tesco has launched a major assault on discounters in the Republic of Ireland with the introduction of a bold amber and black Cash Savers fixture, and is set to launch a similar scheme this October in the UK. The range includes 1,000 “everyday” items...
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Ruddock warns of tax if stores fail bag target
Waitrose is on track to cut carrier bag use by 50% by the end of the year – but will have to increase this to 70% by next spring if it wants to avoid charging consumers, the government has warned. Environment minister Joan Ruddock said that in the...
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The Online Crusader: Ocado finance chief Jason Gissing
If Ocado finance chief Jason Gissing gets his way the company will one day have 30% of the online grocery market. He explains how to Chloe Smith
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Whistle blown on mislabelled beef
A Northern Irish meat processor that supplies the multiples has been found to have mislabelled Brazilian beef in a clear contravention of the regulations, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Dunbia Dungannon, part of…
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Ocado in same-day service first
Ocado is to trial a same-day delivery service, in a first for online grocery retail. Finance director Jason Gissing told The Grocer the trial would take place “over the next few months” in London, where Ocado claims it commands 50% of online...
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Ocado sets up unique waste reduction drive
Ocado has launched a groundbreaking new initiative it claims will help consumers dramatically reduce their food waste. From September, the online retailer will display product use-by dates online and on receipts. "It means the food we sell...
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Rose hits reset button to pre-Esom structure
Sir Stuart Rose has restructured the food business along pre-Steven Esom lines following the departure of the M&S head of food last week. Speaking at the agm this week, Sir Stuart said the restructure came in the wake of "operational issues"...
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Duty managers go in Sainsbury's shake-up
All duty managers at Sainsbury's supermarkets have been put on a 12-week redundancy plan and are having to reapply for their jobs as part of a radical overhaul of its management structure. The changes, which will result in some job...