Clive Black news and analysis – Page 33
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The big squeeze is on
Sales are soaring. Up 8.7% on average. But in the boardrooms of the UK's food and drink manufacturers, a case of the jitters has set in. After a 10-year growth in profit margins, last year they declined from 8.6% to 8.4%. This may sound...
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Surviving the squeeze RULE no 3
Innovation and extension are the best way to reinvigorate brands in mature categories. Take Premier Foods. Its greatest success has come from stretching established brands into new areas. After redesigning the core Branston...
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Are you ready for a smoke-free world?
No-smoking signs are going up in pubs, offices and shops across the country. Adverts are appearing on TV, in newspapers and at bus and train stations. With just two weeks to go before the ban on smoking in public places comes into force in...
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Non food is not just for the major multiples
The food market in the UK is worth £100bn a year, according to Verdict. Non- food is worth £175bn. It doesn't take a genius to work out the maths - or why the supermarket giants are keen to expand ever further into non-food. According to...
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Bolland gets fresh but has he gone far enough?
It's been described as "Waitrose with value." Marc Bolland prefers to think of it as a "food specialist for everyone". So, after a six month-long review of Morrisons, what are we to make of the new CEO's vision? It was clearly an...
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Patak's turns up the heat with bid for global clout
A bid for global dominance in the ethnic market could mark the end of an era for family-run curry company Patak's, which this week appointed merchant bank Rothschild to review strategic options for the business and look at ways of growing the...
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Sainsbury's checked out by private equity cash
They're queuing up at Sainsbury's. It's suddenly on the shopping list of some of the biggest names in private equity with a price tag reportedly topping £11bn. First, last Friday, a CVC, KKR and Blackstone consortium was forced to reveal...
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Kwik Save crisis grows
The crisis at Kwik Save looks to have deepened, with a claim from inside the company that some suppliers are no longer delivering products to the retailer, while evidence has emerged of issues relating to the supply of electricity and...
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Doubt over Essentials' future as store closes
The future of Asda's Essentials format was thrown into doubt this week as the company confirmed the first store in the format was to close just 10 months after opening. The closure of the 8,000 sq ft Northampton store, which opened last...
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The supreme deal maker does it again
Premier Foods acquiring RHM? The very idea would have been dismissed as idle gossip not long ago. RHM tends to be tipped as a potential bidder in most takeover battles, after all. But this week it found itself on the receiving end of a £1.2bn...
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Online battle intensifies as Asda ramps up coverage
The battle for the online pound is on. This week, Asda disclosed details of its online rollout, first revealed in The Grocer in September, just days after Tesco announced plans to launch an online clothing trial parallel to its non food site,...
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"Asda and Ocado are targeting the grocery market. M&S is focusing on non food. And Tesco is sizing up, well, everything"
All hell broke loose on the internet shopping news front this week. Asda announced plans to hire 1,800 staff as it gears up its web-based operations, Sainsbury's took its online offering to Northern Ireland, and M&S declared that it was keen to...
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Stirred not shaken
Where is the Andy Bond who delivered "that speech" at IGD's annual convention last October? Since gamely shouldering Asda's share of the blame for the industry's "bland, amorphous, sameness", the dynamic leader that these comments seemed to...
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The Whole Foods factor
Last week, Whole Foods Market revealed some of the features that its first UK outlet, at the former Barkers department store, will boast. It's an impressive proposition that includes three upmarket licensed restaurants; a wine bar; a pub selling...
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American staff for Tesco's US venture
Tesco is to lure US professionals to its planned stateside convenience venture through a careers web site, which includes a surprise ad for a non food buyer.Within the list of jobs on offer, it gives details of the non food role, with...
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Morrisons continues big sell-off of stores
Morrisons is still selling off stores and has slapped a &'for sale&' sign on two of its shops, including one in its home town Bradford, as part of an ongoing review of its operations. The supermarket chain has revealed that...
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Refreshing? Ken's new CEO troubles analysts
Analysts have expressed doubts over the suitability of Morrisons' new CEO. This week, after a lengthy and much-publicised search, the supermarket group finally confirmed that Marc Bolland, chief operating officer of Heineken, would...
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Amazon takes a bite
Amazon has made a surprise move into everyday grocery through its US web site. But is it likely to be a threat to the UK multiples' online services, asks Beth Brooks. Online retailer Amazon has made a surprise entry into food retailing...
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JS closes gap on Asda
Asda is facing attacks on all sides as it continues to come under pressure from unions, rival retailers and analysts.Its fears of losing the number-two spot came a step closer to reality this week as TNS till roll data for the four weeks to...
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Morrisons turns up the non food style
Morrisons is developing a new range of premium non food products under its Morrisons The Best range.The Best non food range is hitting shelves now, headed by 11 lines, including The Best bedding, The Best corkscrew and The Best enamel...