Comment & opinion – Page 502

Comment & Opinion

Tesco has run rings round Premier’s flabby conglomerate strategy

2011-07-02T00:00:00Z

Here’s a ‘Great Little Idea’ for you. Buy a bunch of tired old brands. Pay a premium for them. Add a ton of debt to the balance sheet.

Comment & Opinion

Everything must go

2011-06-29T00:00:00Z

As if it wasn’t already obvious, today we got another vivid symbol of the turbulence on the high street.

Comment & Opinion

Premier's price of success

2011-06-29T00:00:00Z

Bad news travels fast. This week The Grocer has been investigating reports that one of the major supermarkets has de-listed a raft of Premier Foods products.

Comment & Opinion

Careers File: Tell your boss his jokes at your expense are no laughing matter

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

My boss is forever cracking jokes, normally at my expense. Some of them are quite funny but there is a vindictive undertone. If I need to change the way...

Comment & Opinion

Tales of Titania: Shrinking Mars Bars and Marianne Faithfull

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

As you get older, everything gets smaller. Except men's ears, according to Karoline (with a K), but definitely including the main attraction. This conversation was prompted not by some of the unfortunate Lycra shorts on show at the Wimbledon...

Comment & Opinion

Third Party: Relentlessly pushing price isn’t always right

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

Retailers must work with suppliers on much more savvy and motivating marketing communications, says Ian Humphris

Comment & Opinion

The future is bright for food waste recycling

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

The Waste Policy Review may have lacked bite, but it is not all bad news for the grocery retail sector, says Ian Goodfellow

Comment & Opinion

Second Opinion: CAP reform must address health

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

But policymakers shouldn’t base all forecasts on Western eating patterns, says Tim Lang

Comment & Opinion

Balance of power may soon shift in suppliers' favour

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

The protracted sale of Iceland looks like giving analysts and media commentators lots more opportunities to comment on the space…

Comment & Opinion

Demi-slims are just an ugly ploy

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

Sir, British American Tobacco sees its new "demi-slim" cigarettes as standard bearers for personal choice but they're nothing more than an ugly marketing ploy ('BAT claims Vogue launch is not a fashion statement', The Grocer, 4 June, p6).

Comment & Opinion

The town centre policy vacuum

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

Sir, It is of deep concern that June will pass without the promised publication of the National Planning Policy Framework. The stakes are high for this new national policy document, which will radically streamline all national planning policy and in...

Comment & Opinion

Critical Eye... on pandas' dirty laundry

2011-06-25T00:00:00Z

Disappointing. Dispatches: Conservation's Dirty Secrets (Channel 4, Monday 20 June) did not lift the lid on the twisted porn shame of trans-gender pandas. Nor did it trawl the suspiciously fishy laundry basket of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Comment & Opinion

Back of the net

2011-06-22T00:00:00Z

Typical. You wait months for a sustainable fish initiative and then a whole bunch come along at once.

Comment & Opinion

Ad of the Week: Kronenbourg opts to Suggs it and see

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

Kronenbourg continues to Slow the Pace with another ageing icon reprising former glories. Now Madness top geezer Suggs, features sagging like a punctured balloon, offers a mournful take on Baggy Trousers, all wheezy sax and arthritic,...

Comment & Opinion

Careers File: Discrimination claims and company liability

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

I have just come back from a company day out a summer party featuring sizeable amounts of alcohol, food, games and speeches. As befits an organisation that counts HR magazine within its stable, the company sent out an edict warning...

Comment & Opinion

Critical Eye... on the size of a cow

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

I've never much liked Julia Bradbury. I can't put my finger on precisely why. I think it's the suspicion she tries too hard. Everything about her is a bit over-cooked the jaunty head girl demeanour, assertive voice, ready smile, trendy country...

Comment & Opinion

Tales of Titania: The end is in sight for Ms K

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

There is a point in PR when you stop being a wise and sagacious elder stateswoman and become an out-of-touch liability. The popular notion here at P&F is that Karoline (with a K), our glorious leader for so many years, is now teetering on the...

Comment & Opinion

Third Party: We need to work harder on health & safety

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

Retailers don’t have a very good record and the authorities are not about to let them off the hook, says Gill Brammer

Comment & Opinion

Recovery is on its way, but don’t relax yet

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

Emergency downturn measures may not hold water, so keep a sharp focus on costs and pricing, says Dr Martin Scott

Comment & Opinion

Kishor Patel's Expert Advice: Keeping goodstaff needn't be torture

2011-06-18T00:00:00Z

Our expert shares tried and tested tips on how to retain your most valued employees