It’s been another busy week on The Grocer.
The news agenda has been dominated by the BrewDog fire sale. Drinks editor James Beeson was all over the story. In his explainer Where did it all go wrong for BrewDog? he provided excellent context on the shocking news. He was also on Radio 4’s Wake Up to the Money (very early) this morning if you fancy a listen.
The other big piece of news on the supplier front has been Ranjit Boparan’s acquisition of German poultry processor Heidemark, and not just because it further boosts the reach of his now sprawling Boparan Private Office enterprise. Heidemark will become part of the Storteboom European poultry business, which Ranjit sold out of 2 Sisters in 2024 to the BPO. We saw last year that – despite this being a business primarily targeted at the EU market – the BPO’s relationship with 2 Sisters meant they could also funnel European chicken into UK supermarkets such as Asda. Given we have much tighter supply of turkey now in the UK, could this open the doors for more imports from Germany?
As The Grocer predicted there have been shortages of fresh produce in the supermarkets this week due to the impact of the floods in Spain and Morocco, but UK growers are also feeling the strain from this miserable start to the year as fresh foods editor Grace Duncan reports.
Goodness Week
But it’s not all doom and gloom at The Grocer. In fact it’s been Goodness Week, our annual special focusing on the industry’s social impact. To celebrate we hosted Charlotte Hill and Kris Gibbon-Walsh, the CEOs of Felix Project and FareShare as guest editors of The Grocer. It was great to hear more about their merger in a Q&A, and they also provided a refreshingly alternative perspective on many of our stories. Kris spoke passionately about the food and drink industry’s profound social impact.
But there were many thought provoking pieces, including an investigation into food deserts. It was a hot topic in the Noughties but the term seems to be back in fashion among politicians – though the problem phenomenon itself has never gone away as the feature makes clear, highlighting the frankly shocking levels of food poverty experienced by the country’s poorest people.
Another topical piece looked at how the industry can help tackle growing youth unemployment. It’s no secret that young people are facing a particularly challenging job market, with figures out this week showing a further increase. And it’s no secret as to the cause. The government is so concerned it’s reportedly considering whether to continue with its ongoing plans for the national living wage to be the same for all age groups. At the same time we also know how important it is for the industry to recruit, not just to fill vacancies but to ensure the long-term future. As an industry, food and drink employs a whopping 4.2 million people – with the workforce skewing heavily towards younger people. So, we looked at just what the nation’s biggest retailers and suppliers are doing to help people get their foot in the door with apprenticeships, graduate schemes and less formal qualifications.
This issue also provided the perfect opportunity to for The Grocer first ever Charity Power List. From charity bosses to philanthropists, from NGOs to grant-making trusts with billions to dispense to worthy causes, the list aims to capture the changing face of ‘good’ in the UK food and drink sector – and those wielding their influence to make the world a better place.
Drinks editor James Beeson also went to Glasgow this week to meet the two founders of socially minded beer brand Brewgooder, dubbed the ‘Ben & Jerry of Craft brewing’. There’s an obvious comparison to be made between their cause-related approach and the guerilla marketeers from BrewDog.
Co-op changes
In other news we report that Matt Hood is back running the Co-op Food business, in addition to his new job heading up the Group Commercial & Logistics division, amid further senior departures, including the highly rated quick commerce guru Chris Conway.
The ongoing row over DRS in Wales also took a new twist this week. Drinks suppliers are mulling a mass withdrawal of products.
And just weeks after it was snapped up by a US private equity firm Kitwave issued a profits warning.
Finally there’s our curious tail about a sturgeon whisperer in Yorkshire seeking investment for his no-kill caviar.
Of course there’s loads more stories brilliant stories in this week’s magazine. And even more on thegrocer.co.uk. But those are some of my faves. And we would love to know your thoughts on our coverage. Or is there anything we’ve missed? We’re all ears! Get in touch via LinkedIn or adam.leyland@thegrocer.co.uk.
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