All comment & opinion articles – Page 537
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Comment & Opinion
A three-pronged approach to boosting regional food
Time flies - especially in the regional food and drink industry. A year ago South West Food & Drink (SWFD), the trade organisation for the development of the sector in the south west of England, launched a ten-year strategy aimed at confirming...
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Comment & Opinion
Heart of the matter
Is the industry tackling state health targets? Caroline Flint talks exclusively to Siân Harrington. If the mainstream media and NGOs are to be believed, the food and drink industry scores a big fat zero in helping the nation...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's comment: What would Walker do with Woolworths?
The man who “masterminded” the sale of Focus DIY to Cerberus for £1. On paper, it hardly looks like an achievement – until you realise Steve Johnson sold with it £174m of debt while negotiating a £40m payment to bondholders. It’s a little bit like...
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Comment & Opinion
Second opinionTelling kids they can't always have the food they want marks a step change in our attitudes to food and retailing, says Tim Lang
Less choice means habits will change Behind the new, tougher school food standards announced by the government earlier this month (May 19) lay an important shift. While it is certainly not the slaying of the Great Emperor Choice, it is...
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Comment & Opinion
Acas tips on keeping clean sheet for World Cup
The World Cup is inspiring great debates - even before the first ball has been kicked. But it has also inspired us at Acas, ordinarily an impartial adviser, to take the unprecedented step of coming off the sidelines to referee perhaps...
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Comment & Opinion
Editor's Comment: 'London 2012 can boost British food'
What an inspiration the Olympics have been, providing a welcome if temporary lift to our spirits from the lousy weather and the even lousier economy. Actually, I sense the Games will lift the spirits far longer than the recession we now appear to...
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Comment & Opinion
If you have to spend 90,000 hours on it, better enjoy it
On how to gain - and retain - a competitive advantage at work. Even working a modest 45 hours a week ('part time', I hear you cry), you'll spend a staggering 90,000 hours in the office during your life, striving to stay...
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Comment & Opinion
Tackling World Cup 'fever'
The best way to deal with the high levels of absenteeism predicted during the World Cup is for employers to take a flexible approach when it comes to key matches, says Steve Crabb. With the start of the World Cup less than a month away,...
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Comment & Opinion
Anyone for seconds..?
Changing jobs is a daunting enough prospect for most of us, so imagine what it's like to change your profession. Petra Cook offers some pointers to a successful second career. As this is my last column for The Grocer, I thought it might...
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Comment & Opinion
The monster in my midst
So, who exactly among the big supermarket chains owns the country's retail land bank? We know that someone, somewhere, must have a lot of land, because the OFT's research shows that the big four own more than 300 sites across the UK,...
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Comment & Opinion
Sticking with the dream
Diageo's business performance management analyst, Gayle Broadhurst, has always had every intention of getting her CIMA qualification - it's just that her career got in the way. My route to getting the Chartered Institute of Management...
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Comment & Opinion
The Saturday Essay: Common sense tempers scare stories
The past month has seen the usual torrent of media stories highlighting a world beset by danger. From the food we eat to the cleaning products we use, new scientific "evidence" purports to uncover fresh risks that lie behind the...
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Comment & Opinion
Say No to plastic pouches, yes to glass
from David Workman, director general, British Glass. Sir; I read your report 'Pouch switch mooted' with interest (The Grocer, April 8, p66). With soaring oil prices, the answer for retailers is not to switch to plastic pouches as...
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Comment & Opinion
What future for UK food?
There's a fascinating story in our dairy section this week about a bunch of agri-businessmen who have formed a campaigning group to raise awareness of the plight of farming in this country. Admittedly, it's all rather emotive stuff -...
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Comment & Opinion
The Saturday Essay
New research shows that 60% of own label fresh food in UK supermarkets now carries the red tractor. This accounts for more than £5bn every year, with strong indications that growth will continue. But why has the red tractor prevailed...
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Comment & Opinion
Old is not a dirty word
Ageism is the most common form of discrimination in the workplace, yet with an ageing population, attitudes need to change to reflect economic and legislative logic, says Duncan Brown. Have you ever been treated, or treated someone,...
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Comment & Opinion
Fit staff, fat rewards
Companies who ignore employees' workplace health concerns do so at their peril - for a sick and unhappy workforce is likely to impact negatively on both performance and productivity. Now that spring is here we can hopefully wave goodbye...
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Comment & Opinion
The Saturday Essay
In 1994 Parliament decided that all shops would be allowed to open on Sundays. Most shops, about 85% of them (those under 280 sq m), were allowed to open without restriction. But the opening hours for large shops were restricted to a...
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Comment & Opinion
Living in the box is no fun
We all know of categories that are dogged by deep discounting that serves one purpose: educating shoppers to buy only on price. But who is to blame for this sorry state of affairs? Is it the retailer, who is pushing for deals that...
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Comment & Opinion
Careers File: Give your all to receive
Business goals are reached through investment in staff training and customer care. A high level of commitment in these areas is rewarded with industry recognition and new business opportunities, says Abid Amin, technical manager of TRS...