All comment & opinion articles – Page 548
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Comment & Opinion
Promotional activity hits suppliers as well as stores
We know how the retail culture of discounting has affected retailers but the pressures on manufacturers are if anything more acute A recent White Paper issued by the KPMG/SPSL retail think tank warned that "the current retail culture of...
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Comment & Opinion
Opinion - "FFB has been forced to conduct its own fire sale and will have to present options to the very architect of its predicament"
It was really sad to see Food from Britain, on its website this week, calling plaintively for "expressions of interest from organisations in the private sector that might wish to take on elements of FFB's business - [including] the licensing of the...
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Comment & Opinion
British biofuels will help slash emissions
British biofuels will help slash emissions
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Comment & Opinion
A squeeze? More like a global crisis
Rising food prices have sparked a slowdown in consumer spending. Could they also herald major economic turmoil?With National Statistics confirming that food prices are firmly rising, what matters more is that this is becoming accepted as...
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Comment & Opinion
Our man from DRIP
Don Pumsey at the Department of Retail Infrastructure and Pricing
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Comment & Opinion
There's no simple solution to the current wheat crisis
Rather than panicking about food shortages and increased prices, the government needs to rise to the challenge of food and fuel demandWe are living in a period of enormous change, and there is a lack of understanding in the scientific,...
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Comment & Opinion
Letter of the week - PR ply? Empowerment more like
Far from being a PR ploy, Tate & Lyle's decision to move its entire retail cane sugars range to Fairtrade has taken two years of intensive planning and working in conjunction with the Fairtrade Foundation, the Belize Sugar Industries and more...
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Comment & Opinion
Our man from DRIP
Don Pumsey at the Department of Retail Infrastructure and Pricing
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Comment & Opinion
A Budget based on media hype
The Treasury's obsession with cheap booze and plastic bags shows just how much government policy is dictated by hysterical tabloidsThose of you who have long suspected this government's policy is driven primarily by mid-market tabloids...
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Comment & Opinion
Food from Britain will be a sad loss
Food from Britain will be a sad loss Clive Beddall West Sussex Sir; The news that Food from Britain will disband its UK operations next year when its funding runs out is indeed a major...
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Comment & Opinion
Is M&S really doing enough on waste?
Sir; Voluntary action by supermarkets to tackle packaging is good for their image and may help towards reducing the environmental impact. Marks & Spencer is clearly trying, but is it trying hard enough? ('M&S packaging expert casts doubt...
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Comment & Opinion
Innovation success: hard to reach but vital to strive for
Quick wins are good but big wins are better when it comes to new product development in groceryIt's tough to keep any fmcg sales graph from heading south this year. UK growth in 2008 is about 2%, down from 3% last year; further interest...
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Comment & Opinion
Our man from DRIP
Don Pumsey at the Department of Retail Infrastructure and Pricing
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Comment & Opinion
Opinion - "Charging for plastic bags is a nice way to raise money for charity, but not, sadly, a means of saving the planet "
Insubstantial and very quickly ineffective, Alistair Darling reminds me of the disposable plastic bags he's seeking to eliminate. "We will introduce legislation to impose a charge on them if we have not seen sufficient progress on a voluntary...
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Comment & Opinion
The bitter taste of corporate PR
Tate & Lyle's switch to Fairtrade only covers its supermarket lines. It's a PR ploy that leaves in its shadow more genuine fair trade storiesExcuse me for sounding ever so slightly cynical about Tate & Lyle's conversion to Fairtrade. I'd...
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Comment & Opinion
The minimum wage will drive small shops under
Inflation-busting increases to the national minimum wage are disastrous for small shopkeepers struggling with soaring costsIn how many industries does the boss often earn a lot less than their most junior staff member? Welcome to the...
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Comment & Opinion
Our man from DRIP
Don Pumsey at the Department of Retail Infrastructure and Pricing
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Comment & Opinion
Retailers will sort the plastic bag issue
Retailers will sort the plastic bag issue Stephen Robertson Director-general, British Retail Consortium Sir; Last year, retailers made a bold commitment to voluntarily...
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Comment & Opinion
Organic egg supply chain set to collapse
Organic egg supply chain set to collapse Martin Humphrey Director of sales, Humphrey Feeds Sir; I read with interest your article on retailer margins across a range of...