Sainsbury is set to raise the profile of its mobile phone-based loyalty scheme with plans for participating grocery brands to advertise the initiative on TV.
The Shop Scan Save initiative, which involves a barcode being sent via text message to a member’s phone entitling them to a discount when scanned in-store, is open to any brand manufacturer that supplies Sainsbury’s Local chain.
In a deal with ITV, with which Sainsbury has a commercial tie up with its sponsorship of ITV Drama, brands will highlight the promotion on TV ads, telling viewers to download barcodes by texting ITV’s mobile phone shortcode 63330. After an initial trial in Yorkshire it could then go nationwide.
The technology has been trialled at 35 Jacksons stores in Hull, attracting 11,000 members. Taking the scheme on to TV, will create a potential market of 4.6 million adults in 2.5 million homes across Yorkshire.
Members can also text in key words, such as ‘chocolate’, and get a tailored text message offer.
Shop Scan Save, run by the Light Agency, is supported in Jacksons by 150 brands from companies including P&G, Unilever and Masterfoods.
Iceland has avoided strike action that threatened to disrupt Christmas sales. Drivers and warehouse workers at its distribution depot in Enfield had voted for strike action over a pay freeze. But the T&G has agreed a three-part pay deal with contractor Wincanton, which runs the depot for Iceland.

Asda and M&S have expressed concern thatDefra is considering excluding food processors and packers from the Gangmasters Licensing Act, which is designed to protect migrant workers. The retailers have joined the T&G campaign to persuade the government to prevent an exclusion that the unions claimed could lead to 150,000 workers falling outside the protection of the act.

Tate & Lyle has acquired speciality food ingredients companies Continental Custom Ingredients and Cesalpinia Foods for £74m. Continental Custom Ingredients is a US food company specialising in dairy stabilisers and emulsifier systems, while Cesalpinia Foods is an Italian company specialising in marketing natural gum and stabilisers.

Food and drink group Princes has created a 50/50 joint venture with Pura Foods to manage production, sale and distribution of oil products. The business, Edible Oils, will be responsible for Crisp ‘n Dry, Mazola, Cookeen, Trex, Pura, the Flora and Olivio brands under licence from Unilever and a range of own-label lines.

The FSA has handed over its final nutrient profiling model to media watchdog Ofcom. The model has been designed to support Ofcom in reducing junk food advertising directed at children.
strike averted
gangmaster angst
INGREDIENTS BOUGHT
oil joint venture
Over to ofcom