latest news
Camden Town Brewery kicks off 'passionate' Hello Hells push Subscription
Camden had “noticed a real lack of passion for lager” when speaking to consumers, said the brewery’s founder Jasper Cuppaidge
Maltesers puts women centre stage in pair of ads Video
The two comical clipss are based on conversations with a diverse range of women about their experiences
Real Good Food completes sale of ingredients arm to address losses Subscription
Cake and decorations specialist Real Good Food has sold its ingredients business Garrett’s as part of its cost-reduction efforts.
Vaping business Supreme reveals stock market float plans Subscription
E-cigarette liquid specialist Supreme Exports has announced its intention to start trading on the London Stock Exchange
Co-op's Nisa takeover gets green light from the CMA Subscription
The Co-op now expects the deal to be fully completed early next month, after Competition & Markets Authority waved through the £137.5m takeover
Aldi and B&M both to open new DCs in Elstow, Bedfordshire
Planning permission has been granted for an 800,000 sq ft Aldi facility and one million sq ft B&M site
Euro Garages enters US as Kroger forecourts deal goes through Subscription
The forecourt operator struck a £2.2bn deal with retail giant Kroger to acquire its store network in February
Lambrini teams up with Fake Bake for online promotion Subscription
New packs roll out from today (23 April) across Lambrini Always Original bottles
Alison Robinson joins Weetabix to head on-the-go drinks sales
She joins Weetabix from Britvic, where she spent almost 12 years
Dairylea creates new cookie, cheese and crackers combo
Dairylea Snackers Mini Oreo and Dairylea Snackers Mini Chocolate Cookies are set to launch later this month…
Grocer Gold awards 2018 shortlist announced
Winners will be announced at a glittering black tie event, hosted by Rory Bremner, on Tuesday 12 June at London’s Guildhall
City snapshot: English wine exports help Chapel Down sales jump 15% Subscription
Chapel Down has reported year-on year sales up 15% from £10.2m to £11.8m and continuing EBITDA up 29% from £750,000 to £968,000. Plus, YO! Sushi has bought Taiko Foods, a supplier of sushi products to the supermarket sector, as part of its plan to create a global multi-format and multi brand sushi business and all the rest of the latest news from the City.
Media Bites 23 April: Yo! Sushi/Taiko Foods, Young’s Seafood, Consumer confidence Subscription
Restaurant group Yo! Sushi is poised to announce the purchase of Taiko Foods, a supplier of suishi, Asian food-to-go and dim sum to UK retailers, including Waitrose and Costco.
Harrods opens fine wine and spirits rooms Subscription
The rooms will offer top-tier and lesser-known brands, with bottles priced from £12-£28,000
Free trade deal ‘urgent for food & drink’ says BEIS Committee
A report released by the Commons Committee demanded ‘clarity for UK producers reliant on the EU for both imports and exports’
Shorn brings out two new wines in pouch format for younger consumers Subscription
Once opened, the wine stays fresh for up to four weeks
Selfridges launches UK's first avocado gelato
The product is served in avocado skin, and contains an edible nut butter stone
Reckitt Benckiser tumbles on weak first quarter growth Subscription
Household goods giant Reckitt Benckiser (RB) fell sharply as modest first quarter sales growth failed to meet analysts’ estimates.
Co-op rolls out Lego and Hasbro toys to 127 stores after trial Subscription
The retailer first started selling the toys as part of a small trial in October 2016…
Booze retailer 31Dover moves into click & collect with HubBox partnership Subscription
It will allow shoppers to collect tipples from some 4,000 collection points across the UK
Planet Organic remains in the red despite 9% sales growth
Upmarket London grocer Planet Organic boasted 9% sales growth in its most recent financial year, but the chain remained loss-making as it continued to invest in growth.
Global supply pressures push up wheat prices Subscription
The US crop has entered spring with the worse condition rating since 2002
Tate & Lyle appoints new CFO Imran Nawaz after reshuffle
Nawaz will succeed Nick Hampton in the role, after the former PepsiCo executive was promoted to CEO
PHE lines up tougher measures on obesity Subscription
Industry sources said it was looking increasingly likely the government would be reviving proposals jettisoned from David Cameron’s original Childhood Obesity Strategy
Brexit cost prompts Arla to launch €400m efficiency drive Subscription
The dairy co-op said it was losing between €100m and €150m a year from commodity price and currency volatility
Happy Egg Co launches liquid egg white and sandwich fillers Subscription
The NPD signals an expansion of the brand’s scope outside shell eggs
Iceland online store to supply ambient food to China Subscription
Iceland is working with China’s second-largest e-commerce business JD.com…
Rude Health enters snacking category with new crisps
Cornitas, chips made with a blend of corn pulses and oil, will be available in two variants
Tesco lists 'ethical' water charity-supporting One Gin Subscription
It hit shelves as part of the retailer’s BWS range review this month
Concerns over pricing pressures in major Unilever markets Subscription
A €6bn gift to investors and better than expected organic growth were not enough to butter up Unilever investors
Nestlé could lose trademark for Kit Kat four-finger shape
The food and drink giant had appealed a 2015 ruling by the court that attempts to trademark the Kit Kat shape did not comply with EU law
Brakes sales rise on Sysco takeover but ebit profits fall 30% Subscription
Profits were down 30% pro rata as the business comes under pressure from rising costs and multiple changes in its leadership
Tesco turns to premium brands in wine aisle overhaul Subscription
The retailer added 47 new wines this week, with a considerable swing to more expensive SKUs
Cidermaker Cranes begins crowdfunding bid Subscription
Cranes has returned to the crowd after raising £194k in 2016 to grow the business…
Good Sixty set for expansion after £197k crowdfunding Subscription
The company has seen 10% month-on-month growth over the past year
insight
As takeover gets go-ahead, Co-op will need swift success to satisfy Nisa members Subscription
The Co-op will have to quickly get to grips with dealing with thousands of individual and fiercely independent business owners
Cashless payments: can retailers keep up? Subscription
Late last year, Brunel University students became the first UK shoppers to pay for groceries with only a touch of their fingertips
Stacey Solomon to host The Grocer Own Label Awards
She will co-host The Grocer’s awards ceremony on Friday 11 May alongside The Grocer’s editor, Adam Leyland
Wean shoppers off plastic; GroceryAid: get involved
The headline of your article ‘More Brits worry about plastic than Brexit’ was certainly attention-grabbing…
Future of Meat feature offered industry-leading commentary
The industry-leading depth and commentary is extremely insightful and a real reference document for the sector…
Is M&S being prepared to be broken in two?
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne masterminded some great campaigns, including the Mrs Santa and Paddington Bear Christmas ads
Coke and Pepsi slash deals in the run-up to sugar tax Subscription
Coca-Cola reduced the number of featured space promotions in stores by 32.3% compared with the previous four-week period
Strawberry prices pushed up by Spanish crop shortage Subscription
Wholesale prices have increased by 65% on last month and are now 63% higher than in April 2017…
Can Twinings' cold water infusion take it beyond tea? Subscription
Twinings emerged as the focal point for coffee aficionados last weekend
Why growing demand for palm oil is costing the Earth Subscription
Palm oil has become ubiquitous in UK grocery. Versatile and cheap, it is found in half of all supermarket products…
Eight innovative new crisp alternatives
Consumers are choosing lighter options when it comes to savoury snacking, here’s our pick of the best new crisp alternatives:
The biggest food & drink trends and launches from William Reed’s NEC shows Video
For those who couldn’t make it, here are some of the key trends and standout innovations from the biennial event …
Food labelling: doing what it says on the tin
I have been drawn to food labelling issues over the last few weeks due to a number of unconnected events
What search trends tell us about concern around plastic
Consumers’ thirst for a cup of coffee shows no sign of abating but retailers’ addiction to plastic cups may be on the wane
M&S marketing boss Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne tweets resignation
Selfridges launches UK's first avocado gelato
Supermeat & Fish Awards: what you need to know
Sainsbury's to roll out 'no touch' chicken pouches
Sainsbury's trials UK's first cargo bike grocery delivery
Sainsbury's Whitby: Grocer 33 store of the week
Eight innovative new crisp alternatives 
Free trade deal ‘urgent for food & drink’ says BEIS Committee
Unilever unveils reduced salt Marmite spread
Meet Food 2.0: UK food & drink shows category report 2018
Waitrose to end free hot drinks in cafés and remove disposable takeaway cups
Tesco and Graze partner to raise money for Cancer Research UK
PepsiCo and Nestlé criticised over palm oil rainforest clearance
More Brits worry about plastic than Brexit, new survey finds
Bottled water brand Life Water unveils BPA-free can format
Coke Classic kicks off OOH push as sugar tax takes effect
