Bidfood plans Punjab Kitchen relaunch following takeover
The acquisition took place in January but was only confirmed by Bidfood’s South African parent company Bidcorp last month
Thomas Blackwell to take over as British Coffee Association chair
Blackwell will be responsible for supporting the industry through the next phase of Brexit negotiations
Shrinkage costing UK retailers almost £11bn a year
The top five stolen items by value in food retail were alcoholic drinks, cheese, meat, sweets and canned fish
Retailers to be given ‘self-policing’ GSCOP role as Adjudicator steps down
Christine Tacon confirmed she is to step down next year after seven years in the role
Liquid milk sector facing further instability due to plunging returns
A new report from Kite Consulting has claimed the liquid milk sector is in a ‘precarious financial position’
Higgidy trials branded in-store deli counter at Sainsbury’s
The West Sussex pie maker is offering a 12-strong range in 11 Sainsbury’s stores
City snapshot: Carrefour sells Chinese retail business in €1.4bn deal
French retail giant Carrefour has announced it has agreed to sell its operations in China to Chinese retail group Suning.com in a €1.4bn deal. Plus, franchise retailer Cake Box has delivered 33% sales growth in its inaugural year as a listed business and all the rest of the latest news from the City.
Media Bites 24 June: Patisserie Valerie, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s
Five people have been arrested over the Patisserie Valerie affair as the scandal over the chain’s collapse deepens.
Edrington annual sales soar on booming demand for premium brands
Scottish spirits stalwart Edrington reported an “industry-leading” rise in annual revenues on the back of soaring demand for its premium-end whisky.
Sainsbury’s responds to War on Plastic with loose fruit & veg price cuts
The move comes after the programme compared the cost of loose versus packaged items at both Tesco and Sainsbury’s
Aldi to roll out loose veg trial in England
The discounter started selling five lines without plastic wrapping in Scotland earlier this year and is set to do the same
McDonald’s to scrap plastic salad containers & McFlurry lids
Salads will be served in cardboard containers, disposing of the plastic bowl, shaker salad cups and lids used currently
M&S and Ocado shares hit by Tesco Finest possibility
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis may have only made brief mention of the possibility of Tesco creating an upmarket convenience store offering, but the City quickly took it as a threat to Marks & Spencer and Ocado’s new partnership.
Exponent confirms deal to buy Asian food wholesaler TRS
Private equity player Exponent has confirmed a deal to acquire specialist Asian food wholesaler TRS Foods as it readies a consolidation push.
Karro Food Group losses continue to grow under CapVest
Newly filed accounts in Companies House show pre-tax losses for the year to 29 December 2018 rose to £9.2m…
London whisky, oolong tea gin and rosé cider: what’s coming in booze this July?
Every month The Grocer takes a close-up look at the hottest booze launches hitting the shelves of the UK’s supermarkets. This time around we’ve got London-made single malts, an upmarket brand extension for Magners and an oolong tea gin.
How can the post office evolve to survive?
More in-store post office concessions are opening. Can retailers make them work and how?
How can the food hygiene funding crisis be tackled?
An NAO report paints an unsettling picture. What’s the solution?
What does a no-deal in October mean for food and drink?
And amid the Conservative leadership race, have government department preparations stalled?
China’s African swine fever outbreak pushing up UK pork prices
Prices have also crept up on ham, sausages and fresh pork SKUs in some supermarkets
British beef back on sale in China after 23 years
It comes more than two decades after a ban was imposed at the height of the BSE crisis
