All articles by James Ball – Page 5
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Consumers left to foot £5.7bn bill for food price inflation
The UK's big four managed to dodge the cost of food inflation last year - by passing the full £5.7bn bill on to shoppers. The UK's biggest food and drink producers faced a 19% increase in commodity costs, which amounted to a total cost hike...
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Diageo defends Scottish cuts as backlash grows
The backlash against Diageo's decision to close two Scottish sites and cut 500 jobs picked up pace this week as Scotland's SNP government vowed to halt the proposals. The drinks giant revealed two weeks ago plans to close two sites including...
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Diageo defends Scottish cuts as backlash grows
The backlash against Diageo's decision to close two Scottish sites and cut 500 jobs picked up pace this week as Scotland's SNP government vowed to halt the proposals. The drinks giant revealed two weeks ago plans to close two sites including...
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Carling emphasises barley quality with local farmer group
Molson Coors is hoping to reinforce its '100% British Barley' Carling campaign by strengthening relationships with its barley growers through the creation of a farming group. Carling has signed 70 UK growers up to a three-year deal to supply...
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Tesco overtakes M&S in Northern's retail ranks
Tesco has overtaken Marks & Spencer as Northern Foods' largest customer, for the first time in the supplier's history.Northern Foods CEO Stefan Barden revealed that Tesco was the company's biggest customer as he talked to The Grocer about...
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NewsEmpty Woolworths stores cast shadow on high street
More than seven out of 10 former Woolworths stores are still empty more than six months after the chain’s demise, according to research for The Times.
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Hundreds of jobs axed in Diageo restructuring
Diageo was this week beset by union strife as it unveiled controversial restructuring plans for its Scottish whisky facilities, including the loss of 900 jobs.
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Retail Prices: Summer lines key as warm weather changes the mix
The run of hot weather allowed retailers to capitalise on higher-value summer promotions, with fruit and barbecue lines prominent, says James Ball
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Daulby joins Kepak to drive its hot snack sales in convenience
Kepak Group - makers of snacking brands Rustlers, Ugo's and Speedy Snacks - has completed a recent management reshuffle with the appointment of Angela Daulby.Daulby joins Kepak, the biggest player in the £100m hot snacks market, as business...
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UK defies recession to lead in reformulation
Recession hasn't slowed the food sector's drive to make its products healthier, new research from Mintel and the FDF reveals. Health experts had warned the economic downturn could create a "health crunch" with companies halting NPD to reduce...
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NewsTerrible timing, Vatman!
Alistair Darling will go from super hero to super villain if he brings the 17.5% VAT rate back on 31 December. Alex Black, Jo Grew and James Ball reveal the painful impact of a badly-timed biff to the industry - and consumers
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NewsRetail prices: June prices fell 0.2% - but that's not the whole story
All quiet on the inflation front? Not quite, says James Ball. Beneath that innocent-seeming 0.2% fall in prices there lurks a hive of pricing activity...
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Promotions by brands keep own label at bay
Consumers are sticking to brands in the recession despite the best efforts of own-label, which is actually losing market share, Nielsen data shown exclusively to The Grocer reveals.At the start of the year, own label food accounted for 48.2%...
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Lord Rooker set to take over FSA chairmanship
Former Defra minister Lord Rooker is set to replace Dame Deirdre Hutton as chair of the FSA.Rooker, a Labour MP and peer for 35 years, will take up the appointment subject to approval by the health select committee on Monday.The news...
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NewsChristmas misery to come if we don’t delay tax hikes
A Christmas bombshell of VAT and duty hikes and the withdrawal of trade credit support threatens this vital trading period and beyond. Join our new campaign to fight it. By James Ball
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The Global 50: Riders on the storm
Despite tempestuous economic conditions, the big suppliers delivered impressive growth. James Ball reports on the 2009 OC&C Global 50 rankings
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Commodities: Shortages of tea and coffee push up commodity prices
With the commodity prices of Kenyan tea up 21% and Sri Lankan tea up 25%, the big brands are busy pushing promotional activity to shore up sales. James Ball reports
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NewsSainsbury’s, M&S draw up senior succession plans
Sainsbury’s has named its shortlist of potential successors to chairman Sir Philip Hampton.
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Suppliers unimpressed by Bank's helping hand
Suppliers have warned a new Bank of England supply chain finance initiative could slash their margins and encourage companies to increase payment times.
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NewsRetail Prices: Summer drives up spend on tanning and healthy eating
It's all change in the top 10 rankings for featured space promotions, with L'Oréal and Kellogg's pushing up their spends. James Ball reports