The Co-op news and analysis – Page 106
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The Co-op is in for a rough ride
The High Court battle between Asda and the Midlands Co-operative over the new Asda store in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, moves on to the next stage on March 31, when the new store opens. CACI's analysis of the potential impacts from the 45,000 sq...
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Somerfield's sweeping changes
The Somerfield group has restructured its Somerfield and Kwik Save business units and group buying teams. At Kwik Save the buying function has been concentrated into three core teams ambient, fresh and non-food. Category director Kim Mawby has...
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Rachel Bain
buyer, yogurts, desserts & cream cakes the Co-operative group Bain joined the Co-operative Group 10 years ago, in this role the last two. Last year her section recorded the highest share of short life dairy for two years, highest ever spend...
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Farmers' faces go on to labels
Ed Bedington Beef farmers are set to get a higher profile in Somerfield stores by appearing on their products' labels. The retailer has introduced a scheme to highlight the name of its farmers of Scotch beef for its premium So Good'...
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The Co-operative Group's non-food strategy is full of Orient
Staff from New Century House now deal direct with the Chinese federation, which represents more than 2,000 manufacturing co-ops and state-owned and private firms, to get cut-price goods which are translated into WOWs in market town stores. (The...
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Waitrose would be the winner
Waitrose and Marks and Spencer will be the winners in a Safeway sale, with Somerfield, Sainsbury,Big Food Group and the Co-operative Group likely losers. That was the consensus of opiinion at the seminar.If Sainsbury lost, it would be exposed as...
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Weaker suppliers in firing line
Anne Bruce The sale of Safeway will produce a "killing ground" of weak brand and private label suppliers who face crippling reductions in margins and the possibility of losing their entire business, former Somerfield chief executive David Simons...
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United Co-op's Griffiths seeks fresh challenges
John Wood The head of United Co-op's food group, Paul Griffiths, has left after six years with the society and is currently evaluating opportunities within the food sector. Griffiths said he had been with the co-op for six years during a...
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The Saturday Essay - Jerry Marwood
I was interviewed last week by a journalist trying to get my thoughts on the current flurry of bid and counter-bid for Safeway. Buried among her questions were a couple about the fact that the Co-operative Group had started to claim it was the...
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Dundee set to close
The Co-operative Group has started talks with unions and staff over the possible closure of Alldays' Dundee distribution centre as plans to service Alldays' stores from its own depots take shape. As the first Alldays store in Scotland was...
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Braithwaite at helm as Alldays team finalised
Rod Addy The team managing Alldays and its integration into the Co-operative Group has been finalised. Neil Braithwaite, Co-operative Group general manager for retail finance, has been appointed Alldays' chief executive designate....
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Confused? Don’t be...
The Grocer is organising a seminar to help everybody in the trade get to grips with the wider implications of the increasingly complex Safeway auction process. Speakers confirmed so far include former Somerfield boss and Littlewoods chairman...
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Somerfield says brewers must share flak
Rosie Davenport Somerfield has defended its decision to slash the price of beer to a record low over Christmas, blaming brewers for chasing volume in the market. The retailer hit back at criticism for pricing a 24-pack of Carlsberg at £8.99,...
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A touch of class
Somerfield is rapidly building up a reputation as a serious wine retailer, says Tim Palmer Somerfield would never claim to have led the way in the development of the wine trade in the grocery business, but as the sector has grown in importance...
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Press round-up
The Co-op Group is eyeing up TM Group, the newsagent and convenience-store operator, valued at about £200m, said the Sunday Telegraph. The chain’s owners, HSBC Private Equity and Electra Partners Europe, have appointed Goldman Sachs, the...
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Press round-up
Somerfield will revalue its 1,300-store property portfolio in its full-year results in July, in an attempt to justify its rejection of a 120p-a-share bid approach from entrepreneurs John Lovering and Bob Mackenzie.The Daily Telegraph said that...
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Co-ops' rail sites bid
A clutch of leading co-operative societies is looking at opportunities to develop c-stores at railway station sites. The Co-operative Group, West Midlands Co-op and other societies have held initial discussions with the Co-op Union (now known as...
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Fairtrade pineapples for Co-op
The world's first Fairtrade pineapples went on sale in the UK over the Christmas period. The fruit, imported by farmer-owned AgroFair UK, joins bananas and mangoes as fresh fruit that can be certified Fairtrade. In response, the Co-operative...
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Brands dress up for the party
Morrisons remains at the top of the retailer chart, although Asda leaps into second spot with a New Year surge driven by promotion on alcoholic drinks. Somerfield is again last in the ranking although it has increased share during this period....
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Somerfield boosts local cauliflowers
Locally grown produce is being given a boost by Somerfield stores. Cauliflowers produced on the Isle of Thanet, Kent, and supplied by AV Produce are in the retailer's stores featuring a Produced in Kent' logo. The logo is used exclusively...