Waitrose is selling the first Fairtrade baked beans, produced by Geo Organics from white kidney beans grown by farmers in China. According to the Fairtrade Foundation, the beans come from farmers who belong to the Jurihe/Zhaluteqi Nature Village Farmer Association,
Three-quarters (75%) of shoppers are planning to spend more or the same on their Christmas meal this festive period compared to last year, according to the latest research from IGD’s ShopperTrack. By contrast, over a third of shoppers (36%) are
The Co-operative is launching a series of online Christmas cookery demonstrations to help its customers serve up a festive feast. The retailer has teamed up with chef Mark Earnden to help bring a selection of festive recipes to life, including
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has launched its new Davis Cup web site, to coincide with the 2010 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final, which is being held between Serbia and France this weekend in Belgrade. The site was developed
Latest figures released by international food and grocery analysts IGD, reveal spend in grocery retail outlets will reach £182.7bn by 2015 – an average annual growth of 3.9%. According to IGD’s UK Grocery Retail Outlook: Opportunities Beyond 2010 report: The UK
Robinsons Fruit Shoot has gone on sale in Australia following a distribution agreement between brand owner Britvic and Bickford’s, a premium soft drinks business based in Adelaide. Britvic is aiming to reinvigorate the children’s soft drinks category abroad – Robinsons
Soft drinks business Britvic made a £48.2m loss in the 53 weeks to 3 October 2010 compared to a £46.3m profit for the 52 weeks ending 27 September 2009, as a result of the downturn in the Irish market. Britvic
British shoppers are turning to traditional favourites to beat the sudden onset of cold, wintry weather, according to The Co-operative. The UK’s largest convenience retailer, with 3,000 stores in communities across the UK, reports sales of products such as soup,
Spar International has launched a web site dedicated to corporate social responsibility (CSR), called Strategy2Sustain. The site was unveiled at the Spar International sustainability forum, held in Amsterdam. According to Spar, it demonstrates the retailer’s belief in the importance of
Local shops have criticised ‘superfluous’ underage sales legislation proposed by the Government in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. The Bill proposes increasing the maximum fine for persistently selling alcohol to children from £10,000 to £20,000. It also increases
Local Shops have reacted angrily to today’s announcement Ministers have not reached a decision on whether to implement the tobacco display ban. According to the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), The Public Health White Paper published today further confused the
If your business accept cheques guaranteed with a plastic card then it’s time to get ready for next summer when the UK’s cheque guarantee card scheme is being withdrawn, writes UK Payments Administration, the service company to the UK payments
A British cheese, Cornish Blue, has been crowned World Champion at the 2010 World Cheese Awards – the first time a British producer has won the title in 10 years. The world’s greatest cheese awards, run by the UK’s Guild of
In a regular new column, Verdict retail consultant Simon Chinn, assesses the latest grocery store formats and concepts around the globe One of the things I noticed on my recent trip to Mexico was the proliferation in the convenience sector
On the first day of the Cancun Climate Summit, the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has announced two major initiatives on climate change: to work toward ending deforestation, and to phase out the use of refrigerant gases with high global warming
The Co-operative is claiming a market first by sourcing 100% British wheat for its own-brand sliced bread range sold in stores in England, Wales and Scotland*. Related posts: Marcus Rashford lends support to Co-op to boost food bank donations
Online grocery shopping in the UK is predicted to nearly double to £9.5bn in five years compared to its current level of £4.8bn, according to new research published by IGD – the international food and grocery experts. Online shopping will
Fairtrade promoter, The Fairtrade Foundation, is mounting a campaign on Facebook to promote its Show Off Your Label theme for next year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (28 February–13 March 2011) and is calling on retailers, licencees and businesses to show off their
Shoppers are gearing up for Christmas in the UK with sales on the high street higher in November than a year ago and for the fifth consecutive month, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades survey. It revealed 55%
Knight has over 20 years’ of financial advisory experience in the retail, wholesale, travel and tourism industries having worked with companies including Littlewoods, Burton Group (now Arcadia Group), Sears, Selfridges, Jaeger, MyTravel and Boots. According to Grant Thornton, Knight will
Neal Austin, logistics director at Morrisons, told delegates at the IGD Supply Chain Summit 2010 how the retailer has invested in supply chain to extend its reach in the south of England following the acquisition of Safeway, improved transport planning
ECR UK has launched a guide to explore alternative modes of transport to road, such as water and rail, as its next step in promoting good supply chain management. The Optimising Transport Modes guide assesses the use of alternative transport
Sainsbury’s has improved availability at its 335-strong chain of convenience stores by 2.2% and reduced wastage to an all-time low, according to Simon Stokoe, senior supply chain manager, Sainsbury’s convenience. Speaking at the IGD Supply Chain Summit 2010, Stokoe told
US shoppers will use coupons and exclusive online sales to save money during the pricey holiday season, with a third of coupon users now sourcing coupons from the internet or email, according to new research from Mintel. Reporting ahead of
The Co-operative Group is claiming a world first today with the launch of Fairtrade blueberries. The Fairtrade blueberries come from Blue Mountain Berries, a Fairtrade-certified co-operative in South Africa. Established in 2006, Blue Mountain Berries is a 70ha southern highbush
