It’s been a positive week for Australian consumers as the competition watchdog made a call for more competition in the grocery sector. Hovis was also upbeat as it announced plans for a reinvention of its brand. Sara Lee and Whole Foods had a particularly bad week posting poor results, while Wal-Mart and Carrefour locked horns over the acquisition of Russian hypermarket chain Lenta. These are the top ten stories on the site this week.
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AUS: Oz watchdog calls for more grocery competition
The Australian competition watchdog has found that increased competition in the grocery sector would benefit consumers by forcing retailers to lower prices.
For our Hot Topic feature on the ACCC review, click here
US: Whole Foods takes stock after weak Q3
Whole Foods Market, the US natural and organics retailer, has suspended its dividend and reined in its expansion plans after posting a slump in quarterly profits.
For our Spotlight piece on the problems at Whole Foods, click here
UK: Hovis reinvents brand
Hovis is reinventing its brand with the launch of a range of new breads, new packaging, the re-introduction of the Little Brown loaf and a new advertising campaign.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataUS: Charges push Sara Lee into the red
Sara Lee, the US-based food group, swung to a loss during its fiscal 2008 year thanks in the main impairment charges linked to its bakery businesses in North America and Spain.
RUSSIA: International retailers lock horns over Lenta
Retail giants Wal-Mart and Carrefour are among the international retailers competing to acquire Russia’s hypermarket chain Lenta.
AUS: Parmalat, Murray Goulburn drop Dairy Farmers bid
Italian dairy giant Parmalat and Australian cooperative Murray Goulburn have dropped their joint bid for Australia’s Dairy Farmers.
NORWAY: Kraft sells snacks business
Kraft Foods has sold its salted snacks business in Scandinavia and the Baltic states to a Norwegian private equity fund, it was announced today (6 August).
Just the Answer – Matthew Pullen, Bernard Matthews
Bernard Matthews, the UK turkey business, has taken a battering over the past few years. From the fall-out over Jamie Oliver’s push to improve school dinners to the outbreak of bird flu at the group’s turkey farm in Norfolk, the company moved from one PR catastrophe to the next and consumers began to turn away from this icon of British food.
INDIA: Barry Callebaut eyes Indian growth
Swiss chocolate giant Barry Callebaut is courting the Indian market through the establishment of a chocolate academy in Mumbai.
US: Dean Foods upbeat but H1 profits down
A rise in second-quarter earnings was not enough to arrest a fall in first-half profits at Dean Foods, the largest dairy group in the US.
