Casino food business news, company profile, analysis, comment and interviews

French retailer Casino opens up transparency with animal-welfare labelling

7 Dec 2018

French retailer Casino plans to provide animal-welfare labelling on its products to open up transparency.

What can buying pacts between retailers mean for food manufacturers?

15 Oct 2018

With some major grocers in Europe working together on purchasing, Simon Creasey looks at the impact these tie-ups can have on suppliers.

Listeria scare triggers recall of French private label packaged ham

13 Feb 2018

French supermarkets, including Carrefour, Casino and the local arm of Germany's Lidl, have recalled own-label ham following the discovery of traces of the listeria bacteria.

Food businesses face French legal action over 'undeclared nanoparticles'

24 Jan 2018

Mars and McCormick & Co. are among the food groups potentially facing court action in France over allegations of undeclared nanoparticles in their products.

Issues at Asda, Couche-Tard M&A spree continues, Aeon eyes Myanmar - August retail round-up

8 Sep 2016

August saw the announcement of an eighth consecutive quarter of declining sales at Asda, the UK arm of Wal-Mart. Across the Atlantic, Canada's Couche-Tard continued its deal-making. In Europe, France's Casino outlined plans to launch the Leader Price banner in Italy. And in Asia, Japan's Aeon indicated it plans to enter Myanmar and India's Future Group set out an expansion programme for its Nilgiris supermarket chain.

"Heavenly" baby food firm to target Asian markets - interview

5 Jul 2016

Since setting up their baby food business from their home in Northern Ireland in 2009, husband-and-wife founders of Heavenly Tasty Organics James Blair and Shauna McCarney-Blair have seen the firm go from strength to strength. Now the firm is about to launch its range of snack products in Asia. James Blair, operations director, tells John Shepherd about the firms latest expansion plans.

Wal-Mart and US online grocery, Casino quits Vietnam, Holland & Barrett in India - retail round-up, April 2016

6 May 2016

April saw Wal-Mart continue the expansion of its click-and-collect service in the US, while Kroger invested in a local retailer focused on natural and organic categories. Outside the US, there was notable news in emerging markets, with France's Casino exiting Vietnam and UK-based health-centric retailer Holland & Barrett embarking on its entry into India.

Talking shop January 2016 – Wal-Mart's revamp, Supervalu's spin-off, Casino scrutiny

3 Feb 2016

January brought further evidence of the seismic shifts taking place in the global retail sector. Established retailers have largely responded to these challenges through an emphasis on cost cutting and price slashing. Others, however, continued to benefit with the likes of Lidl, Casino and Intermarche all expanding in the month. Here is just-food's digest of the top retailer stories from the past 31 days.

The food industry in 2016 – Tapping global growth in e-commerce

5 Jan 2016

Online shopping, apps, mobile proliferation and delivery services are transforming how consumers shop. In grocery, the changes sparked by e-commerce have been evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Nevertheless, across developed and developing markets, the growth in e-commerce outpaces bricks-and-mortar retail. In the latest instalment of our management briefing on what to watch in 2016, we take a look at the prospects for online grocery. What markets and categories will offer food makers the greatest growth potential in e-commerce over the coming year?

Talking shop November 2015 – Amazon, Alibaba and Asda

3 Dec 2015

Online giants Amazon and Alibaba eyed expansion into new markets, sourcing was put in the spotlight as Wal-Mart owned Asda launched a range rationalisation in the UK, while Casino and Dia formed a strategic purchasing alliance.

French grocers to test rival nutrition labels

30 Oct 2015

French retail body, the La Fédération des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution, has unveiled its own voluntary labelling scheme, which it is planning to test by the end of the year before a full roll-out in 2016.

Heavenly Tasty Organics enters France with Casino listing

30 Sep 2015

Heavenly Tasty Organics has entered the French market in a deal the a UK-based group said should be worth more than GBP100,000 (US$152,000).

Talking shop August 2015 - How global retailers are targeting emerging markets

8 Sep 2015

Global retailers have continued to expand into emerging markets, in spite of the political and economic turbulence seen in many of these countries and the challenges to profitability.

Briefing: How is gluten-free faring in Europe?

29 Jul 2015

Much of the commentary around the rise of gluten free has focused on the US, a market that alone accounted for a quarter of global sales in 2014. But what about the opportunities in Europe? The UK, home to its own well developed gluten-free category, also attracts column inches and, despite some concerns about the maturation of the market still offers opportunities. On the continent, a clutch of western European countries are home to categories at different stages of development. In the first part of our management briefing looking at Europe's gluten-free sector, we provide a run-down of the region's major markets - and hint at the countries to watch.

Briefing: 2015 preview: Shopper trends - Finding a path to growth in 2015

2 Jan 2015

In such a price-focused environment, manufacturers will need to find innovative ways to grow in 2015. Data, IRI's Anne Lefranc argues, will be central to these strategies.

French retailers sign up to supplier charter

11 Nov 2014

French retailers are lining up to show their support for the introduction of a national charter for responsible supplier relations.

Food industry news of the week: United Biscuits, Dairy Crest

7 Nov 2014

United Biscuits is set for a new owner - Turkey's Yildiz Holding. The UK-based snacks maker announced this week brands including McVitie's and BN would join Godiva chocolate in the Yildiz portfolio. The M&A spotlight was firmly on the UK last week, with German giant Müller striking a deal to buy Dairy Crest's liquid milk assets - competition approval pending.

French watchdog to probe retail buying pacts

6 Nov 2014

The French competition authorities today (6 November) announced two distinct lines of inquiry into the planned purchasing partnerships between Casino and Intermarche and between Auchan and Systeme U.

Food industry quotes of the week: Chiquita, Unilever, SIAL 2014

24 Oct 2014

A busy week in the food industry calendar, with the SIAL exhibition in Paris, ended with a shock announcement: Chiquita Brands International's shareholders rejected the company's plan to merge with Ireland's Fyffes. Elsewhere, we heard third-quarter updates from Unilever, Premier Foods and Mead Johnson.

SIAL 2014: Bongrain hits out at retailers' purchasing deals

21 Oct 2014

Major suppliers operating in France will lose money from the two buying partnership deals announced by four of the country's largest grocers, a senior executive at dairy group Bongrain has said.

Analysis: Why French retail deals could hit suppliers

15 Oct 2014

Against a backdrop of weak consumer confidence and falling prices, four of France's leading four retailers have, in two deals, decided to team up on purchasing. And the country's food manufacturers are not happy.

FRANCE: Currency exchange weighs on Casino sales

14 Apr 2014

French retailer Casino has seen a drop in total first-quarter sales despite organic gains as currency translation weighed on the top line.

Editor's choice: the highlights on just-food this week

24 Feb 2014

This week, the annual CAGNY investment conference took place in the US, with leading FMCG companies discussing their strategy and outlook for their businesses. One of those, PepsiCo, found itself in the spotlight again after activist investor Nelson Peltz called - not for the first time - for the group to split in two. Elsewhere, US beef jerky firm Jack Link's snapped up Unilever's meat snacks arm and Ian McLeod, the MD of Coles, said he would step down after a successful five years at Australia's number two grocer.

On the money: Market buys into Casino's confidence

18 Feb 2014

Casino's share price has been on something of a rollercoaster in the early weeks of 2014. However, the French retailer's 2013 results and optimism for the months ahead seemed to be echoed by the market today (18 February) with its stock recovering some of the ground it had lost since the start of the year.

FRANCE: Casino 2013 profits up, "confident" on 2014

18 Feb 2014

French retailer Casino today (18 February) reported a near-10% rise in underlying annual profits and expressed "confidence" in its growth prospects for 2014, helping its shares to recover recent lost ground.

COLOMBIA: Exito to acquire 50 Super Inter stores

10 Feb 2014

Colombian retailer Exito has struck a deal to buy 50 Super Inter stores in a move it said would "consolidate" its "leadership" position in the country's grocery retail market.

just-food's 2014 outlook: International retailers continue to bring focus home

30 Jan 2014

The world of international food retail has undoubtedly got a little less international in recent years and 2014 looks likely to see the big guns continue to take an empire-building breather and sort out their troubled home markets while undertaking only modest overseas activities. Glynn Davis reports.

FRANCE: Overseas markets continue to boost Casino

15 Jan 2014

French retail giant Casino has reported a near-6% increase in annual sales as growth overseas offset a challenging year at home.