Blog: Faster than the speed of light
Catherine Sleep | 22 July 2004
Sometimes the news moves faster than feels comfortable. Last week just-food news editor Kate Barker wrote a feature about the Chinese retail sector. For years it’s been touted as the next big destination for western retailers seeking to expand beyond their saturated home markets. The world’s two largest retailers, Carrefour of France and Wal-Mart of the USA, had cautiously dipped a toe in this notoriously tough market, but their smaller competitors seemed loath to follow.
And yet… just as we were putting the final touches to her feature, what do you know? Out of the blue Tesco announced it had agreed a £140 million 50/50 joint venture agreement with Chinese food and beverage producer Ting Hsin, whose subsidiary Ting Cao owns the Hymall chain of stores in China. I assured Kate this was good news rather than bad, as it made her article even more timely than before… but it did of course need rewriting!
Anyway, members can enjoy the fruits of her labour in the current Feature of the Week, while an open-access feature brings you a profile of the Philippines food sector. A word of warning: don’t read that one when you’re hungry as Bruce Hoggard describes the local cuisine in tantalising detail as well the mechanics of the food industry.
BLOG
What does Gen Z want from brands? IRI presents its view
Industry watchers IRI has published the findings of two studies in the US they claim can give an insight into the shopping patterns of those aged 21 and under - Gen Z....
BLOG
The identity of the buyer of Tyson's Kettle business emerges
In February, we reported Tyson Foods had sold its Kettle business, one of a series of non-protein disposals at the US meat giant. But the company would not disclose the buyer. This week, the new owner...
BLOG
Leading French grocers eye buying "alliance" - and suppliers aren't happy
Buying partnerships between France's food retailers have been a feature of the country's grocery landscape for a number of years but this week came news of a potentially significant new tie-up - and s...
BLOG
A point of admin: just-food is closed tomorrow (Good Friday) and on Easter Monday. It promises to be a wet public holiday here in the UK but we'll likely console ourselves in chocolate....
Most Popular
Insights
- Has organic become mainstream in the US?
- Analysis: Innocent eyes UK appetite for dairy-free
- Interview: Danone CEO Faber on B Corp push
- UK sports nutrition deep-dive part 2 - the future
- What's fuelling growth of sports nutrition in UK?
News
- Earnings - Danone, Abbott, ABF, Toennies
- Ireland beef processors gain access to China
- Aryzta's CEO Europe Dermot Murphy steps down
- Nestle pricing row with shops 'nearing compromise'
- Ireland's LacPatrick Dairies to consider options
Market research