Author name: Warren Beaumont

Mondelez ramps up marketing support for power brands

Leave a Comment / Supplier news /

Cadbury chocolate maker Mondelez International plans to accelerate revenue and category growth for the remainder of 2015 by increasing marketing spend and support behind its power brands and innovation platforms, along with increasing investment through in-store execution. Mondelez International, Inc. reported its first quarter 2015 results last week that it said reflected solid organic net […]

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Chipless RFID tag could replace barcodes in grocery

Leave a Comment / Technology /

Fully printable chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags may renew supermarket and grocery/convenience industry interest in the technology, after Monash University researchers developed fully printable tags for metals and liquids, including water bottles and soft-drinks cans. Until now, this hasn’t been possible because the metal and liquids interfere with the technology. The tag can be

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Extra effect of shop union deal with Coles and Woolworths

Leave a Comment / Retailer news /

Reports that the Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees Association (SDA) pays major supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths up to $5 million a year in commissions that help maintain its large membership were not a surprise for independent retailer association Master Grocers Australia/Liquor Retailers Australia. The ALP’s largest union affiliate, the SDA, was investigated by

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Colgate posts higher profit, sales volumes

9 Comments / Business matters /

The Colgate-Palmolive Company has reported worldwide net sales of $US4.070 billion for first quarter 2015 led by market share gains in toothpaste and toothbrushes. Sales fell 6.0% versus first quarter 2014 against a foreign exchange negative of 10.0%, while global unit volumes grew 1.5% and pricing increased 2.5%. Organic sales grew 4.0%. Net profit for

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Chipless RFID tag could replace barcodes in grocery

Leave a Comment / Retailer news, Supplier news /

Fully printable chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags may renew supermarket and grocery/convenience industry interest in the technology, after Monash University researchers developed fully printable tags for metals and liquids, including water bottles and soft-drinks cans. Until now, this hasn’t been possible because the metal and liquids interfere with the technology. The tag can be

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Coles receives $2.5 million fine over misleading bread promotion

164 Comments / Business matters, Food, General/grocery /

Coles Supermarkets has been slapped with $2.5 million in penalties by the Federal Court over its 2014 promotion of par bake bread as being freshly baked in-store and baked today. But independent groups Master Grocers Australia and the Baking Association of Australia described the fine as “nothing” to Coles and a “drop in the ocean”.

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Food safety, convenience and good value matter most to consumers

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A Roy Morgan Research survey of Australia’s main grocery buyers aged 14+ found that 55.8% of grocery buyers nominated ‘High standards of food safety’ as one of the factors that mattered most to them when supermarket-shopping, closely followed by a location close to home at 55.5%. While the survey of 15,944 main grocery buyers 14+

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Competition Policy Review: retailer groups question ‘effects’ test

301 Comments / Business matters, Insights /

The Federal Government’s Competition Policy Review Panel has made recommendations such as removing regulations governing retail trading hours and parallel imports, and that an ‘effects test’ in Section 46 of the competition law, “should direct the court to weigh the pro-competitive and anti-competitive impact of the conduct.” However, Coles and Woolworths lined up against a

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NZ retailers enjoy March retail sales rebound

Leave a Comment / Business matters, Insights /

New Zealand retail spending in March rose by a solid 0.8%, with sales up 1.1% seasonally adjusted on February 2015, led by consumables with food and drink sales up 0.8% or $13 million. Economists said that retail spending in March was boosted by cheaper petrol, lower fixed interest rates, stronger tourism numbers and the migration

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Predatory supermarkets force smaller operators out – legal protection needed

1 Comment / Business matters, Retailer news /

Master Grocers Australia/Liquor Retailers Australia CEO Jos de Bruin has called for Section 46 of the Competition Act covering misuse of market power to have an effects test that deals with the predatory capacity of supermarket giants such as Coles, Woolworths and Aldi. He said this is needed due to the chains opening new stores

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US sweetener switch for Diet Pepsi, no change at Coca Cola

17 Comments / Beverages /

PepsiCo Inc. will remove the sweetener aspartame from Diet Pepsi in the US to address consumer concerns about the artificial additive and reverse slumping diet soda sales. The new sweetener formulation will be used in Diet Pepsi, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi and was developed after extensive research and testing with

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United Petroleum rethinks potential float, petrol site interest hots up

Leave a Comment / Business matters, Petrol /

United Petroleum’s rumoured plans for an up to $1.5 billion float or partial sale may be on hold due to the proposed IPO of Shell distributor and retailer Viva Energy, according to industry reports this week. Korea’s S-Oil Corp, which looked over the business some time ago, is believed to have recently cast another eye

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