Ahold rejig takes toll
Preliminary sales figures for 2003 released by Dutch retailer Ahold today will make for broadly encouraging reading after a turbulent year marked by fraud revelations and major restructuring moves.
Archives for January 9, 2004
Expansion drives Metro growth in 2003
German wholesale and retail giant Metro has ended 2003 with sales growth at its expanding international business offsetting the continued depression in its home market.
Alimpex buys Mlekarna Klatovy
Alimpex, the Czech dairy group, has acquired compatriot Mlekarna Klatovy for an undisclosed sum.
Slovenian food groups fear EU entry - report
Opening Slovenian borders to allow increased imports of food products made in the rest of the EU - and the ending of export agreements with some non-EU countries - is likely to lead to more pressure on domestic manufacturers, according to the...
Morrisons ends turbulent year on a high
2003 was a year of frustrations for UK supermarket group Wm Morrison. Its bid for larger rival Safeway made last January was not finally approved until December, an 11 month period in which Morrisons' continued improvement was in stark contrast to...
Erythritol goes East
US agro giant Cargill continues to spread its wings, announcing a new Japanese collaboration for the distribution of its low-calorie sweetener erythritol.
Energy drink launches reflect changing times
The European energy drink market has seen something of a slowdown in growth in the last couple of years, as we reported earlier this week, with a plethora of 'me-too' products launched in the 1990s falling by the wayside in the early 2000s.
Slovak bakeries merge
Medea, a baked goods producer based in Kosice, has been acquired by bakery and pasta maker Petrzalka for SK173.6 million.
Australia approves Monsanto's GM canola
Sparking criticisms, the Australian government's gene technology regulator has given the green light for the commercial use of a genetically modified canola from Monsanto - the second approval for GM canola made by the country in the past few months.
Parmalat crisis deepens
As the scandal surrounding Italy's food and giant Parmalat deepens, Berlusconi's government rustles up emergency measures to tackle 'Europe's Enron', with a strategy to save jobs and pay the suppliers.
Better fish labelling called for
UK pressure group Friends of the Earth has called for stricter controls and improved labelling for fish, following a study in the industry journal Science. The report showed higher levels of cancer-causing pollutants in farmed salmon on sale in...