Metro Group's domestic first-quarter sales have fallen 3.8 per cent
in the difficult retail sector, while increased international
earnings continue to prop up overall performance.
French supermarket Casino has announced a 17 per cent rise in
first-quarter sales, as domestic performance improves and
international sales smash records.
Swiss food giant Nestlé has announced a first-quarter sales rise of
14.1 per cent to CHF22.8bn (€14.5bn), beating analyst expectations
and reconfirming its full-year target of a five to six per cent
growth rate.
Kraft Foods has recorded stable first quarter results, masking
falling operating income with a favourable tax settlement and
raising prices to combat spiralling production costs.
German retailer Rewe has shown increasing reliance on its
successful Central and Eastern European (CEE) supermarkets, as
insignificant growth in the domestic market stunts overall
performance.
A combination of foods like soy, plant sterols, almonds and viscous
fibres, could reduce LDL-cholesterol levels by 20 per cent, and
work better together than independently, says a new study.
Leading manufacturer Heinz has reported a 24 per cent drop in
third-quarter net income as downsizing, restructuring and increased
commodity costs take their toll.
The announcement that Mauricio Graber will take over as head of
Givaudan's flavours division comes after the firm reported modest
flavour results for 2005.
The US might be consolidating its position as the fattest nation,
but Europe is catching up fast - and all this despite record
spending on diet products.
French retail chain Carrefour has translated overseas success into
a total year-end sales growth of 6.1 per cent - a pattern echoed
across the European food industry.
Rewe, Europe's fourth largest retailer, has revealed ambitious
plans to increase its market share and expand internationally using
its €1billion investment budget for 2006.
European consumers have become more concerned about healthy eating
over the past two years and are now much more sceptical about
company claims, according to research from Tate & Lyle.
Leading ingredients group Danisco posted a 21 per cent rise in
sales for the first six months thanks to the acquisition of enzyme
business Genencor and organic growth in cultures and texturants.
Tesco is the first choice for Britons shopping on the Internet this
Christmas, with two thirds of online grocery shoppers buying from
the retail giant's website, according to new research.
Continual productivity improvements are behind Novozymes' solid
performance since it was floated on the stock market in 2000,
according to CEO Steen Riisgaard.
A 40 per cent increase in marketing funds should help French wine
makers tackle falling sales in the UK and combat the very real
threat from New World wines.
Europe's opposition to genetically modified ingredients will
significantly increase producers' costs over the next three years
as it becomes ever harder to secure GM-free supplies, says a new
report.
In the wake of Unilever's announcement that it has decided to look
into "strategic options" for its frozen food operations in Europe,
many analysts are speculating about who might have thecash to grab
the whole or parts...
Pork remains the mainstay of the UK sausage, but processors are
using other combinations of meat and flavours such as duck, orange,
lemongrass to tweak the humble banger for more upmarket tastes --
and pockets.
The EU provides the largest amount of trade-distorting support to
farmersas measured by dollar value, with the US a distant second
and Japan adistant third, according to a report this month bythe US
government's Congressional...
Nestle, the world's largest food company, depended on its pet
business, beverages and ice creams to keep overall sales growth
humming at 5.2 per cent during the first half of the year, although
Europe remained sluggish at 1.5...
With sales growth up and operating profit down in the second
quarter, Belgian supermarket and food group Delhaize serves up
another sign to processors that their western European market is in
direstraits.
With up to 76 per cent of UK chickens testing positive for
Campylobacter, processors and their suppliers will soon be facing a
food safety crackdown from the country's regulator.
Grasping the booming opportunities in the Chinese food and beverage
market, Japanese food conglomerate Kagome has linked up with
Chinese firm to bring vegetable and fruit juices to the market.
A demonstration of the growing popularity of, and ongoing
opportunities for organic ingredients, successful Swedish retailer
IKEA said it will replace standard foods with organic varieties.
Food makers and ingredients firms will benefit from a new European
platform that will prioritise research and development initiatives
to keep the €800 billion food and drink industry
competitive,reports Lindsey Partos.
Ochakovo, one of Russia's biggest domestic breweries, has launched
an aggressive marketing campaign to help sell its Ochakovo Premium
beer and Ochakovsky kvass abroad, Angela Drujinina reports.
Despite soaring sales figures for health-positioned products, new
research suggests the health message has yet to reach children,
reports Lindsey Partos.
Our journalist Angela Drujinina brings you the latest
research on Russia¡¯s chocolate market, including producers¡¯
concerns, the market situation and market leaders.
Nestlé has launched new sweets and biscuits in Russia as intense
competition has forced the firm to invest heavily in what is now
the world's fourth biggest confectionery market, reports Angela
Drujinina.
Underlining the massive potential that exists for food makers and
ingredients players in China, new data reveals only about 30 per
cent of food in China is processed, compared to 80 per cent in
western nations, reports Lindsey Partos.
Hours after EU leaders fail to hammer out an agreement on the
2007-13 European budget, the Commission calls on food scientists to
submit new research proposals for food quality.
While William Morrison Supermarkets is reportedly on the hunt for a
new chief executive, it has issued another warning that it is
having a hard time digesting its £3.35bn (€5bn) acquisition of
Safeway last year, reports Ahmed ElAmin.
Australia, the world's second largest wheat exporter, may be facing
up to a 30 per cent fall in its grain production this year, says a
report released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural
and Resource Economies...
Asda, the UK subsidiary of Wal-Mart, said yesterday it will buy 12
Safeway stores in Northern Ireland from Wm Morrison for £73.6m
(€109m), giving it a foothold on the island.
Eastern Europe continues to offer an immediate solution for the
world's major brewers in the face of declining western markets, as
SABMiller cautiously buys up Slovakian brewer Topvar, writes
Chris Mercer.
The first ever survey of research and development (R&D)
personnel across all industrial sectors in Europe reveals most
participants predict there will be little change in their
companies' R&D investment levels over the...
The majority of British consumers are 'confused' by health messages
on food products: meanwhile chocolate and snacks are the last
products to be ditched in a diet regime, finds a new report.
Nestlé, the world's biggest food and drink manufacturer, has
announced a modest increase in Q1 profits after successfully
offsetting rising raw material costs with price increases across
the UK and Continental Europe, Tom Armitage...
