The power of pestering children - and, more importantly, of food
industry advertising - is not great enough to persuade most parents
to buy potentially unhealthy food for their kids. A new survey
shows that most British parents rate...
German pharmaceuticals and ingredients group Boehringer Ingelheim
has reported a successful first half-year, with sales in the first
six months of 2002 rising 21 per cent on the previous year to €3.7
billion and an operating income...
Hypermarkets account for the biggest share of retail revenues in
Poland, despite the fact that there are relatively few stores. But
while the format remains popular, smaller outlets, such as
supermarkets and discount stores, are likely...
Danish enzymes company Novozymes continues on a high this year,
despite a slight fall in food enzyme sales for the quarter,
resulting in an overall boost to 13 per cent for its forecast for
net profit increase for the full year.
Belgian retailer Delhaize is improving slowly, but its business
continues to be affected by the weakening of the US dollar against
the euro. Nonetheless, the company is hopeful of a
better-than-expected performance for the year as...
Metro, the German retail group, has reported sales growth in the
first six months of the year and is predicting further gains for
the full-year. Signs, perhaps, that the German recovery may be on
the way?
Underlying growth in both Casino's French and foreign operations
was not enough to offset the ongoing negative impact of exchange
rates in the first half, the retailer announced yesterday.
The two franchise operators for the Carrefour retail group had
differing performances in the first half. Guyenne & Gascogne
showed solid growth during the six months, while Hyparlo's sales
suffered as a result of the disposal...
While currency translation continued to reduce sales growth at
Carrefour in the second quarter, the company posted its first
quarterly sales increase in six quarters last week. A sign that the
worst is now over for the group's...
Belgian retail group Colruyt has reported profits up 22 per cent
for 2002/03, well ahead of analysts expectations and despite
continued troubles at its computer retailing arm.
A satisfactory fourth quarter helped Danish ingredients giant
Danisco achieve a 17 per cent increase in earnings per share for
the 2002/2003. The company reports a particularly strong
performance from its texturant products which...
Speciality chemicals group Cognis reported an organic sales growth
of €13.9 million for the first quarter, up 1.7 per cent from the
corresponding period for 2002. But sales down, largely impacted by
exchange rate outlay.
Wal-Mart has consolidated its unassailable lead in the global
retail rankings, according to the latest report from M+M Planet
retail. But while there has been no change to the companies making
up the top 30 global players, several...
Britain's number two grocery retailer J Sainsbury has reported
full-year figures which show that it is steadily gaining ground on
arch rival Tesco. Store expansion and cost cutting programmes
helped lift pre-tax profits by 16.8...
Auchan, the French food retailer, has reported sales for 2002 only
marginally affected by exchange rate concerns due mainly to its
growing focus on core eurozone markets.
Ahold's troubles continued in the first quarter of the current year
with sales dropping 11 per cent compared to 2002, mainly due to
exchange rate declines. But organic growth at most units was solid,
a small ray of hope for the...
After years of restrictions related to BSE and FMD, as well as
unfavourable economic conditions caused by the strength of
sterling, British food and drink exports rose for the first time
since 1998 last year. A continued focus on...
Europe's sheep population fell by four per cent last year, according to figures released from the EU's December sheep census. Within the major sheep-rearing countries however, the rate of decline varied greatly.
Krest'yanskoe, a Soviet-era brand produced by a number of different
companies, remains the most popular brand of butter in Russia, but
its popularity is coming under increasing pressure from
international brands such as Anchor...
Metro has shrugged off currency concerns and the tough German
economic conditions to post a rise in sales for the first quarter.
But most of the improvement came from non-food operations, and
there is still work to do to improve the...
Edible oil sales were the highlight of food consumption in Spain
with consumers reaching for a healthy alternative and driving sales
forward. Total food consumption rose by 1.9 per cent in 2002
compared to the previous year.
The UK complementary medicines market has grown by almost 60 per
cent in the last five years to an estimated value of £130 million
(€187m), despite the impact of new legislation and negative
publicity regarding herbal remedies and...
The two leading franchise operators of Carrefour stores, Hyparlo
and Guyenne & Gascogne, have reported contrasting first quarter
sales. Hyparlo was affected by the sale of its Italian unit, while
G&G was boosted by solid performances...
Swiss co-operative group Migros has reported turnover in excess of
SF20 billion (€13.4bn) for 2002, shrugging off poor economic
conditions and lower sales from three of its divisions.
Although the alcoholic drinks market as a whole is growing strongly
in Mexico, the country's consumption of spirits continued to
decline in 2002, according to a new report from industry analysts
Canadean.
Carrefour, Europe's biggest food retailer, continued to improve its
market dominance in the first quarter of 2003, but sales were once
again impacted by currency problems in Latin America, Asia and
Eastern Europe.
German food industry sales dropped by 1 per cent last year as the
countrywide recession continued - a decline which the BVE industry
association claims has already led to the loss of numerous jobs.
Price discounting by retailers and the strength of the Swiss franc
severly reduced exports of biscuits from Switzerland to Germany, by
far the most important foreign market. The situation is no better
at home, with cheap imports reducing...
A strong performance from its cash & carry and electronic goods
units helped German retail company Metro to a 4 per cent increase
in sales for 2002 - a good performance in light of declining
turnover in the German retail sector...
Selling off its loss-making units over the last year has put
troubled Portuguese retailer Jeronimo Martins on the road to
recovery. But with a high debt level still in need of reduction,
the company still has a way to go before it...
Reflecting continuing concerns over the direction of the US
economy, consumers are twice as likely to consider price as a
reason for purchasing a brand name product as they were a year ago,
according to a survey released last week...
Troubles at its US operations, exacerbated by the weakness of the
dollar, took their toll on 2002 results at Belgian retailer
Delhaize. A major refit and cost reduction programme in the US
should lead to an improvement this year,...
Leader Price discount stores and Monoprix city centre supermarkets
were among the main drivers of growth for Casino, the French food
retailer, in 2002. They will also drive growth in 2003, but a
recovery at Dutch unit Laurus is also...
Exports of Spanish wine grew by less than 1 per cent last year in
both volume and value, according to the latest data. And at home
the situation is even worse, with consumption there continuing its
unrelenting decline.
Europe's biggest supermarket group Carrefour has reported a 15 per
cent increase in pre-tax profits in 2002 and said it had met its
target for sales growth - albeit when currency devaluations are
ignored.
Despite numerous high profile cases of concerning BSE,
foot-and-mouth and other food-related diseases, consumers in the UK
are now worrying less about these problems than in previous years,
according to the latest UK Consumer Attitudes...
Two of the leading Nordic food retail groups, Finland's Kesko and
Sweden's Axfood, announced good results last week, helped by growth
both at home and abroad.
Claims by Spanish hypermarket groups that new store restrictions
are benefiting only supermarkets and not traditional retailers have
been confirmed by the latest Nielsen data, which shows supermarkets
taking market share from both...
French retailer Casino saw its turnover for 2002 cut by 5 per cent
as a result of poor exchange rates, but nonetheless registered
growth of nearly 4 per cent.
Guyenne et Gascogne, the French retail group which is both a
franchise holder and partner of the Carrefour group in France and
Spain, has reported solid growth in sales for 2002, and predicts
further improvements in 2003.
The devaluation of the Brazilian and Argentine currencies has taken
its toll on full-year sales at French retailer Carrefour, but the
company has maintained its profit forecast as a result of steady
growth in sales at constant exchange...
Last year was a difficult one for Dutch retail group Ahold, at the
profit level at least, but the final sales figures for 2002 were
nonetheless encouraging. But with organic growth rates slowing
considerably compared to 2001, there...
A month of promotions in October helped lift French retail sales in
October compared to the previous year, but September's figures from
Spain show a marked decline in food sales, at least compared to the
previous month.
Flavour sales continued to decline in Europe for number one
flavours and fragrances company, International Flavors &
Fragrances, but despite this the overall picture for the third
quarter of 2002 is clearly optimistic and the...
The effects of a downturn in German imports and the events of 11
September took their toll on Bordeaux wine exports in 2001/02,
according to the latest CIVB data.
Like Carrefour last week, French retailer Casino has reported third
quarter results severely impacted by the effect of exchange rates,
in particular from its Latin American unit. But sales nonetheless
progressed during the quarter.
Hypermarket and supermarket food sales dropped sharply in
September, partly because of unusually high sales in August, but
also because of an underlying downturn in consumer spending, warns
the Paris Chamber of Commerce.
Exchange rate declines, in particualr from Brazil and Argentina,
led to a 1.5 drop in third quarter sales at Carrefour, but sales at
constant currency rates were up 5.6 per cent, a figure the French
group preferred to highlight.
Sales at Iceland continued to decline in the 13 weeks to the end of
September, but the Big Food Group's overall results were buoyed by
a solid performance from its Booker wholesale unit. M&S,
meanwhile, saw good food sales...
