The Sydney Fish Market hosted the Seafood Excellence Awards at Star City Grand Ballroom on Saturday to highlight outstanding achievements in Australia’s world class seafood industry. With fourteen award categories, no aspect of the state’s vibrant seafood trade went unnoticed, with awards ranging from industry judged categories including Environmental Excellence, Seafood Business Awards and Best Seafood Restaurant, to the People’s Choice Awards for Best Fish and Chips (Sydney and... ...Read more »

Chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has reported an increase in profit of 4.4% for 2008, but could record their first profit drop in a decade this year. Despite the turbulence, the company said they would maintain high marketing spend as they believe it will serve them well in the following years. The strategy of premiumisation had proven beneficial and would help the company when market conditions improve, they advised. “Despite the difficult market environment, which deteriorated especially... ...Read more »

Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, this week released new details about the expansion and enhancement of its ‘Great Value’ private label brand, which sees the chain attempting to capitalise on interest in private label goods as consumers look to reduce costs. The company will introduce 80 new products as well as change the formulas for 750 existing products after an extensive period of testing, which they believe has resulted in their goods being comparable to national brands.... ...Read more »

Coles’ five-year turnaround may not be as difficult as some have suggested, according to Craig Woolford – a retail analyst for Citi Investment Research; with sales potentially receiving a $1.3 billion boost by 2012. Mr Woolford’s review of Coles and Bi-Lo outlets suggested that management had been the primary difference between Coles and Woolworths, validating Wesfarmers’ decision to overhaul the management team after they purchased Coles Group in 2007. “Our findings... ...Read more »

Australia is a nation of foodies who love to entertain at home and feel buying locally grown produce is important, according to the March 2009 Sensis Consumer Report released today. We are also becoming increasingly allergic to a range of foods, rely heavily on the convenience of supermarkets and are overlooking the once national drink of beer for coffee and wine. The Aussie pie and the English breakfast have made way for fruit and steak as our favourite foods, while favourite meal choices are often... ...Read more »

Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett yesterday launched a new culinary event that will bring some of the world’s best chefs to the state, celebrate Tasmanian quality produce and highlight the ability to turn Tassie into Australia’s food bowl. “By embracing innovation and large-scale irrigation, we can turn Tasmania into the nation’s food bowl,” he explained. “We can create a continuum of food excellence that runs from the seedlings in the paddock right through to the... ...Read more »

As major supermarkets around the world continue to diversify their range of private labels, UK private label pioneer Marks & Spencer has extended a trial of branded foods in their stores. The famous UK institution and quintessential private label retailer announced last May that they would offer around 350 branded products in 19 of their outlets and the trial will now be extended to 20 more stores, suppliers told The Financial Times. “This trial aims to offer customers greater convenience... ...Read more »

Sales of soft drinks appear to be holding up, based on the sales figures of Australian beverage leaders and a new report from the UK, where sales in 2008 defied another poor summer. The 2009 Britvic Soft Drinks Report found soft drinks down just 1% in value and 2% in volume terms compared to the previous year’s strong performance. This robust performance comes as consumers turn towards brands they know and trust as economic conditions deteriorate, according to the report. Despite consumers... ...Read more »

Specialty chicken retailer Lenard’s has reported the average annual operating profit of each franchise rose 16 per cent in the six months ended 31 December 2008, while average store sales fell just short of $1 million, a 4 per cent increase over 2007. Founded by Lenard Poulter in 1987, Lenard’s is now Australia’s largest speciality chicken retailer, with an annual turnover of $146 million. Their growth plans began taking flight last year in an endeavour to capitalise on demand for... ...Read more »

Helping those less fortunate is as easy as staying hydrated, with Thirst Aid: a partnership between Frantelle Spring Water and Australian Red Cross aimed at raising $400,000 over the next year to support Red Cross’s humanitarian work.Frantelle has already contributed $200,000 to the Thirst Aid campaign, and is calling on the Australian public to help match this amount. Funds raised through the Thirst Aid campaign will allow Red Cross to provide hungry school kids with breakfast, help disaster... ...Read more »