Talks between National Foods and Tasmanian farmers broke down yesterday, with an end to the dispute seemingly further away than ever before. National Foods said they were ‘bitterly disappointed’ with the failure to reach an amicable agreement with the Tasmanian Suppliers Collective Bargaining Group in negotiations yesterday. The dairy and juice group said the farmers walked out on what they believed to be a good deal, while farmers maintain they are being treated with contempt. “We... ...Read more »

McDonald’s reported better-than-expected third quarter sales figures overnight, fueled by positive comparable sales in every area of the world. In constant currencies, the fast-food giant achieved higher sales and profit compared with the prior year.”Alignment behind McDonald’s long-term business strategy, the Plan to Win, is clear as our growth continues to be a systemwide effort with each area of the world contributing,” McDonald’s Chief Executive Officer, Jim Skinner,... ...Read more »

Foster’s today announced plans to transfer 13 Australian wine brands to a joint venture with Vok Beverages in line with their plans to overhaul their underperforming wine business. Vok Beverages will assume responsibility for the marketing, sales and management of the brands from 1 December 2009. Foster’s will continue to produce wine for the joint venture. The brands to be transferred to the joint venture are Queen Adelaide, Half Mile Creek, Minchinbury, Matthew Lang, Andrew Garrett,... ...Read more »

The Managing Director of Coles, Ian McLeod, has today informed investors of the improvements made at Coles as the company continues to see momentum in their business gather steam. Speaking at an investor briefing in Sydney today, Mr McLeod said that food & liquor sales rose 7.3 per cent in the first quarter, with comparable sales up 6.1 per cent. The news comes in the same week that major rival Woolworths reported food & liquor sales rising 7.8 per cent and comparable store sales 5.8 per... ...Read more »

Irial Finan, a Non-Executive Director at soft drinks firm Coca-Cola Amatil, has announced his intention to retire following the last Board meeting of the year – to be held on December 14-15. Mr Finan has served on the Board since August 2005 as one of two nominees from major shareholder The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). He is leaving due to increased commitments at TCCC. “We are sad to see Irial go,” CCA Chairman David Gonski said. “He has made a very valuable contribution to... ...Read more »

Asda plans to roll out a version of a scheme introduced by parent Wal-Mart to encourage suppliers to produce more sustainable packaging. The UK’s second-largest retailer is working on its own concept of Wal-Mart’s “packaging scorecard” and is looking to launch the programme in the first quarter of 2010. The scorecard was introduced in the US last year to allow buyers at Wal-Mart to judge whether suppliers were working to reduce the impact of their packaging on the environment. Claire... ...Read more »

In the first nine months of 2009 the world’s largest food manufacturer achieved organic growth of 3.6%, but the major headwinds of a strong Swiss Franc earlier in the year have hurt the bottom line, with sales falling 2.2 per cent for the period. Nestlé remains confident about the future, however, maintaining their full year outlook as organic growth rose to 3.8% in the third quarter. “The increased momentum of real internal growth in the third quarter, coming on top of high growth in... ...Read more »

Franklins Australia, the local unit of South African retailer Pick ‘n Pay, produced a 3.3% increase in turnover in Australian Dollars for the six-months to August 31. The company has managed to turn things around over the past year and a half, and earlier this year reported their first ever full-year profit since being acquired by Pick ‘n Pay in 2001. “The key driver to this improvement is enhanced performances by refurbished stores, which includes an introduction of a comprehensive... ...Read more »

A strong third quarter result from UK confectioner Cadbury has placed pressure on Kraft to raise their non-binding offer, but doubts remain about the likelihood of a considerably higher bid given the lack of other bidders. Cadbury reported a seven per cent incline in revenue for the third quarter, with chocolate (7%) and candy (11%) growth outpacing that of their gum (4%) division.The result brings year-to-date growth up to five per cent, above forecasts. Strong performances in Britain & Ireland... ...Read more »

More than a third of shoppers have said they are tempted to try something new by in-store promotions such as “buy one get one free” (BOGOF), new research from Britain shows. According to latest consumer research from IGD, 37% of shoppers admitted that in-store promotions, such as ‘reduced price’ and ‘BOGOFs’, prompt them to try something new when they are doing their food shopping, whereas 29% say that advertising, such as TV or magazines, encourages them to try... ...Read more »