Retailers Woolworths, Coles, and Franklins have today joined the Australian Food and Grocery Council in a push toward the Daily Intake Guide, with a plan to adopt the labelling system on private label products. The Daily Intake Guide is a front-of-pack food labelling system developed in consultation with dietitians and health experts to assist consumers in understanding what’s in a serve of a particular product and how it contributes to their daily diet. Australian National Retailers Association... ...Read more »
While the majority of Australians (94%) claim to be extremely or somewhat concerned about continuing inflation over the next 12 months, interest rate hikes have little effect on the spending patterns of two in five Aussies, according to a recent Internet survey conducted by The Nielsen Company. The study did suggest, however, that dining out and purchases of common snack foods will decline, as economic pressure intensifies. According to Nielsen, while one in five (22%) Australians will immediately... ...Read more »
So far this year, British shoppers have been in denial - spending more than they did in 2007, in spite of the mounting evidence that their incomes were being squeezed. Until now, with the latest research from MINTEL* finding that reality is beginning to strike and Brits are now making dramatic changes to the way they shop for food. Consumer research from MINTEL highlights that, in the last 12 months alone, 41% of shoppers have switched to cheaper brands and three in ten (34%) have cut down on the... ...Read more »
UK supermarkets Waitrose and Booths have announced plans to join forces on a new buying alliance in order to reduce costs and improve their ability to compete with the major retailers. Booths currently has 26 supermarkets located in the north of England and Waitrose 192 throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The deal between the two companies is designed to take advantage of the “synergies between the two brands” and will involve sharing cost prices and deal structures for branded food... ...Read more »
Michael Luscombe, CEO of Australia’s largest grocery chain - Woolworths, has reported the deterioration in financial conditions has had an impact on consumers, with more caution in spending habits being exercised. Speaking in Perth at the Retail Traders Association breakfast, Mr Luscombe noted an increase in sales of their private label goods had been one of the outcomes of the downturn. ”What I’m seeing in our own business is that we’re doing OK,” he reported. “Customers... ...Read more »
A new report has established the forces behind the eating habits of children and outlined solutions for retailers to build brand loyalty amongst health-driven consumers. In the second installment of their “Healthy Kids” study, Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), a leading global provider of consumer, shopper, and market insights for CPG, retail, and healthcare industries, has suggested that retail strategies should include: a commitment to product marketing innovations, consumer... ...Read more »
Two thirds of British mums believe that their children should eat what they are given - signalling a major shift in attitude as parents seek control in the healthy eating debate, according to TNS. Three years after the start of Jamie Oliver’s school dinners campaign, a new report by global market insight group TNS has revealed a steep rise in the number of parents trying to exercise more control over what their children eat, with just 27% of the nation’s parents now happy to buy what... ...Read more »
Noble Rise has created a new range of five fresh bread flavours, now hitting shelves in supermarkets and convenience stores Australia-wide as they launch a national promotional campaign to end boring lunches. The flavours are designed to appeal to the modern Australian palate, with the range of options coinciding with the launch of their new campaign - ‘Take A Stand Against Bland’. The new flavours, released Australia-wide last week, included: * Noble Rise Honey & Wholemeal - made... ...Read more »
Media Cart, a computer screen fixed on the nose of supermarket trolleys to provide targeted communications, is launching into the Australian market as part of a global rollout, with trials likely to begin in October. The Media Cart system will offer shoppers access to a wide range of features including ads for store specials, a map showing product locations in the store and even nutritional information and recipes relating to products. Customers can utilise the control panel on the handle bar to... ...Read more »
Competition Policy & Consumer Affairs Minister, Chris Bowen, has released an issues paper calling for public comment on developing a national unit pricing regime. This is the next step toward introducing a nationally-consistent unit pricing regime, announced as part of the Government’s preliminary response to the release of the ACCC’s Grocery Inquiry. Unit pricing (or comparative pricing) is the display of the price of goods per unit of measure, for example per 100 grams,... ...Read more »