In the beer industry, superior market share leads to superior margins, according to a new Rabobank report on the largest global brewers. In the next five years, market share will become increasingly important for all the major brewers, so it is no suprise to see continued consolidation in the sector. Margins and lower consumption Major brewers’ operating margins have not suffered from the economic downturn. On the contrary, restructuring, better pricing and lower production costs have helped... ...Read more »

If Kevin Rudd still believes in his comments prior to the election that food prices are too high in Australia, then perhaps he should be considering a visit to Woolworths or Coles if the example of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is any guide. As Australian Food News reported on last week, Mr Putin paid a surprise visit to a supermarket outlet under the banner of one of Russia’s leading retailers – X5. He questioned the price of sausages and pork and received assurances that the... ...Read more »

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has paid a surprise visit to a supermarket in Moscow, queried their prices and received a guarantee that the cost of pork for customers would fall the next day. His visit to the dairy and meat aisles of a supermarket outlet of one of Russia’s largest retail chains – X5 Retail Group – came with food producers and the leading managers of the retailer in tow. The first target was sausages, according to the Kommersant daily, with Mr Putin questioning... ...Read more »

With gross margins on fuel hovering around 5 per cent, it’s not surprising that many convenience store operators are taking a fresh look at their foodservice programs – where margins are typically over 40 per cent and may exceed 60 per cent.As a percent of total c-store sales, foodservice remains small. But higher fuel prices may actually help c-store operators grow their foodservice sales, according to American food consultants Technomic. “Consumers are much more interested in... ...Read more »