Woolworths today put out a request for information to all suppliers and importers of palm oil in Australia, in an attempt to assess the availability of sustainable palm oil. The supermarket chain aims to use only palm oil certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in its private label products by 2015, a target set in March last year, and the supermarket became the first Australian retail member of the RSPO in September. Woolworths said that while deforestation and threatened habitats... ...Read more »

UK retailer Marks and Spencer is set to review the sale of branded food in the company’s stores, according to reports. The Financial Times reported that M&S chief executive Marc Bolland is examining whether the retailer should continue to sell branded lines. M&S has been selling brands, including Heinz baked beans and Cadbury Dairy Milk, for over two years. In 2008, the retailer, which had traditionally offered only own-label products, opened up a select number of stores to certain... ...Read more »

Consumer group CHOICE has conducted a review of supermarket own brand foods, comparing them to various popular branded equivalents in terms of nutrition and taste. “The rise in supermarket-own brands has been phenomenal in Australia, with Coles and Woolworths leading the charge, closely followed by the popular discount chain, Aldi,” wrote CHOICE author Rebecca Gatto. “Private labels now account for almost a quarter of all grocery sales, and there are few supermarket categories that... ...Read more »

Woolworths has shaken up its milk supply, with a decision to award its own-label contracts to more than one supplier. The retailer today (8 June) confirmed that it had chosen to source milk from Parmalat and Murray Goulburn and not just National Foods, which had been its sole supplier of own-label milk since 2002. A spokesman for Woolworths said the retailer had awarded its contract for Queensland to Italian dairy giant Parmalat. Murray Goulburn will now serve a clutch of stores in the ACT and in... ...Read more »

Retailer brands have done very well during the recession in the US. But the growth and the concomitant weakening of affiliation between US shoppers and established household brands was an ongoing trend before the financial crisis and will continue after it. It is one of the unfortunate truths of human society that terrible times will always produce a few winners. Stock-market crashes are good news for insolvency lawyers and a pandemic is probably no bad time to be looking for a job in healthcare. By... ...Read more »

New research has outlined the likely growth industries within the Australian food and beverage sector for the next few years, with water, coffee and ice cream forecast to be among the leading lights. Private label goods, meanwhile, are likely to steadily increase their market share as retailers push their own brands harder than ever before. Private label is not as well developed as in many European countries but has been a growing feature of the market, Leatherhead’s Global Food Markets research... ...Read more »

Independent Liquor has refuted suggestions that they may be the subject of a takeover by retail giant Woolworths, advising that the private equity groups behind the company were keen to continue with expansion plans before contemplating a sale. “We’re not selling the business and we have no intention of selling the business,” Independent Liquor Chief Executive, Peter Murphy, told The Australian. “We have a very detailed plan on operational improvement and we have some way... ...Read more »

Rumours abound of interest from Australia’s largest supermarket operator in the nation’s market share leader in RTD (ready-to-drink) alcoholic beverages, as they look to give their private share alcohol products a boost. Fairfax has today reported that Woolworths has been exploring the possibility of a purchase of, or strategic alliance with, Independent Liquor. The report suggested the private equity-owned group would be worth in the vicinity of $700 million (NZ$873m), just three years... ...Read more »

The battle for the supermarket floor between private label and branded goods is heating up with private label reaching a record share of the grocery market in Australia, according to new research by market insight and information group TNS. The news comes as supermarkets push their own labels harder than ever. The largest Australian chains, including the likes of Woolworths, Coles, and IGA, have all reported the strong growth of private label this year and have continued to boost their expenditure... ...Read more »

The Chief Executive of packaging group Tetra Pak said overnight that he believes the recession has permanently changed consumer behaviour and that value for money will remain critical for shoppers. Tetra Pak, which generates two-thirds of its business from packaging sales to dairy processors, said the downturn had led consumers to change how they shopped in the last 12 months. In its twice-yearly “dairy index”, Tetra Pak said that dairy consumption continued to grow in certain developing... ...Read more »