Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has launched Speak Up, a new, externally-hosted hotline – delivered by Deloitte – for Woolworths suppliers to report trading concerns of a serious nature after standard procedures have been exhausted.Issues, which can be reported anonymously, include fraud, corruption, threatening behaviour, people or product safety risks, theft, conflict of interest, bullying and harassment. Woolworths says that the delivery by Deloitte assures a greater level... ...Read more »

Australian listed public company Collins Foods Limited, announcing its third quarter results, has blamed “challenging” trading conditions for the company’s underperformance. Collins Foods operates the food service retail outlets Sizzler in Australia and KFC in Queensland. Announcing its results, Collins Foods said that, as a result of the third quarter same store sales being less than prior year by 2.4 per cent for KFC and 1.7 per cent for Sizzler, the company has revised its expectations... ...Read more »

One of Australia’s largest food retail companies, Retail Food Group, has acquired Pizza Capers, marking its entry into the Quick Service Restaurant sector. Retail Food Group announced on Tuesday that it had entered an agreement to acquire Pizza Capers, which currently owns 110 franchised outlets in Australia. The company is currently the intellectual property owner, franchisor and manager of the Donut King, Michel’s Patisserie, Brumby’s Bakeries, bb’s cafe, Esquires Coffee Houses and Big... ...Read more »

In announcing its second quarter retail sales results for the 2012 financial year today, Wesfarmers has expressed pleasure with the continuing strong growth of its subsidiary Coles. Coles is one of Australia’s two major supermarket groups. Coles’ first half-year’s sales this financial year were $13.6 billion, a 4.9 percent increase on the previous year. Wesfarmers’ managing director, David Goyder said, “Given a relatively tough retail environment and widespread deflation, I am pleased... ...Read more »

A panel of experts and industry commentators on the United States’ private label sector, brought together by the U.S. Private Label Manufacturer’s Association, has cast its predictions for the sector in 2012. Many of the experts believe that 2012 will see American food retailers attempting to condense their stores, with urban centres becoming the prime location for locating new stores. Food Retail Industry Consultant Michael Sansolo, who is also senior vice president of the U.S. Food Marketing... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has again called upon the Australian Government to take action to help Australian food manufacturers cope with “immense pressures” on their business. The AFGC’s call coincides with last Friday’s closure of Heinz Australia’s tomato sauce factory in Girgarre, Victoria. Despite the Girgarre closing, Heinz Australia continues to manufacture in the Goulburn Valley region through its baby food factory in Echuca. AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell... ...Read more »

Cookbooks and lifestyle magazines were amongst the top-selling items in Australian newsagencies during the lead-up to Christmas 2011, according to anecdotal reports emanating from a number of sources including various shops, blogs and advertising media websites monitored by Australian Food News during December 2011. There have been concerns about long-term viability for newsagencies reliant on newspapers and magazines competing against growth in on-line publications. However, the indications were... ...Read more »

A free smartphone app, developed by the Western Australian State government agency Consumer Protection and called iShopWA, is now available for shoppers in the State of Western Australia to easily access information about their rights under the new Australian Consumer Law. WA’s Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said this would be the first Christmas that West Australians have the protections of the new laws, and it was important that they knew their rights regarding refunds, warranties and lay-bys. “Many... ...Read more »

7-Eleven Australia has announced it has entered an agreement with Krispy Kreme Australia for the supply of fresh daily Krispy Kreme doughnuts to each of its 600 stores. Warren Wilmot, 7-Eleven Australia’s CEO, was excited about the benefits of the new arrangement for the company, its Franchisees and its customers. “This deal is something we’ve worked hard to deliver, because of the potential benefits for our company, and most importantly, our Franchisees. We believe this arrangement... ...Read more »

Australia’s leading online commerce enablers are predicting this week will be the busiest online shopping week Australia has ever seen. PayPal, eBay and Australia Post have forecast their busiest online shopping day this year will be on Sunday 11 December 2011. According to PayPal’s Secure Insights report, eBay, PayPal and Australia Post predict a surge in spending this week as Australian consumers seek to save time and money by shopping for this year’s Christmas presents online... ...Read more »