Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s chairman Rod Sims has announced that the ACCC will not appeal the Full Federal Court’s decision to allow Metcash’s acquisition of the Franklins supermarket business. In a media statement released today, Mr Sims said that the ACCC took action to block the proposed acquisition by Metcash of the Franklins supermarket business because it considered that such an acquisition was likely to result in a substantial lessening of competition in the... ...Read more »

A new Meat Standards Australia (MSA) symbol that identifies beef that has met an independent consumer standard for tenderness, juiciness and flavour, has been rolled out to butchers and fresh food retailers across Australia. Featuring Australia’s traditional colours, the green and gold ‘MSA graded’ symbol will be positioned as a quality mark, indicating that brands have been graded to meet MSA standards. The MSA grading system was developed by the beef industry in 1999. Nearly 90,000 consumers... ...Read more »

Market research organisation IBISWorld has predicted that A$9.8 billion will be spent on food in Australia this Christmas – a timid 3.4 per cent increase spending in 2010. According to IBISWorld, with annual inflation of around 3.3 per cent in Australia, this means that most food retailers will simply be treading water. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia), Ms Karen Dobie said that in 2011, Australian shoppers have been savvy, seeking out the best value for money, the best range and the best... ...Read more »

Research published today by market research organisation, IBISWorld, predicts that Australians will spend A$25.4 Billion on alcoholic beverages in 2011-12. According to the research, Australians are increasingly choosing premium alcoholic drinks over traditional beers. The report predicts that alcohol spending in Australia will increase by 15.3% over the next five years, reaching A$29.3 Billion in 2016/17. IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie said that while Australia’s alcohol consumption... ...Read more »

A new report by consumer research company The Hartman Group investigates the myths of ‘shopper marketing’, a popular marketing strategy aimed at the people who purchase goods, particularly during the actual shopping process. Shopper marketing is a major factor in food marketing, with large numbers of food consumers having their food purchased for them by others, and many decisions on food purchases being made on impulse, or by comparison in-store. The new white paper examines three of... ...Read more »

In the wake of the global financial crisis, many customers have turned away from buying things on credit, choosing instead to use debit cards that act like credit cards, such as Visa debit or Mastercard debit. Many new bank accounts are also offering these debit cards as standard, instead of the traditional EFTPOS card. This increased use and promotion of scheme debit cards means retailers are now facing higher bank fees and growing cost pressures.  This is because when purchases are treated as... ...Read more »

Foreign retailers operating in China saw their sales and their store-opening programmes outpace their domestic rivals in 2009, according to the latest industry data in the country.Sales from the 20 “foreign-funded” retailers that are among China’s top 100 retail chains, including Carrefour China, grew by 20.4% in 2009, the China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA) said yesterday (29 March). The association said the sales growth achieved by foreign retailers was “significantly... ...Read more »

The Consumer Goods Forum has released their annual Top of Mind survey, revealing that economy and consumer demand still top the list of concerns for key decision makers in retail and consumer goods. The second spot was taken by corporate social responsibility, followed by the competitive landscape, with food and product safety dropping from second to fourth place from last year. Retail-supplier relations took fifth place overall, but differed in importance between manufacturers (second place) and... ...Read more »

The Consumer Goods Forum has advised that Jean‐Marc Saubade will take on the role of Managing Director, effective January 4, 2010. Saubade comes to The Consumer Goods Forum* – a leading consumer goods network with senior management from 650 leading industry players – after stints in senior management positions at Cadbury and Kraft Foods. Following the creation of The Consumer Goods Forum in June 2009, the Board of Directors assigned a taskforce with the search of a Managing Director... ...Read more »

Shopper trust in brands and retailers is playing an increasingly important role in the purchasing process, according to new research from the UK . Shoppercentric, an independent agency specialising in shopper behaviour research, found that trust is more than a corporate issue – it’s something that shoppers consider at two levels: ‘corporate integrity’ – which relates to corporate responsibility, staff / supplier treatment, transparency, consistency and heritage; and... ...Read more »