Premium alcoholic drinks producer Diageo has taken out the title of “Most Admired Company 2008″ in a British poll of business peers. Diageo won the Management Today poll, which is conducted by Nottingham Business School. The voters are managers from a range of leading companies, indicating the winner has earnt the respect of their peers. A number of leading analysts are also asked to participate. Rivals are often acutely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of competitors meaning that... ...Read more »

While the credit crunch has negatively impacted the advertising and marketing budgets of many companies it appears UK supermarkets have viewed the downturn as an opportunity to gain market share and boost sales. Research carried out by Nielsen Media Research for UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph has discovered that most of the market leaders had upped their ad spend this year. In the UK the major supermarkets have come under pressure from discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl, who have appealed to those... ...Read more »

Unilever Australasia is in the process of a reorganisation, designed to reduce costs and strengthen their connection with consumers, according to just-food. The restructure will involve the cutting of 90 jobs across a wide range of departments. The affect of which is expected to be dampened by their earlier decision to freeze recruitment. “Unilever Australasia is undergoing organisational changes to achieve the ambition of moving from a good business to a great one,” a Unilever spokesman... ...Read more »

Unilever has posted third quarter underlying sales growth of 8.3%, as they continue to reap rewards from investing in their brands. The global consumer goods giant managed to also increase volume by 0.6% for the quarter despite raising their prices. In Australia, where their prominent food and beverage brands include Streets, Flora and Lipton, they reported a better third quarter with “good volume growth and a greater contribution from price”. “In the first nine months of the year... ...Read more »

Foodbank, Australia’s largest hunger-relief charity, last night honoured a number of leading Australian food and grocery companies at its awards ceremony held during the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s Annual Industry Leaders Dinner in Canberra. CEO Bronwyn Boekenstein said that Foodbank performed a brokerage role between the food and grocery industry and the welfare sector, helping to feed more than 48,000 Australians a day. “It is for this reason that we publicly recognise... ...Read more »

A study by Unilever, one of the world’s leading consumer products companies, reveals how different demographic groups in America will change their shopping habits as belts continue to tighten during challenging economic times. More than 30 per cent of consumers are eating at home more and eating out less and 40 per cent feel worse off than a year ago as shoppers continue to grapple with managing their budgets during uncertain economic times, according to the new study - ‘Winning Shoppers... ...Read more »

The Council of Better Business Bureaus has released its first report on the progress that participants in BBB’s groundbreaking self-regulation program - the ‘Children’s Food & Beverage Advertising Initiative’ - have made in changing the children’s food and beverage advertising landscape. BBB has assessed the participants’ compliance with their pledges regarding child-directed advertising of their food and beverage products and concluded that the participants... ...Read more »

Unilever, the world’s second largest consumer group company, has announced the sale of Bertolli Olive Oil and Vinegar to the Spanish-based Grupo SOS, owner of the Carbonell brand, for €630m. The sale will make Grupo SOS the owner of the two strongest olive oil brands in the world (based on sales). The transaction is structured as a worldwide, perpetual licence by Unilever of the Bertolli brand in respect of olive oil and premium vinegar and also includes the sale of the Italian Maya, Dante,... ...Read more »

Alarming results released today by the Australian Division of World Action on Salt and Health (AWASH) show that only 2% of sausages in Australian supermarkets meet acceptable salt levels. AWASH revealed that one single sausage sandwich at a local barbecue could contain as much as 6 grams of salt; 100% of the maximum daily recommended amount for adults and almost double that recommended for children. The product overview shows that other products commonly eaten at barbecues, such as hamburger patties,... ...Read more »

In a move believed to be a world first, 37 of the UK’s leading food and consumer goods companies yesterday announced a major transport collaboration that will significantly reduce the environmental impact of transporting food and groceries in the UK. Initiatives such as sharing vehicles and more efficient warehousing will result in the industry saving 48 million miles of travel by the end of 2008 alone - equivalent to removing 800 lorries from Britain’s roads - and conserving 23 million... ...Read more »