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Retail News
Waiting in a line for longer than four minutes can
jeopardize a customer's loyalty, according to a study
conducted by M/A/R/C Research. Some 10% of shoppers were
exasperated enough to leave a checkout line if the wait was
lengthy. Full Study
Sharp rises in prices of grains, milk, meat, vegetables
and fuel have left school cafeteria directors struggling
to break even. Many school districts are seeing
double-digit increases. Districts are responding to the
changes in different ways, but the most common responses are
raising prices and examining every expenditure, according to
Arizona Daily Star. Full Story
There is strong correlation between reducing loss
prevention spending and increased retail shrink, according
to a survey conducted by Preference Research and released by
Checkpoint Systems. Some 77% of respondents reported cutting
or delaying spending in their loss prevention budgets during
past weak economies, with 61% reporting their spending was not
restored to prior levels until after the recession. Another
33% stated that their loss prevention spending was not
restored at all. Full Story
Sam's Club is now offering consumers milk in the form of
a square shaped gallon, which is designed to cut back on
packaging and shipping waste. However, many consumers dislike
the shape, claiming that it makes milk difficult to pour,
reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Super S Foods selected KSS Retail as its provider of
price and promotional modeling and optimization for its 49
grocery stores throughout South and Central Texas. Full Story
Manufacturer News
Tyson Foods, Inc. purchased 51% ownership of
Godrej Foods, Ltd., a subsidiary of Godrej Agrovet, Ltd.
The joint venture between Godrej Agrovet and Tyson will be
called Godrej Tyson Foods. Full Story
Smithfield Foods, Inc. entered into an agreement with
COFCO Limited for the sale of 4.95% of its common stock.
COFCO Limited is owned by the government of the People's
Republic of China and is an agricultural trading and
processing company. Full Story
TerraCycle partnered with several food companies to
collect some of their packaging waste and sew, fuse or
weave it into new products - a process known as "upcycling."
Many of these items are now shipped to Target Corp. and
Walgreen stores, and may be sold in the future at Wal-Mart and
Home Depot, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
Fleischmann's Yeast is increasing its prices of
fresh yeast by 10 cents per pound and dry yeast by 18 cents
per pound, effective Aug. 4. Full Story
Overall demand for enzymes will increase
by 6% between 2007-2012, according to The Freedonia Group.
Yet in the U.S., demand for enzymes for use in food and
beverage processing is predicted to grow by only 4.1%, to
reach $275 million by 2012, reported Food Navigator. Full Story
Blue Pacific Flavors Inc. entered into an exclusive
license agreement with The Horticulture and Food Research
Institute of New Zealand Limited. Full Story
Attitude Drinks Inc. rolled out its Vis Viva Living
Force Energy brand online in six-pack, 12-pack and 24-pack
configurations. Full Story
Dr. Fresh Inc. introduced Dentyne Ice Mouth Rinse,
an alchohol-free rinse that comes in Dentyne Arctic Chill and
Shiver Mint flavors, reported Orthodontic Products. Full Story
Foodservice News
Burger King Corp. launched a new kids meal
featuring a 4-oz. serving of Kraft macaroni and cheese,
lowfat milk and "Fresh Apple Fries," which are skinless red
apples sliced to resemble french fries and served with low-fat
caramel dipping sauce. The Kids Meal is available in the U.S.
as a permanent menu item for a suggested retail price of
$3.49. Full Story
McDonald's budget for global digital advertising is
growing as it readies for the Beijing Olympics. In Japan,
almost all of McDonald's marketing around the Olympics will
take place through consumers' mobile phones. It now devotes
between 8% and 10% of its marketing spending to digital, up
from 2% four years ago, reported The Wall Street
Journal. Full Story (WSJ Subscription
Required)
Quick Chek will give away free Texas Smokehouse subs
on July 7 at all of its 100 plus locations, reported
Convenience Store News. Full Story
NEW STORE NEWS: Kum & Go LC opened a
3,400-sq. ft. convenience store in Craig, CO, reported CSP
Daily News. Full Story ... Pinkberry
opened its 59th location in San Diego, CA. Full Story ... Red Robin Gourmet Burgers,
Inc. opened its 63rd restaurant in Morgan Hill, CA. Full
Story
Health News
The Consumer Federation of America developed Alcohol
Facts, a side-by-side comparison of the alcohol, calorie
and carbohydrate content per serving of the 26 top selling
domestic and imported alcohol brands. Alcohol Facts also
explains what constitutes a standard drink: 12-oz. of regular
beer, 5-oz. of wine and 1.5-oz. of 80-proof distilled spirits.
Full Story
The market for obesity fighting consumer staples could
hit $1.4 trillion by 2012 as the world's population
continues to gain weight, according to a report from Credit
Suisse projects. The World Health Organization estimates that,
in addition to the 400 million adults who are obese, more than
1.6 billion adults are now overweight, reported Food
Production Daily. Full Story
Washington News
 Food safety inspectors are
struggling with swelling volumes of imports and critics
say the increase of imported goods is too much for the limited
number of inspectors at the nation's 300 ports of entry to
effectively screen. Concerns about the nation's food
inspection system are gaining urgency and according to
officials the system of border inspections is badly strained
and in urgent need of repair, reported The Dallas Morning
News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)
Western Growers is urging the House Committee on
Agriculture to hold hearings on the salmonella outbreak
associated with fresh, red round, roma and plum tomatoes. The
agriculture trade association wants the House Committee to
focus on FDA and CDC procedures to determine the source or the
cause of this outbreak. Full
Story
The Organic Trade Association and the International
Dairy Foods Association filed lawsuits against the Ohio
Department of Agriculture, reported The Associated
Press. The trade groups are suing over a new state rule
that reportedly restricts how consumers are informed about
whether milk is made from cows that were given a synthetic
hormone. Full Story, OTA Release, IDFA Release
Nebraska Beef, Ltd. initiated a voluntary
recall of approximately 531,707-lbs. of ground beef
components because it may be contaminated with E. coli. Full Story
Global News
The agricultural sector in China's Sichuan
province suffered approximately $6 billion in damages as a
result of a recent earthquake, according to UN's Food and
Agriculture Organization. Overall, livestock losses are
estimated at about $2 billion in the area. Additionally, a
significant portion of wheat crops could not be harvested and
much of the wheat that was harvested was damaged in the
earthquake. FAO Report
Yum! China's quick-service restaurant brand,
East Dawning, will be expanding nationwide in 2008,
according to China Daily, which examines the
competition in China's fast food industry. Full Story
Aldi plans to open one store every week in the UK,
with the goal of opening 1,500 stores over the next five
years. The retailer will spend approximately £1.5 billion to
reach its goal, reported Daily Telegraph. Full Story
PRIMAX rolled out its first Listo! convenience store in
Lima, Peru. The new store will serve as a prototype for
the company's recently acquired 165 former Shell locations in
Peru and 60 in Ecuador. Full Story
China's Zhongpin Inc. completed the equipment
installation phase at its new plant and will start
production immediately. The new factory increases the
company's total production capacity for chilled and frozen
pork by 22% to 391,560-metric tons. Full Story
Market News
In 2008, Wal-Mart expects to source
about $400 million in locally grown produce from farmers
across the U.S. to keep prices down. Partnerships with local
farmers grew by 50% over the past two years. Full Story
Traffic
at Sacramento-region farmers markets is up about 25% over last
year. The increase was tied to the weak economy as well as
to the continuing popularity of locally grown food, reported
The Sacramento Bee. Full Story (Free Registration
Required)
Australia's Buderin
Ginger signed a letter of intent to acquire all of the assets
of Hawaii's MacFarms, and to lease a 3,903 acre macadamia
orchard owned by Kapua Orchard Estates, an affiliate of
MacFarms, reported The West Australian. Full Story
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Supercenter Sales Hit $208.3 Billion In
2006
Supercenter
sales reached $208.3 billion in 2006, up 15.5%
from 2005 and up 34.3% from 2004, according to the
latest edition of the Supercenter Industry
Overview, part of the Supermerchants
series published by alternative format expert
James M. Degen & Co. The number of
supercenters in the U.S. Increased 12.5% to 2,837
in 2006. This report covers company specific
market size and growth, top companies, physical
characteristics, consumer demographics,
competitive response and an outlook for future
developments. Click here to
order. | |
The National Mango Board rolled out a
series of initiatives to increase consumers' familiarity
with mangoes. Currently, the board is focused on increasing
the presence of mangoes on
restaurants' menus throughout the U.S., reported
Supermarket News. Full Story
The
Spreckels Sugar plant in Mendota, CA will close Sept.
1. However, area
sugar-beet farmers are seeking to form a cooperative and keep
the plant open, reported
The Fresno Bee. Full Story (Free Registration
Required)
International Trade Commission
instituted a five-year review concerning the antidumping
duty order on certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam. Full Notice
International Trade Commission instituted
a five-year review concerning the antidumping duty order
on crawfish tail meat from China. Full Notice
NMFS implemented Amendment 9 to the
Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fishery Management
Plan. Full
Notice
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IGA Coca-Cola Institute Perspective
