Hurt by inflation and consumer change, Morrisons’ profits tumble during Q3
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Could the news over the past month get any worse for retailer Morrisons? After being surpassed recently fourth place in the UK’s supermarket rankings by discount chain Aldi, Morrisons reported that its profits were less than half of what they were during the same period last year, tumbling to just £177m in the third quarter. […]
A disturbing trend: An epidemic of indifference
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I’ve observed a disturbing trend in retail produce operations. It’s not a completely new phenomenon, as it began to manifest itself before the pandemic. However, the pandemic had a profound effect, enabling it to strengthen and spread. In reviewing and visiting many retail operations over the past few months, something is definitely lacking in most […]
Aldi’s year gets even better with three top retail awards
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All is going well for Aldi, which is increasing its footprint across the UK, rising in the supermarket rankings and winning awards in the process. The discount retailer, fresh off a surge into the No. 4 slot ahead of rival Morrisons, recently took home three trophies at the Retail Industry Awards for environmental stewardship, online […]
Aldi’s move into Big Four shows power of discounting, inflation
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Although Aldi’s rise into the Big Four of UK supermarkets ahead of Morrisons was not a surprise given its surge in the past two years, it nonetheless showed the power of discount chains in a budget-crunched sector for consumers. With inflation soaring to 12.4%, Aldi pulled down a 9.3% share to leap ahead of Morrisons […]
Raspberry development in processing and fresh sectors
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On a recent trip to Chile, I took this photo in a raspberry production field. For me, it very neatly summed up the progress that has been made in raspberry breeding in the recent past. The variety on the left has been the industry standard type in the country for the last few decades. On […]
Wait a minute: Aren’t we the plant-based diet?
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By Anne-Marie Roerink Life has been a rollercoaster ride for more than two years. At the onset of the pandemic, consumers focused on comfort food, but immunity and healthful eating quickly took a front seat. When you type in “healthy” in any one of the search engines, then click images, every picture that pops up […]
Shoplifting putting further strains on retailers, including Tesco
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Rising inflation and strains on budgets have furthered the wave of shoplifting in retail shops across the UK in the past few months, including Tesco, which has taken additional steps to try to protect food items from being stolen. The retailer has gone so far as to wrap some higher-priced products in netting with security […]
Food industry offers condolences, fondly honours HRM Queen Elizabeth II
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This past week, condolences and tributes have poured in across the UK and the world after the passing of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 at Balmoral Castle. That includes scores of retail, hospitality and other food industry entities who got to know her during her reign. Here are some of the […]