The test of time
Hands up who remembers Fry’s Five Centres, or maybe the Cadbury’s Spira or the Fox’s Echo. I certainly do and the world is a seemingly less happy place without them – at least when looking for a chocolate fix.
Americans chewing less gum
A report from Rabobank has found that Americans are chewing a lot less gum these days, and mints are on the rise. The report, ‘A Nation of Suckers,’ points out that the $4 billion US gum market is down 10% in sales and 20% in volume in the last five years. US sales of mints […]
The knack for sugary snacks
New figures from the NPD Group, a global information company, show that’s doughnuts are among the fastest growing ‘out of home’ snack items in the year ending December 2013. The year ending December 2013 saw an increase of 11.1% servings of doughnuts compared to the previous year, bringing the total number of servings for the […]
The power of pricing
Shaky consumer confidence, stiff competition and increased transparency offered by the internet are forcing organisations to reappraise how they price their goods and services, says a new report from PwC entitled ‘The power of pricing’. The survey of more than 500 companies worldwide highlights some significant and also surprising trends in how companies set prices. More […]
Job losses vs investment
The words investment and job losses are rarely seen in the same paragraph, let alone sentence. However, Kraft has announced the loss of 200 jobs alongside a £50 million investment in its UK plants. In 2010, Kraft pledged that it would not close factories or make compulsory redundancies among UK manufacturing staff for two years […]
Nestlé raises forecast despite sales drop
Nestle has cautiously raised its forecasts for organic sales growth this year despite posting a 13% drop in sales over the first nine months due to the strong Swiss franc and loss of earnings stemming from the disposal of eyecare company Alcon.
New cross-category portion-controlled snack brand
New portion-controlled snack brand Tasty Little Numbers has been launched in the UK. Everything in the range is produced using normal ingredients and pre-portioned to simple, whole numbers of calories e.g. 100 or 200 calorie servings.
Highland Toffee job losses
The maker of Highland Toffee, Wham bar, Pan Drops and Bonbons has ceased trading with the loss of more than 100 Scottish jobs, according to administrators.
Realities of retail
It is unfortunately an understood fact of retail life that it is not just the amount of products sold that determine the figure when the year end report is finalised. Despite Thorntons actually selling 26% more chocolate in supermarkets and other outlets, the high costs of its own store operations and the financial aspects of […]
Thorntons records retail loss
Thorntons loss-making retail outlets have led to sharp declines in pre-tax profits despite strong trading. The company has recorded a £1.1 million loss in the 12 months to June from a £6.1 million profit the year before.
Split coverage
Media comments on industry news showed divided coverage angles this week. Tesco released its strong full-year report. However, most of the growth was generated in Asia and that the UK market was a lot weaker – hence the confused comments in the British media, split between reporting strong or weak sales for the retailer. In […]
Bendicks set to move 140 jobs to Germany
Bendicks parent firm Storck is looking to shift its mint chocolate production from the UK to Germany, threatening up to 140 jobs.