Streets is today launching an innovative marketing campaign, encouraging customers to buy a Cornetto product to potentially find an MP3 player inside. In what is suggested to be a world-first, winners will find a Samsung S2 Pebble MP3 vacuum sealed inside their Cornetto cone, which is exactly the same weight, size and texture as a genuine Streets Cornetto. Winners will also be able to claim a free Cornetto to compensate for the fact that their original purchase of what they thought to be an ice-cream... ...Read more »

Professional services firm Deloitte has outlined the likely responses of retailers this year as financial worries continue to restrict confidence. In their 2009 Global Powers of Retail report, in which Wal-Mart again came out on top with Australia’s Coles and Woolworths both finding a spot in the top 30 global retailers, Deloitte suggests successful retailers will find a way to enhance the customer experience, while also improving risk management systems. Cut costs On a global level, many retailers... ...Read more »

Chris Bowen, the Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs, has today announced the details of the Federal Government’s plans for the roll-out of a mandatory unit pricing regime. They include, as anticipated, an exemption for grocers that operate stores no greater than 1000m2, with the law set to be established by July 1, 2009. A transition period of six months will be granted to all retailers impacted by the legislation change. Unit pricing, the display of the price of goods per... ...Read more »

Groceries are the top item on which American consumers are spending their savings from lower fuel prices, ahead of putting the money in savings, holiday gift buying and paying off credit cards, according to the results of nationwide research from retail analytics firm Precima. The study also discovered that fresh produce quality was the primary category which influenced switching between supermarkets. Of the 3,013 consumers who were asked to choose from a list of ways they use money saved on gas,... ...Read more »

Spotting trends in food is essential to understanding what food consumers are doing now and more importantly may be doing in the future. ‘thefoodpeople‘, a British-based food consultancy, split their food trend predictions into “mega trends” - which are already apparent within the market - and also “emerging trends” that are just starting to take hold.”The big trends for 2009 include comfort food, nostalgia, scratch cooking and home baking as consumers want... ...Read more »

As the financial crisis continues to bite, cash-strapped British consumers are turning to discount supermarkets such as German giant Aldi to cut the surge in the cost of living, industry analysts say. Britons, widely-known for their devoted predilection for big-selling supermarkets such as Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, have begun looking elsewhere due to the rising increase in food costs. And with the festive season just around the corner, discounters are moving upscale, introducing organic, value-added... ...Read more »

The oft-criticised GROCERYchoice website, which gives price comparison information from supermarkets, will be relaunched by consumer advocates Choice in July next year. The new site will provide consumers with ”far more up-to-date information on prices, a run down of weekly specials offered by supermarkets and a range of new features,” according to the consumer group. An online survey asking the community what they want from GROCERYchoice is now on Choice online and interested parties... ...Read more »

Foodies are passionate and curious and, according to new research, lead the way in trialling new products. In the report, Foodies in the U.S.: Five Cohorts: Foreign/Spicy, Restaurant, Cooks, Gourmet and Organic/Natural, market research publisher Packaged Facts reveals that the 31 million U.S. adults (14% of the population) who qualify as “foodies” strive to lead the way in other consumer areas such as shopping, fashion, nutrition, and automobiles. “Some foodies don’t think... ...Read more »

A new report, which analyses how retailers are currently satisfying consumers’ needs for ready-to-eat foods, has discovered that retail stores (supermarkets, grocers, gourmet food stores) have taken a greater share of ready-to-eat meal and snack purchases in America. The fast food or quick service restaurant (QSR) segment and the full service restaurant categories have been put under greater pressure. In the US, QSR’s realised a 1 per cent increase in sales to August, while retail stores... ...Read more »

Australia’s Consumer Affairs Minister, Chris Bowen, has told reporters in Sydney today that the framework for a national unit pricing scheme is nearing completion and will be revealed early next year. Unit pricing, one of the recommendations from the ACCC’s Grocery Price Inquiry, requires supermarkets and grocers to display the price per unit of measurement e.g. per gram or kilogram as well as the product price for packaged goods. “It’s been the law in Europe for 10 years,... ...Read more »