Hans, one of Australia’s largest smallgoods manufacturers, has entered voluntary administration but the business will continue operating while a buyer is sought. Higher costs and stronger pork competition has been attributed with the collapse of the Hans group of companies, with KordaMentha appointed as administrators today. Mark Mentha, from KordaMentha, said the companies, including Hans Continental Smallgoods and the Swicker’s Kingaroy Bacon Factory, would trade normally while the... ...Read more »
FareShare, a not-for-profit organisation that rescues surplus food to prepare healthy meals for Melbourne’s hungry and homeless, yesterday launched a new ‘calculator’ that can measure the environmental benefits of donating surplus food. Produced in conjunction with Sustainability Victoria and Hyder Consulting, the MS Excel ‘Food Recovery Environmental Benefits Calculator’ can estimate the savings in water, landfill, energy and greenhouse gas emissions of 40 food ingredients. “To... ...Read more »
Wine production has gone up, but lower domestic sales and a drop in exports has led to increased wine stocks, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).The total grape crush for 2007-08 came in at 1.8 million tonnes, up by nearly a third (31%) on last year. This produced 1.2 billion litres of wine, up just over a quarter (27%). The total area of grape vines (166,000 hectares) was slightly higher than last year, and with production up, yield rose to 11.8 tonnes... ...Read more »
A new survey has discovered that many UK consumers have been willing to change supermarkets during the downturn in order to save money. In the poll conducted by Empathy Research for TalkingRetail.com, over a third indicated the choice of their current primary supermarket has been influenced “a little” by the credit crunch, with a further 16 per cent suggesting it had been influenced “a lot”. Only 58% would visit the same supermarket consistently for their weekly shop, with... ...Read more »
Lenard’s, Australia’s largest specialty meat retailers, has reported an agreement with Metcash to expand throughout IGA Supermarkets nationally. The agreement builds on the success of Lenard’s outlets in IGA shopping centres since a deal was made between Ritchies IGA and Lenard’s in 2000. Lenard’s founder, Lenard Poulter, is adamant the alliance offers potential for both companies, as it gets Lenard’s into a high flow shopping area and presents a point of difference... ...Read more »
The takeover of Dairy Farmers by Kirin subsidiary National Foods was officially completed on Tuesday, with the cheese joint venture between National Foods and Warrnambool Cheese and Butter (WCB) expected to begin operation early next year. Dairy Farmers Chairman Ian Langdon, who along with other directors will resign from the Dairy Farmers Board today, said the $910m acquisition of the business by National Foods stood to have a positive impact on Dairy Farmers’ shareholders as well as the... ...Read more »
Nestlé has announced the launch of a new research programme on the specific nutritional needs of athletes engaged in different kinds of sports, in a bid to strengthen the company’s commitment to promoting sporting integrity through nutrition. The programme will provide data to help support a more personalised approach to sports nutrition in the future which, in time, should lead to a new generation of personalised sports nutrition products for leading athletes. The announcement comes in the... ...Read more »
Queensland gourmet pizza franchise Pizza Capers is set to enter the Victorian marketplace with the opening of their first store in Malvern later this month. The 38-store strong Pizza Capers franchise recently placed amongst the Top 20 in BRW’s Fast Franchises 2008 and co-owner Scott Geiszler believes they can succeed in their first foray outside Queensland despite greater competition in the gourmet sector. “We’re confident our pizzas will take the Melbourne dining scene by storm... ...Read more »
Pub owners are enhancing their food offering to counter the impact of smoking bans and falling consumer demand on gaming revenues and patronage, according to a recent survey. A survey by Colliers International of pub/hotel operators in October discovered that gaming had taken a hit in the past year, with operators strengthening their food offering to make up for the lost revenue and improve their revenue mix. The survey found bar sales remained the key to most businesses, with gaming trailing in... ...Read more »
7-Eleven, Inc., the world’s largest convenience store chain, has launched a new line of private-label products in the US this month under the brand, 7-Select. With the rollout of the 32 new items, 7-Eleven has greatly enhanced the presence of store-brand packaged foods, a business that it reports has increased dramatically over the last year and promises strong future growth, especially in light of consumer budget-tightening while the US economy deteriorates. The announcement comes soon after... ...Read more »