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News in brief

Britvic’s job cut plan ‘a bitter blow’: union

23-May-2013 - Soft drinks firm Britvic’s plan to cut hundreds of with jobs – with the closure of two factories and a warehouse – has been slammed by Unite the union as “a bitter blow” to the workforce and the local economy.

Dairy Crest plans growth – ‘internally or by acquisitions’

23-May-2013 - Dairy Crest is poised for UK growth after the sale of its French spreads business, chief executive Mark Allen has confirmed.

Britvic to close two factories and warehouse as profits soar

22-May-2013 - Soft drinks firm Britvic is to close two factories and a warehouse, placing up to 400 jobs in jeopardy, in a bid to slash costs by £30M by 2016.

Greencore to benefit from convenience food but horsemeat shadows

22-May-2013 - Chilled food manufacturer Greencore will continue to benefit from the long-term trend towards convenience food but, in the UK, the horsemeat scandal is continuing to depress its performance.

News in brief

Warburtons acquires specialist bakery

22-May-2013 - Britain’s leading bakery brand owner Warburtons has completed the purchase of speciality bread and pastry manufacturer Giles Foods, for an undisclosed sum.

DEFRA launches plan to cut food and drink imports

22-May-2013 - The government is to launch a plan to reduce the nation’s reliance on food and drink imports and increase consumption of UK produce.

£100M: the ‘high price’ of Tyrrells crisps

22-May-2013 - A Far Eastern food firm could snap up UK crisp brand Tyrrells, which is reportedly up for sale for £100M.

News in brief

Egg processor’s jobs boost for Derbyshire

21-May-2013 - A Northern Irish egg processor has applied for planning permission to build a Midlands-based processing unit that will create up to 50 jobs.

Teenagers’ sausage goes on sale in 50 Waitrose stores

21-May-2013 - Waitrose is launching a sausage designed by food technology students in 50 of its stores today (May 21).

News in brief

Tesco in China business partner speculation

20-May-2013 - Striking a deal with a business partner in China would be “welcome news” for Tesco, according to City analyst Shore Capital.

Take part in Food Manufacture’s business survey

20-May-2013 - How do you rate the prospects for your food and drink business over the year ahead? Taking part in Food Manufacture’s 2013 exclusive State-of-the-industry survey will allow you to compare your views with other industry professionals.

Meat firm Cranswick ‘in strong UK position’

20-May-2013 - Food producer Cranswick is in “a strong UK position” after reporting revenue up by 7% to £875M for the year to March 31, according to City analysts.

Morrisons’ Ocado deal leads Waitrose to focus on legal action

20-May-2013 - Waitrose is considering legal action after its long-term online grocery distribution partner Ocado signed a deal with Morrisons last week.

Morrisons strikes online grocery deal with Ocado

17-May-2013 - Supermarket Morrisons has agreed a partnership with the online distribution business Ocado – including the acquisition of its distribution centre – in a deal that will see deliveries to customers start by January 2014.

News in brief

Bakkavör says broad range beat poor weather and horsemeat

17-May-2013 - Chilled convenience food manufacturer Bakkavör claimed its wide product portfolio had allowed it to offset the effects of poor weather and the horsemeat crisis, after releasing first quarter results for the 13 weeks ended 30 March.

Guest article

Top tips on crisis management in the food industry

16-May-2013 - Do you remember when sales of Perrier Water were hit in 1990 by traces of carcinogenic benzene found in the bottles? The company had to withdraw 160M bottles worldwide at a cost of £150M and saw sales tumble for four years. Or when Heinz had to withdraw baby food worth an estimated £30M? Plus we can only speculate what the full financial impact of the horsemeat crisis will be. So how can you protect your food and drink business?

Meat packer Hilton’s ‘broad geography’ to pay off

15-May-2013 - Specialist meat packing business Hilton Food Group is benefiting from its “broad geographic reach” despite the tough economic conditions, said City analyst Pamure Gordon.

Meat processor’s £5M investment to create 179 jobs

15-May-2013 - Northern Ireland food manufacturer Linden Foods has invested £5M to create 179 new, mainly production, roles in response to demand from the convenience food sector.

Ocado ‘playing with fire’ warning over Morrisons

15-May-2013 - Online grocery retailer Ocado is “playing with fire” as it negotiates a deal with Morrisons, which is eyeing a late entry into the online market, analysts have warned.

News in brief

Fine wine market to grow 22% by 2014

10-May-2013 - The fine wine market will grow 22% by Christmas 2014, according to Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments.

News in brief

Morrisons ‘under-performs but is on improving trend’

10-May-2013 - Supermarket group Morrisons under-performed its peers but set an improving trend in the first 13 weeks of the 2013/2014 financial year, said City analyst Shore Capital.

Greencore growth to be ‘driven by US business’: City

10-May-2013 - Chilled convenience food firm Greencore is likely to see more growth from its US business than its UK operations this year, according to City analyst Investec.

Ingredients firm invests £2.5M to grow range and new markets

10-May-2013 - Bakery ingredients firm British Bakels is splashing out £2.5M on new plant, equipment and premises at its Bicester site, bosses have revealed.

Symbol store own-label food quality needs to rise

09-May-2013 - Own-label food manufacturers need to raise the image and quality of products supplied to ‘symbol’ stores if they are to convince shoppers that they are as good as those offered by multiple supermarket chains.

Sainsbury ‘grandfather’ praised for sound results: City

08-May-2013 - Sainsbury boss Justin King – “the grandfather of UK supermarkets” – has drawn praise from City analyst Shore Capital, after the nation’s third largest retailer reported sales, including fuel, up by 4.5% to £23.3bn for the year to March 16.

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