Elsevier Food International

Volume 4, No. 4 November 2001

Market Vision
Carrefour's figurehead Daniel Bernard said that his company's quotation has gone through "a vale of tears" since it acquired Promo des back in September 1999. He remains confident, though, that Carrefour will be victorious in the long run. Then again, he has to remain confident, because it's his position that is at stake.

Carrefour's Vale of Tears

R & D
It is predicted that the organic food market will grow strongly over the next few years, and in several European countries, products will soon pass beyond the niche stage. But while the market for organics grows, the food safety issues surrounding the sector till need to be resolved.

The organic opportunity: a natural choice

Industry Profile
New brooms sweep clean, and ever since Douglas Daft arrived as head of the Coca-Cola Company empire back in December 1999, he's been attempting to brush the ailing company back into shape.

Coke's 'horrible in-between stage'

Instore
With hundreds of new product launches a year, a growing non-food assortment and the rapid expansion of chilled foods, lack of shelf space is becoming an increasingly limiting factor in the supermarket environment. Building bigger stores or enlarging floor space is only part of the answer. The challenge is to utilise existing store space in better and more efficient ways.

The hunt for extra inches

Food Watch
As food manufacturers strive to cash in on the opportunities that growth in the foodservice sector can offer, it's vital not to underestimate the differences between foodservice and retail.

Food Service Growth: the opportunities ahead

Globalisation has an important impact on social relations. With retailers expanding their operations worldwide, trade unions are set to change, too. Shifting work patterns will mean that, where unions once represented only full-time employees, they will now need to embrace both part-time and temporary workers.

Retailers versus Trade Unions: a Fight to the Finish?

Retail Profile
According to founding father Raymond Ackerman, South African retailer Pick 'n Pay is at the forefront of the transition taking place in family-owned businesses. Cutting the link between owning and managing the business means it's easier to make an unbiased decision as to who best to lead the company. And keeping it in the family isn't always the best idea.

Pick 'n Pay: An Enlightened Family Business

Fresh Foods
Results from a selection of European countries show that more drinkers enjoy their juice in ambient form than they do in chilled form.

Juice goes down a treat