Elsevier Food International

Volume 6, No. 2 May 2003

Market Vision
Christian Couvreux, president of Casino, looks to the future with brimming optimism. There are two reasons for his optimism. Firstly, Casino is well positioned in most countries and secondly, development prospects overall are good. The company's goal is clearly to be market leader in each country where it operates.

Profits at home, challenges abroad

ECR
The food industry has been anxiously awaiting a bounty of benefits from intelligent tags for many years. Now that the first significant steps toward implementation of RFID tagging have been taken, those at the forefront of the adaptation realise that there is still a long way to go.

Tracking the future

R&D
Fat keeps the food economy running smoothly. However, provoked by the media, the food sector has been put in a state of defence. The food industry must face its role in the obesity problem and take its responsibility. The struggle against obesity is just about to begin.

Exploiting the obesity epidemic

Industry Profile
There is a global battle brewing that has nothing to do with politics, oil, microchips, religion or any of the other root causes of conflict around the world - it is all about beer.

Cold gold battle

Food Watch
Recent years have seen calm with rational retailers retreating from non-core and underperforming markets. This retreat may well now be followed by a renewed period of expansion and consolidation. Have the right lessons been learned, or will retailers be tempted or forced into adventures without due consideration.

Retreating retailers

Retail Profile
After years of rapid growth, the young and ambitious Icelandic retailer Baugur is confronted with setbacks in its core business retail. It expanded abroad to Scandinavia, the US and Britain. By selling an asset in the latter market, it scored an exceptional gain to make up for operational losses.

Baugur, Speculative Retailing

Fresh Foods
The once lowly banana has become a symbol of political and commercial power and is accorded huge significance far beyond the actual product itself. Moreover, bananas remains one of the most popular fruits in the European Union (EU).

Going bananas