Elsevier Food International

Volume 6, No. 4 November 2003

Market Vision
"We perceive money as a scarce item," says Harry Bruijniks, chairman of the board of Dutch retailer Laurus. For any retailer confronted with fierce competition and wafer-thin margins, this is hardly surprising. But Laurus is a different game. Since Bruijniks started his clean-up operation in August 2002, he realised that he had to build confidence among all stakeholders: suppliers, employees, customers, financial institutions and investors.

Contructive commitment to casino

EFI Special
International spread has a largely negative effect on financial performance, affecting all but the most globalised, and generally largest, retailers. Moreover, a listed retailer's stock market performance may also suffer from expansion abroad. Similarly, a negative correlation exists between cultural exposure and a retailer's ability to generate cash - the share prices of retailers with low cultural exposure outperform their high exposure counterparts by 30 per cent.

Creating or destroying value cross border

ECR
Early next year, ECR Europe is to launch pilot schemes for the General Learning Programme, an educational programme that brings the learnings of ECR to frontline managers at retailers and suppliers.

Educating ECR

Country Profile
Rising unemployment, a shrinking economy and a slump in consumer spending have taken some of the steam out of South Korea's growth engine. Confidence in one of Asia's major economies, however, remains as the country has not only proven its tenacity during the height of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, but retains its reputation as one of the region's most promising retail markets.

South Korea's retail pitfalls

Food Watch
Last June, during the CIES World Food Business Summit in Barcelona, two men proclaimed their Capitalist Manifesto. Craig Cohon, a former executive with Coca-Cola, and Jeb Brugmann, a veteran of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), unfolded their vision on a new kind of capitalism that is accessible to the poor and that contributes to the global society at large.

Reinventing capitalism for a good cause

The international retail scene is increasingly characterised by consolidation. In such an environment, many independent retailers are seeking refuge as part of large voluntary or buying groups, organisations that allow independents the chance to achieve greater collective buying power and a stronger brand identity.

Independent retailers seek refuge

Food Buying
In the late 1980s, many European retailers entered into international alliances that, despite their ambitious adjective' strategic', were mainly about combining buying clout abroad in order to negotiate better conditions with suppliers. In recent years, however, silence has prevailed and most of the alliances now seem to be more or less dead.

Silence surrounds strategic alliances

Retail Profile
Since 1997, Dairy Farm has been repositioning itself to accomplish three things. To focus on retailing in Asia Pacific. Not to waste its time on lost causes. And to prepare itself for the competition by upgrading stores and improving its support services. What is Dairy Farm's current position?

Dairy Farm feels at home in Asia

Fresh Foods
Scandinavian markets such as Sweden and Denmark lead the way in terms of dairy beverage consumption, surpassing even the renowned Japanese market.

Dairy drinks: Scandinavian delight