Elsevier Food International

Volume 9, No. 4 November 2006


Brand Vision
“Makers of big brands must have a long-term view of consumers and consumption in their respective categories. Hence they tend to self-regulate and build sustainable businesses. That’s one of my key points that I will stress during my tenure as president of AIM,” says Andrew Morgan, president Europe of the global drinks company

The champion of compensation and collaboration

EFI Special
A multitude of factors contribute to the continuing worldwide boom in the food service industry. However, trends vary across the globe. In the USA and Europe, healthy options thrive, while traditional fast food sales drop in response to concerns over obesity and meat safety. The highest growth rates are forecast for the new and emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

The food service boom rolls on

Country Profile
Russia is a booming retail market but up to now only four multinational retailers ventured to this promising land that hosts 144 million consumers and covers eleven time zones between St. Petersburg and Wladiwostok. Why?

Russia, a treacherously attractive retail market

R&D
The ingredients market is transforming from ‘push’ to ‘pull’. Suppliers are becoming know-how partners offering food & beverage innovation modules to food companies. Manufacturers are focusing on production and marketing of new products, while ingredient suppliers are concentrating on the R&D-side.

Ingredient suppliers selling know-how

Food Watch
The birthplace of the modern co-operative retailer is the former mill town of Rochdale in northwest England where in 1844 a group of weavers and other artisans formed the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers with the aim of setting up a food store to sell products that they otherwise would not be able to afford. After 160 years, the business model with its various formats is still a force to be reckoned with both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

Cooperative retailers: 160 years young

Food Buying
Even early traders knew that buying is the key to profit. Value sourcing is a strategic approach to radically redesign the purchasing function in retailing. It encompasses all elements of the value chain and can reduce cost by up to 30 per cent.

Value sourcing – buy cheaper, better, faster

Real Estate
Is Dubai building a bubble? That is the billion-dirham question in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai’s property ambitions hinge on the assumption that the city’s otherworldly growth, currently at around 10 to 15 per cent a year, will continue far into the next decade.

Dubai’s development frenzy

Instore
Suppliers of mobile data capture systems and wireless software solutions have noticed a surge of interest from retailers in mobile technology over the past year. In the drive for competitive advantage, these smart terminals are becoming powerful tools.

Smart assistants with ease of use

Fresh Foods
The global crustacean market is dominated by China, the USA and Japan, which is unsurprising considering their large population sizes. According to Euromonitor International, in 2005 alone, the population of China consumed an impressive 4,483.7 million tonnes of crustaceans, which includes all fresh and uncooked crustaceans such as lobsters, shrimps and crabs.

A growing appetite for crustaceans

Retail Profile
The Kremlin after Stalin’s reign. Yugoslavia after the Tito era. Political metaphors are as plentiful as blackberries if one wants to grasp what happened at German retailer Rewe since Hans Reischl suddenly decided to quit in 2004 after leading the cooperative retailer for nearly thirty years.

A snake pit named Rewe

ECR
Data pools, designed to be repositories of all industry knowledge and the cure for what ails the global supply chain, are continuing to grow in number. But have they truly reached their potential or are they simply becoming redundant?

Into the pool