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April 20, 2011 | |
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Operator NewsDoc Popcorn awarded nine franchise agreements representing 60 new units in the first quarter of 2011. The company now has over 100 locations in its development pipeline, reported Franchising.com. Full Story
Retail NewsTesco plc's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market lost $307 million in the fiscal year that ended Feb. 26, up from a $253 million loss posted a year earlier, reported AZCentral.com. However, revenue grew 42% to $818 million as a result of new store openings; same-store sales grew 9.4%. The company plans to open 50 new stores this year. Full Story The average total investment for a 7-Eleven franchise in the Tampa/St. Pete area ranges between $120,000 to $250,000, based on the individual store's profitability, reported The Bradenton Herald. Full Story Industry NewsKraft Foods' Lunchables finished 2010 with its best-ever sales and growth trends, with dollar sales increasing 11.6% to $569 million in the year ended Mar. 20 and the brand holding nearly 70% of the refrigerated meat, cheese, cracker and dessert category, according to SymphonyIRI, reported Crain's Chicago Business. Kraft is rolling out line extensions for the brand with Dole fruit. Full Story (Free Registration Required) The Catalina Marketing Corporation is introducing Coupon Network by Catalina, located online at Couponnetwork.com. Advertisers with offers on the website include Campbell Soup, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods and Nestle. Catalina estimates that it distributes more than $6.5 billion in coupons to shoppers each year through its printers at store checkout counters, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required) View Today! The Apr. 20 edition of New Products Hits and Misses with Phil Lempert discusses: Whole Soy & Co Key Lime Soy Yogurt, Santa Fe Gourmet Original Chipotle Mayonnaise Light Flavor, Frontera Mexican Everyday Red Chile Enchilada Sauce with Roasted Tomato and Garlic, Ocean Spray Sparkling Pomegranate Blueberry Flavor and Magnum Double Chocolate Ice Cream Bars. Click here to view. Latest sales & earnings for food related companies (Updated Daily - FI Membership Required) Over 100 food hubs are in operation around the country, with large clusters of them in the Midwest and Northeast, according to USDA. Average food hub sales are nearly $1 million annually. Over 40% of existing food hubs are specifically working in :food deserts" to increase access to fresh, healthful and local products. Full Story Americans accumulate approximately $48 billion in rewards points and miles annually, according to a report from Colloquy, 2011 Forecast of U.S. Consumer Loyalty Program Points Value. Out of roughly $48 billion worth of perceived value in reward points and miles American businesses issue annually, at least one-third, representing $16 billion in value, goes unredeemed by consumers. Full Story Monkey Brains oatmeal and Monkey Bars granola are being featured in select Costcos. The products were also accepted into all 125 commissaries on U.S. military bases as part of the Let's Move initiative and are in over 1,500 groceries nationwide. Monkey Bars contain NutraFlora, a prebiotic that the company claims aids in digestion, reported Brentwood Home Page. Full Story Italy does not plan to change a decree introduced to allow Parmalat time to postpone a key shareholder meeting, reported Reuters. Full Story Meanwhile, Italian lawmakers presented an amendment to a decree which specifies that state holding Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) can invest only in financially healthy companies, a move meant to block a takeover by Lactalis. CDP changed its status to allow it to acquire strategic stakes in national enterprises, reported Reuters. Full Story
Washington NewsFSIS is amending the federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations to establish a new voluntary cooperative program under which state-inspected establishments with 25 or fewer employees will be eligible to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce. Meat and poultry products produced under the program and inspected and passed by designated state personnel will bear an official federal mark of inspection and will be permitted to be distributed in interstate commerce. Full Story, Final Rule USDA is reviewing its existing regulations to evaluate their continued effectiveness in addressing the circumstances for which they were promulgated. USDA invites public comment until May 20 to assist in analyzing its existing significant regulations to determine whether they should be modified, streamlined, expanded or repealed. Full Notice
Market NewsA new variety of citrus fruit will begin growing in California this year. The University of California, Riverside, plans to release the new mandarin variety this June to nurseries. The mandarin, known as Kinnow-LS, has the sweet taste of the original, but with fewer seeds, reported California Farm Bureau. California farmers will plant between 8,000 and 10,000 acres of olives each year between now and 2020, according to the California Olive Oil Council. Demand for California-made extra-virgin olive oil is increasing, reported California Farm Bureau. Potato production and sales company Black Gold acquired Preston Produce, a potato packing facility in Pearsall, TX, reported The Packer Online. Full Story Gold'n Plump completed expanding its production facility in Arcadia, WI by 22,000-sq. ft. The facility now features more automated technology, reported La Crosse Tribune. Full Story |
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