Industry News

Sue Mitchell Oct 10, 2019 AFR Metcash is in negotiations with one of its biggest customers, convenience chain 7-Eleven, to salvage long-term supply contracts, just weeks after losing its $270 million a year agreement with Drakes Supermarkets. 7-Eleven, which has 700 stores around Australia and annual sales of more than $3.4 billion, is changing its supply chain to support the company’s growth and focus on fresh food, and has put contracts for the supply of food and groceries up for tender. As a result of the first tender, 7-Eleven decided to source the majority of the products for its eastern seaboard stores directly from suppliers and its current contract with Metcash will expire in August 2020. 7-Eleven is seeking tenders for the balance of the products it needs for eastern seaboard stores. Metcash is participating in the request for proposal and is also in discussions to supply 7-Eleven’s stores in…

ALAN KOHLER OCTOBER 12, 2019 The Australian I had one of the new Rebel Whoppers at Hungry Jack’s for lunch this week. It was pretty good. The patty looked like meat and even tasted a bit like meat, and at the end of a long night you might even think it was meat. The Rebel Whopper is the outcome of CSIRO’s plant-based meat research, and represents Australia’s answer to one of the hottest American IPOs of 2019, Beyond Meat, as well as the other company that everyone thought was going to float, but to general disappointment, didn’t yet — ­Impossible Foods. Australia’s first “beyond meat” company is v2food Pty Ltd, part-owned by CSIRO and Jack Cowin, owner of Hungry Jack’s. The company is currently in the middle of a series-A round to raise money for a factory, and is attracting plenty of interest from venture capital. An ASX IPO, one…

BEN WILMOT OCTOBER 14, 2019 The Australian Listed property investors have endorsed the mantra of “convenience retail” that is being hailed as one path for the under-pressure industry. The APN Convenience Retail REIT on Friday unveiled a deal that will see it snap up 13 service stations and convenience retail properties across four states for $74.6m. Buying the 11 service stations, which are either brand new or still being built, as well as two more that have longer trading records, shows petrol stations still have a future despite the emergence of electric cars. It also points to the value of the properties that are turning from fast-food style outlets to more up-market offerings like David Jones cuisine, with that chain striking a deal with BP. The fund snappily raised $38m and could raise another $5m via a security purchase plan. The move was a departure from the run of raisings…

JOHN RYANOCTOBER 14, 2019 The Australian  A recent front-page report in The Weekend Australian (“Cannabis lifts risk of psychotic cases”, October 5, 2019) described how Health Department staff prepared a briefing for Health Minister Greg Hunt that highlighted the links between cannabis use and adverse physio­logical and mental health effects. Identifying the potential risks of expanding access to cannabis only tells half the story. We should also be prepared to identify the costs of enforcing existing drug laws, because they are substantial. Cannabis is illegal in Australia and as a result the cannabis market is controlled by criminals. That trade funds other criminal acts that arguably create more harm, including the importation of ice to Australia. According to the latest research, Australian governments spent $1.1bn on enforcing existing drug laws in 2009-10. That was about two-thirds of our total spending on illicit drugs. Meanwhile, according to the ­Illicit Drug Data…

Founded in 1998 as a specialist manufacturer of French style breads, pastries and sweets, the superior quality and flexibility of our frozen products can turn any kitchen into a French bakery in minutes. With our range of over one hundred traditional French style breads, pastries and sweets, Bakers Maison par- baked & fully-baked frozen products will impress your customers with the delicious and heart-warming taste of France no matter what the occasion. Steeped in centuries of tradition, our recipes use only natural, mostly Australian ingredients and contain no added sugar or preservatives. By baking our products as you need them, you can treat customers to the smell and taste of just baked bread within minutes. We’ve taken the hard work out of traditional French style baking with our easy to store, no mess, and no fuss products. Bakers Maison products are distributed to the food service sector throughout Australia via…

Gina Acosta  Progressive Grocer The report projects CBD product sales to hit $20 billion by 2024. It looks like the CBD trend is not just hype, according to new research from Acosta. In a report called “The CBD Effect: A Rapidly Emerging Consumer Trend,” marketing agency Acosta says 28% of consumers surveyed said they currently use CBD products daily or as-needed. The report projects CBD product sales to hit $20 billion by 2024. “Health ailments without a ‘one-size-fits-all treatment’ are quite common and avoiding chemicals when it comes to health and self-care is important across all age groups. CBD sales and projections show consumers are turning to CBD for help, and demand is growing rapidly,” said Colin Stewart, senior vice president, business intelligence at Acosta. “Consumer CBD sales are expected to reach $20 billion by 2024 — larger than the current annual sales of candy, gum and mints combined.” Since cannabidiol (CBD) was…