Terry McCrann March 04, 2013 Herald Sun THE evidence is overwhelming and undeniable. The great war of the supermarket aisles unleashed by the tough Scottish import Ian Mcleod at a reborn Coles has put millions of dollars a week into the pockets of shoppers and drivers. As Coles and Woolworths have gone head to head, drivers have been getting consistently cheaper petrol – and bursts of very cheap petrol – when the war goes hot with 15c, 20c and even 30c “shopper dockets”. Although, that has also changed and muted the traditional weekly discount cycle. While shoppers have never before had the store-wide price cuts and deep but sustained price-slashing on high-use loss-leaders – the $1 a litre milk most prominently – of the past few years. Before McLeod arrived Down Under, the average shopper would have to increase his or her weekly supermarket spend every year, just to buy…

Melissa Fyfe and Royce Millar March 4, 2013 The Age How free range are your eggs? With no legal standard as to what ‘free range’ really means, Coles have stepped in and made up their own rules. A push by supermarket giant Coles to reshape Australia’s free-range egg market through a dramatic reduction in space for hens has been dealt a blow, with two key animal welfare groups questioning whether the eggs are genuinely free range. The new Coles standard, which the egg industry is spending millions of dollars to meet, allows for one square metre per hen. This is 10,000 hens per hectare, almost a seven-fold reduction in space from the voluntary guidelines of 1500 hens per hectare. As there is no legal standard, industry observers expect Woolworths and Aldi to follow Coles, leading to a supermarket-driven redefinition of free range. But the RSPCA, which has applauded Coles for…

Kelmeny Fraser February 27, 2013 The Courier-Mail GRAPHIC images of fat on junk food labels, similar to anti-smoking shock tactics, could be resorted to in a desperate bid to curb the state’s obesity crisis. Almost a third of Queensland adults were measured as obese in 2011-12, making Queensland the obesity capital of the nation. Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said such a campaign could mirror the successful anti-smoking labelling and advertising tactics of recent years. Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said measures used to slow the rate of tobacco use should be examined to see how it could be applied to the alarming growth in obesity rates in Queensland. Health Minister Lawrence Springborg stopped short of any immediate move to introduce shock labelling but has threatened to step in with tough regulations around the sale of junk food should a new public health campaign and industry self-regulation fail to cut…

February 27, 2013 The Age A A fat tax may be imposed on sugary drinks and junk foods if a panel of nutritionists, doctors and health economists has its way. It’s still early days, but a process started at a Brisbane hotel on Wednesday could lead to in a new way to discourage foods that cause childhood obesity. The biggest problems are sugar-sweetened beverages, processed meats, snack foods and some of the lower-quality formula-type products marketed for infants and toddlers, says the convener of the panel, Dr Tracy Comans. Cooked food eaten away from the home is also a major concern. Tax is one weapon. Another is subsidies, Dr Comans says. The first task of her group – the early childhood expert panel on nutrition and obesity prevention – was the “complex question” of defining junk food. “First of all we wanted to identify the main culprits and then if…

The Caltex ‘All Stars’ Retail Conference 2013 was successfully held in Dubai last week with a record 516 delegates, including Franchisees, Suppliers and the Caltex Retail Team. Described by Andy Walz, GM Marketing and Leo Pucar, National Manager Retail as the “greatest ever” Retail conference, this event concluded with the recognition of the Caltex “Top Suppliers” and “Top 10 All Stars” for 2011/12: Supplier of the Year: Coca Cola Amatil. Category Champions: Beverages: Coca Cola Amatil Bread & Milk: Lion Dairy & Drinks Confectionary: Mars Australia Fresh – Convenience: Canterella Bros General Merchandise: Pacific Optics Service & Equipment: ANZ ATM Banking Snacks & Ice cream: Peters Ice Cream Supply Chain: JB Metropolitan Distributors Tobacco: BATA “Top 10 All Stars”: Store of the Year: Caltex Star Mart Caboolture: Rajesh Patel & Kate Stone Caltex Bli Bli: Rajesh Patel & Kate Stone Caltex Star Mart M4 Westbound: John & Tony Ibrahim Caltex…

CSD Staff Feb 26, 2013 Report analyzes projections by EIA in its 2013 Annual Energy Outlook. Liquid fuels will continue to be the dominant fueling option for drivers for the next two-plus decades, but the composition of these fuels will undergo significant change, according to a report released by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). The new 46-page report, “Future of Fuels 2013” released today by NACS, analyzes projections made by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its 2013 Annual Energy Outlook. NACS publishes the annual industry analysis to help retailers understand where the market is heading and which fuels are likely to be the dominant products consumed in the coming years so that informed investment decisions can be made. The market share of liquid fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel and E85) will maintain an overwhelming 99.1% share of the fuels market in 2040, according to the NACS report.…