Grant Jones September 05, 2012 The Daily Telegraph VEGIE shopping has become a virtual reality of modern life, with Australia’s $108 billion food and grocery sector set to be one of the next boom industries. While many bricks-and-mortar retailers have had a tough year, an IBISWorld report said online shopping would grow by 10.2 per cent to $10.4 billion in 2012 – about 5 per cent of the total retail sector. Woolworths, including BIG W, Dan Murphy’s and Cellarmasters, reported a 95 per cent increase in online shopping in the past year and there were 2.3 million downloads of Woolworths apps, including the supermarket shopping app. “It’s a new era of retailing and Woolworths is responding to this with a range of different options to enable customers to shop at their convenience – be that in store, on their phones or online,” head of Woolworths online Roger Steele said. But…

September 5, 2012 The Age US fast food giant McDonald’s, famed for its beef-based Big Mac burgers, says it will open its first ever vegetarian-only restaurant in the world in India next year. The world’s second-biggest restaurant chain after Subway already tailors its menus to suit local tastes – which in India means no beef to avoid offending Hindus and no pork to cater for Muslim requirements. It will open its first vegetarian outlet in the middle of next year near the Golden Temple in the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in northern India, where religious authorities forbid consumption of meat at the shrine. “It will be the first time we have opened a vegetarian restaurant in the world,” a spokesman for McDonald’s in northern India, Rajesh Kumar Maini, said. After the opening in Amritsar, the US chain plans to launch another vegetarian outlet at Katra near the Vaishno Devi…

Patrick Stafford 31 August 2012 Australian Convenience Foods, a supplier of ready-made sandwiches, microwavable snacks and other products to service stations and convenience stores, has collapsed into administration after suppliers stopped trading with the business following a rumour supposedly spread by a competitor. ACF turns over $75 million a year and is one of the largest in the ready-made convenience food market, supplying microwavable rolls, burgers, sandwiches, muffins and other products to petrol and convenience stores around the country. The company, which has over 300 employees, continues to trade. Deloitte partner Vaughan Strawbridge told SmartCompany this morning the directors opted for voluntary administration after two suppliers stopped trading with ACF, after a competitor allegedly started a rumour about the company. “I haven’t received any word from the two suppliers yet, but my understanding is this was in response to market rumours that were commenced by a competitor of Australian Convenience…

September 4 NACS Daily News The Japanese chain is adding higher-margin foodservice items in an effort to boost earnings over the next five years. In India, Essar is also targeting new customers with products ranging from ice cream to tires and mobile phones. NEW YORK – Lawson Inc., the second-largest convenience store chain in Japan, is making a push to offer more foodservice items, such as fried chicken and hot coffee, to increase its earnings 62% in the next five years. Bloomberg BusinessWeek writes that the company expects to increase operating profit to 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in about five years with the help of higher margin foodservice items, said Lawson CFO Yoshiyuki Yahagi. Lawson is also trying to attract a more diversified customers base, beginning with the coveted female shopper and seniors. The retailer began selling fresh product in 2005, and as of February this year, 5,085 Lawson…

Aug 31, 2012 CSNews BELLEVUE, Wash. — Despite the improving economy, consumers are still frequently visiting dollar stores, whether in search of a bargain, the thrill from the hunt or because of the influx of food and beverage products, according to a recent report by The Hartman Group. The Shopping Topography report found that food and beverages work in synergy with what compels shopping in dollar stores: looking for treasure among diverse general merchandise, apparel and nonfood consumer packaged goods products, according to the research company. “Shopping in dollar stores should no longer be viewed as trading down,” said President and COO Laurie Demeritt. “The desire for American consumers, across all income brackets, to frequent dollar stores lies in a quest for shopping experiences featuring surprise and discovery. These stores are very much part of the cultural fabric of the retail marketplace. Entire communities are formed around shoppers sharing stories…