Sid Maher November 18, 2013 The Australian THE supermarket giants have agreed to tough restrictions on how they use their market power when dealing with suppliers, in an agreement with food producers that gives the competition watchdog greater oversight over harsh bargaining tactics. Coles, Woolworths and the Australian Food and Grocery Council will announce today a new code of conduct that includes restrictions on the major chains’ ability to change agreements with suppliers, and sets out guidelines for the treatment of branded and home-branded products. The agreement has produced a voluntary code between the two major retailers and the peak body but Small Business Minister Bruce Billson hopes other retailers and suppliers, such as farmers, will also sign on.While the code is voluntary, it will be included in the Competition and Consumer Act, with Mr Billson warning that if it fails to meet expectations, the government may take its own…

NACS Online November 18, 2013 Both BHS and Asda announced plans to open convenience store concepts to better compete with rivals. ​UNITED KINGDOM – Sir Philip Green is planning to open convenience food outlets in 150 of his BHS stores, “as the billionaire retailer eyes a fresh battle for customers with the supermarket chains and Marks & Spencer,” reports The Independent. And after years of dismissing the idea, Asda, the U.K.’s third largest supermarket chain and British arm of Walmart, also announced plans to expand into the c-store space to directly compete with rivals Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. “Convenience is where all the supermarkets seem to be going. We’ve got the sites so we might as well have a shot at it,” Green told the news source, adding, “If we’re going to do it then we will want someone world class.” Asda CEO Andy Clarke told Reuters that the grocer…

DAN FROSCH November 17, 2013 Beer sales are now allowed at Maverik, the only convenience store in a town that was founded by Mormon pioneers. After all, this quiet town near the Idaho border, founded by Mormon pioneers, had a longstanding ban on alcohol sales. And in keeping with the tenets of the Mormon Church, few people in Hyde Park drank at all. But this month, after a long and bitter battle, residents voted nearly two to one to allow alcohol sales, making Hyde Park one of the last bastions to loosen its rules on drinking in this button-down state, where liquor laws have grown less restrictive in recent years. “This was the most emotional issue I’ve seen in Hyde Park,” said Bryan Cox, the mayor, who supported overturning the ban. “People were passionate on this, one way or the other.” Alcohol has had a quirky, complicated history in Utah,…

Nov 15, 2013 CSNews CHICAGO – Technomic Inc. released its forecast for the top 10 trends that are likely to influence the restaurant and foodservice industries in 2014. These predictions are based on site visits evaluating the restaurant scene in cities across the United States; interviews and surveys of operators, chefs and consumers; qualitative data from the researcher’s Digital Resource Library; and quantitative data from its MenuMonitor database. The 2014 trends most relevant to the convenience store industry include: Creamy, cheesy, high-fat goodness – Although there is a real demand for healthier eating, there is also a backlash, and there will likely be more items such as cheese melts, fried snacks and pasta with creamy sauces. However, super-indulgent limited items such as Wendy’s nine-patty burger are designed to gain social media buzz, not sales. Day for night – Consumers are less likely to eat three standard meals per day and…