Search results for:

May 28, 2012 The Age Don’t start with a whimper – create loyal customers from the get-go. After waiting 30 minutes for my meal at a new Japanese café last week, the owner belatedly apologised for the delay, confessed they had run out of cooked rice, and asked if I would choose a noodle dish. Sayonara to that, or recommending the café to friends. Yes, it’s hard to believe a Japanese café could run out of rice. But the owner told me they never expected so many customers within a week of launch. They were badly short-staffed, had only one person cooking meals, and a roomful of patrons wondering if they would ever be fed. The café made a terrible first impression, precisely when it should have wowed customers. It is far from alone: many small businesses muff their first 90 days and alienate new visitors. Poor word-of-mouth recommendations spread…

Correspondents in London AFP May 29, 2012 THE British government is ditching plans to introduce a tax on Cornish pasties and other hot snacks after critics accused it of targeting working families. The government has been embroiled in the row since it announced in March plans to close a loophole which allows bakeries in Britain to serve hot takeaway food without incurring 20 per cent value-added tax (VAT). The items include pies, sausage rolls and pasties – a traditional delicacy reputedly invented by miners in the southwestern English county of Cornwall – which consists of meat and vegetables in a pastry crust. But the government has now amended the definition of what constitutes a “hot” pasty, allowing it to perform the U-turn, the BBC reported today. Under the revised plans, food which is cooling down rather than being kept warm in a heated display cabinet will not be liable for…

May 30, 2012 The Age In June of last year, Heinz chief executive Bill Johnson described the Australian food market as the ‘worst’ in the world, laying the blame at the feet of Coles and Woolworths. PEACE has broken out between Australia’s leading supermarket chains and their most vocal critic, global food manufacturer HJ Heinz, which has talked of an improving relationship with the retailers after years of acrimony and accusations. Speaking at an investor day in the US this week, Heinz’s Asia-Pacific boss, Christopher Warmoth, praised the better relationship with Woolworths and Coles that had helped the food company stabilise its once struggling business. ”In the past eight months, we’ve seen a stabilisation of this business and that comes down to three elements. First, we’ve improved our relationship with the retailers, and they have told us that they have noticed our increased ability to bring them real value,” Mr…

Katrina Stokes The Advertiser May 29, 2012 SHE has lolly pink hair, multiple piercings and a sleeve of tattoos, but that’s exactly what makes her so appealing to her coffee customers. Ashleigh Humphreys’ individuality is actually what some companies are looking for. It’s all part of a business’s brand personality, branding expert Cath Sutherland says. “It’s understanding what your unique brand personality is as a business and expressing that in everything that you do,” she says. Ms Sutherland recently worked with a range of businesses, including popular juice company Boost Juice, on how their unique brand energy set them apart from other businesses. “Anyone can make a juice … it’s a competitive market on the product side of things. “It’s the brand energy in how you deliver your product that’s how you get your point of difference,” she says. Ms Sutherland said more and more people wanted to connect with…

May 30, 2012 AAP Coles plans to increase the size of its supermarkets as it continues its battle with Woolworths. Managing director Ian McLeod told investors on Wednesday the supermarket giant wants to increase its floor space by two per cent each year. Coles expects to open 19 new stores, close 11 stores, and extend 10 stores in the 2011/12 financial year. Up to 400 stores are also set to be refurbished. “For us, the optimum store size is 3,000 square metres,” Mr McLeod told investors in Wesfarmers, which owns Coles. City Index analyst Peter Esho said the comments indicate Coles will continue to work on gaining market share. “This sends a signal to Woolworths that the recent price war is unlikely to bed down anytime soon,” he said. Wesfarmers also owns Bunnings, which Woolworths is trying to compete with by opening up the Masters hardware chain. Bunnings had 202…