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June 1, 2012 The Age New York food outlets would be forced to restrict the size of cups in which they dispense fizzy drinks to a maximum of 16 fluid ounces, or a little under 500ml. In his crusade for public health, the mayor of New York has taken on transfats, smoking, calorie-labelling and alcohol. Now Michael Bloomberg has revealed a new target, proposing a ban on the sale of large-sized high-calorie drinks in restaurants, cinemas and other public outlets. Bloomberg’s plan will confirm him in the eyes of libertarians and the hugely powerful food lobby as ‘‘nanny-in-chief’’, but health experts hailed it as a necessary move in the battle to curb a growing obesity epidemic that affects more than half of adult New Yorkers. Under the proposal, all food outlets regulated by the city authorities – including restaurants, street carts, delis, cinemas and sports arenas – would be forced…

May 31, 2012 CSNews DALLAS — Three years ago, Alon Brands Inc. began to incorporate mobile marketing into its multi-channel promotion strategy and now, it’s the heart of the overall program. Through text messages and social media — offering its customers discounts, coupons, contests and games — the company is building a database of loyal customers and tracking each interaction in a social customer resource management (CRM) system from PocketStop. “Texting was our gateway drug,” Scott Shakespeare, Alon Brands’ general manager of branding, advertising and promotions, told the audience at this year’s MCommerce Summit in New York. “We started simple with pumptoppers and posters, telling customers to text in a code for an offer like a free Big Gulp with a tamale purchase, or a gallon of milk for $1.89, which is a $2 savings.” Customers use their mobile phones to text in a unique code, and the company captures…

Cameron Houston June 3, 2012 The Age COLES and Woolworths have been accused of blacklisting local suppliers who publicly criticise aggressive price discounts by the big supermarkets and their rapid expansion into home-brand products. The departing chief executive of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, Stephen Strachan, said the supermarket giants had used their market dominance to create a culture of fear and intimidation among local wine producers. ”If you’re an individual company that speaks out against them or says anything publicly that criticises their tactics, they would have no hesitation in giving you a holiday from their shelves,” Mr Strachan said. Stephen Strachan, former chief executive of the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia. He said the bullying was not confined to Australian winemakers. ”It’s happening in every area of food and beverage you’d care to mention,” he said. Mr Strachan would speak to The Sunday Age only after ending his role…

NACSonline 1 June 2012 CHICAGO – Sandwiches are the cornerstone of lunch and dinner menus at both limited- and full-service restaurants, where they are offered more than any other entrée. More consumers report purchasing sandwiches away from home today versus just two years ago due in large part to operators’ innovative responses to consumer demands for lower prices, greater variety, fresher fare, flexible portions and healthier items. While the industry as a whole lost 4,500 restaurants in 2011, the limited-service sandwich segment grew by 800 units, spurred by Subway, which netted 872 new franchised restaurants in the United States by focusing on healthy, fresh and affordably priced sandwiches. “Today’s consumer expects greater customization and broader sandwich options,” said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic. “Trends in portion flexibility, variety, freshness and shareability have come to the forefront of this segment. Shareable options give operators a chance to go beyond…

Bruce Guthrie June 3, 2012 The Age SO, BUSINESS is booming at Costco, the members-only shopping warehouse that sits in the shadow of that other cheap thrill, the Southern Star Observation Wheel, on the edge of Docklands. And why wouldn’t it be: I mean, who could resist paying $60 for the right to shop in a space the size of an aircraft hangar with ambience to match? And if that’s not a sufficiently singular experience for you, once you’re in the place you can play clothing lotto. It goes like this: ”Excuse me,” you might say to a floor staffer (as I did last week). ”I’d like to try on this pair of jeans. Where are the change rooms?” To which they might reply (as one did): ”We don’t have change rooms.” ”So what should I do?” ”Try them on in the toilet … But you’ll have to buy them…

Barry Urquhart Marketing Focus Never let it be said… men are poor communicators. Males do communicate and are generally efficient in getting their messages across. Sadly, all too often the audience is themselves and the sentiment is negative. Self-talk is calculated to represent more than 90% of the time and effort expended by males in projecting and receiving messages, thoughts and ideas. Women are more inclined to share their time and thoughts. However, it seems males and females alike are guilty of self-admonishment. “You idiot”, “you fool” and “wrong again” are common verbal and mental reprimands. The manifestations of this reality are particularly evident in the current business marketplace. A general lack of confidence is one of the marks of negative self-talk, among other contributing factors. This can be a catalyst for many to “retreat into ourselves”. The good news is that there is truth in the saying, “if I…