All articles by FPJ Staff – Page 137
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ArticleDoors open on the Western front
As reported in today’s news section, a new market opened for business in West London this week. Laura Gould and Tommy Leighton visited the new Western International premises on the first day of trading to get the lowdown from the wholesalers.
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ArticleRelying on Indian mangoes
India’s mango exports represent around 16 per cent of the total global trade, and although 50 per cent of the country’s exports head to West Asia, a healthy 32 per cent arrive in Europe and the UK each year. This could well increase progressively as the retail chain networks of Reliance Industries Ltd turn their attention to what they feel is tremendous export potential to the UK. G Ravishankar reports for FPJ from India.
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ArticleSalad sector in top form for summer season
The UK salad industry has seen problems with availability and an unseasonable lull in demand this quarter. But in stark contrast to last year, the quality of UK salad supplies has been good, and imported top-ups are constant. Elizabeth O’Keefe reports.
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De la Fuente focuses on the future
After 24 years, Martin de la Fuente walked out of Tesco House for the last time on June 6. As he left the Cheshunt head office, he was applauded out of the building by his friends and colleagues. Behind he left “one of the most challenging times ahead” for his former colleagues and the British supermarket trade. Between holidaying in the Majorca resort of Alcudia and jetting off to the Big Apple, Tesco’s recently retired and somewhat relaxed fruit buying manager caught up with FPJ’s Tommy Leighton to talk about what the next two years might look like for the supermarket fruit sector.
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Walking the tightrope above VAT pitfalls
Adam Bernstein hosts FPJ’s monthly spotlight on the legislation that affects your business, and how you can use it to your advantage. This month, John Whiting and Maric Glaser outline the pitfalls and myths to be avoided regarding VAT.
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Challenges ahead for retail markets
Members of the World Union of Wholesale Markets (WUWM) recently met in Hamburg, Germany for the first ever WUWM Retail
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Wimbledon heralds summer hopes
One could be forgiven for thinking that the inclement weather this week signalled the second week of Wimbledon! How fortunate
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Wholesale comes into its own
Wholesale markets are in the news - I get the feeling that they have even been rediscovered. There could be no more
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Shots fired as Western opens
The opening of a shiny new wholesale market at Western International this week marks the end of a process that has been long,
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ArticleOakley on the up
For the last two and a half years, the Oakley Group has been quietly working on its new division Oakley Grower Services (OGS). Elizabeth O’Keefe visits its Cambridgeshire-based site to find out what the farming and distribution business has been up to.
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ArticleThe dawn of a new age?
The Spanish grape season is in good shape. But as Murcian growers gain control of the Sugraone variety, and various financial issues pressurise the industry, change is in the air. Elizabeth O’Keefe reports.
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ArticleLow Countries bridge the gap
Dutch and Belgian berries have continued to enjoy a good reputation in the UK market, providing glasshouse volumes both before and beyond home-grown supply and filling gaps in the main domestic season. Anna Sbuttoni reports.
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ArticleShoppers watch their wallets as credit crunch bites
With the credit crunch starting to have an impact and consumers rapidly tightening their purse strings, are sales of organic fruit and vegetables, with their traditionally higher price tag, set to feel the squeeze? Laura Gould reports.
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Prevar prepares the tastes of the future
Dr Brett Ennis, chief executive of Prevar™ Limited, is three years into what he describes as “the best job I have ever had”. Tommy Leighton met him recently in New Zealand, to find out how the business of providing the top fruit of the future is progressing.
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PR strategy shines for wholesalers
Communication is seen today as a vital part of the activity of wholesale markets. Struggling with more and more drastic
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No sign of promotional onslaught slowing down
I get the feeling that fresh produce retailing is moving into a permanent new age, based on the increasingly frenetic
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NFU on right lines with British message
I am on record as saying that promotion of fresh produce should not necessarily focus on origin. However, that was primarily
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ArticleWholesaling with a twist
After more than 100 years in the business, Norfolk-based wholesaler D&F McCarthy Ltd is thriving where others have failed. Elizabeth O’Keefe talks to the family-run company about its expansion through times of trouble, and how winning the Re:fresh Capespan Wholesaler of the Year award was the icing on the cake.
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ArticleTurks to weather blip
The upcoming Turkish cherry season is set to be one of the trickiest for some time, with volumes expected to fall by up to 70 per cent, while the discovery of pesticide residues on salad products has had a knock-on effect on the entire industry. Exporters maintain that the quality and size of the fruit is top notch, but what does this mean for exports to the UK? Anna Sbuttoni reports.
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ArticlePeas aplenty?
Following two years of disastrous weather conditions, the pea sector is hoping for a turnaround in fortunes in 2008. Doris Lee Butterworth finds out more.