SupermarketNews // March 2016

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March 2016 • Vol. 9 No. 3

20 minutes with . . . James Kane, NZ country head of Mondelez International. (see page 17)

BEST NZ CHEESE CROWNED

HARDER TO EXPLOIT A new test has been developed by the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association, Analytica Laboratories and Comvita to authenticate the purity of manuka honey, which last year alone generated around $250 million in export returns, up 34 percent on 2014. Unlike previous tests, the new one is able to identify the product’s unique chemical markers. n

A BRIGHT SPOT

Although its parent company Woolworths has posted a net loss of $999 million in the six months ending January 3, Countdown was a bright spot in the results, having reported earnings before interest and tax of $170.6 million, up almost one percent year-to-year. Sales rose four percent to $3.2 billion, whilst online sales saw a double digit increase in the first-half. n

FOOD PRICES GET CHEAPER The Food Price Index for January has shown that food prices were cheaper than they were a year ago, despite a two percent jump in January this year due to seasonally higher fruit and vegetable prices. n

ADAMS APPOINTMENT

Insightful Mobi has appointed former Coca-Cola Amatil managing director George Adams to its board. Adams, a former FGC chairman, has had over 20 years experience in the consumer goods industry and is known for his passion about building organisations. n

JORDAN JOINS METCASH Former Foodstuffs North Island managing director, Murray Jordan, has moved on to join the Metcash board as a non-executive director. Jordan resigned from Foodstuffs in mid-2015, after having spent more than a decade with the company and two years in the role of managing director. Metcash is one of Australia’s leading wholesale distribution and marketing companies. n

COFFEE COMPANIES JOINING FORCES Iconic Christchurch brand Hummingbird has been sold to the Bell Tea & Coffee Company, with a settlement date of March 1st 2016. Founded in 1990 and proudly NZowned and operated, Hummingbird had come to be known as a fair trade coffee brand, having been the first company to directly import fair trade organic coffee into New Zealand. “We are extremely proud of the brand we’ve built up over the years and have no doubt that BTCC will do a terrific job taking us to the next level,”

said Nick Cowper, general manager, Hummingbird, adding that the company looked forward to sharing its brew with the rest of the country. Launched in 1898, Bell continues to grow its portfolio of award-winning tea, coffee and coffee equipment brands. “We are really excited about this announcement. There is such a great energy between the businesses, with both celebrating sustainable growth, success and great reputations over the years,” said Mark Hamilton, CEO of BTCC. n

WELLINGTON NEW STORE CONFIRMED A brand-new Countdown supermarket will be built at Reading’s downtown Wellington retail complex, cinema company Reading International has announced. An integral part of Courtenay Central’s $30 million revamp, the 3,400 sqm store is expected to open in late 2017, with work set to start half-way this year. Naylor Love has been appointed head contractor for the construction process. The supermarket will be elevated with parking underneath and will also have access to a nearby 9-level car park. Meanwhile, the adjacent

cinema will be refurbished. “We’re really excited to be establishing a new store in this busy and bustling part of Wellington City,” said Adrian Walker, general manager of property, Countdown. “The store will be a great new offer to our customers in the area, giving them access to a large full service supermarket that will complement our soon to be opened Cable Car Lane store.” n

Beware, cheese lovers. After two days spent savouring 420 entries, local and international experts have crowned Puhoi Valley Kawau Blue as Countdown Champion of Champions. The outstanding product, which was created by experienced Puhoi’s head cheesemaker Franck Beaurain, also took out first place in the Ecolab Champion Blue Cheese category.

According to the judges, Beaurain has put his 30 years’ experience at work to create a cheese with ‘great rind development and superb even blue distribution’, as well as a creamy texture delivering ‘a great balance of spicy, savoury and sweet flavours.’The product is available in restaurants as ‘Puhoi Kawau Blue’ and in supermarkets as ‘Puhoi Valley Gorgonzola Style Blue’. Twenty-three category winners were revealed during a gala dinner at The Langham.

Award winning Westgold Butter

Manufactured by Westland Milk Products and sold throughout the world for more than 12 years, Westgold Unsalted Butter was awarded Food for Chefs Champion Butter, thanks to its ‘even, smooth texture and delicate, sweet flavours.’ The product will soon be released nationally into NZ supermarkets. n


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