supermarkets Archive

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  Supermarkets explain cheap booze at hearings - by Sue Kedgley

  
  
  
  Foodstuffs New Zealand, New Zealand’s largest supermarket chain, admitted to a select committee hearing this morning, that it puts a mark-up of between 1 and 10% on alcohol that it sells in its supermarkets. This is in sharp contrast to the 100%-500% mark-up that supermarkets put on fresh fruit and vegetables, according to a Green [...] read more
  March 7, 2011 4:59 pm - 51 Comments
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  “A victory for supermarket consumers and competition in markets” - by frog

  
  
  
  That’s how the Commerce Commission is describing the Court of Appeal’s decision to block Woolworths and Foodstuffs from buying out their competitor the Warehouse. Commerce Commission Chair Paula Rebstock says New Zealand consumers know that more competition is needed in the supermarket sector: “The Commission declined clearance in mid-2007 for acquisition by either Foodstuffs or [...] read more
  July 31, 2008 1:19 pm - 3 Comments
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  The food rebellion - by frog

  
  
  
  The emergence of an activist food rebellion against an over processed western diet was the topic of Sunday Magazine’s cover story ‘The Art of Eating’ yesterday [off line].  Interestingly it had a short snippet on Sue Kedgley telling a story over dinner. Kedgley tells those of us sitting nearby of three Christchurch women who met [...] read more
  July 21, 2008 3:21 pm - 15 Comments
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  Supermarket behaviour threatens suppliers - by frog

  
  
  
  Check out this story from the Independent in the context of Sue Kedgley’s call for a supermarket code of conduct and an inquiry into the way the duopoly treats farmers and consumers: Supermarket giant Progressive Enterprises is turning the screws on its suppliers with a “no clash policy” imported from Australia. The policy financially penalises [...] read more
  July 19, 2008 9:51 am - 13 Comments
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  The great British food debate - by frog

  
  
  
  Britons are having a nationwide debate about reducing food waste in an effort to reduce energy use. Gordon Brown the Prime Minister is using a cabinet report that shows the UK throws away an annual 4.1m tonnes of edible goods, the equivalent of £420 for every home, to call for Britons to waste less food. [...] read more
  July 8, 2008 7:35 pm - 9 Comments
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  A food pricing inquiry - by frog

  
  
  
  Sue Kedgley set off a bit of a flurry with her parliamentary line of questions yesterday calling for a pricing inquiry into supermarkets and a possible supermarket code of conduct: Sue Kedgley: Does she agree with Consumer New Zealand that with a concentrated market dominated by a very small number of players, consumers need better [...] read more
  June 27, 2008 10:57 pm - 20 Comments
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  Australia’s supermarket inquiry finds tainted submissions - by frog

  
  
  
  The chief of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Graeme Samuel has just announced that powerful vested interests have been making ‘tainted submissions’ to its inquiry into grocery pricing.  Jeanette called last month for a similar inquiry to the impact of supermarket pricing on both farmers and consumers here in New Zealand.  Here is snippet [...] read more
  June 20, 2008 8:53 am - 8 Comments
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  Supermarket and grocery store sales - by frog

  
  
  
  These stats from last week’s Retail Trade Survey from Stats NZ are interesting in light of concerns that Jeanette and others have been raising about the role that our supermarket duopoly is playing in putting price pressure on both farmers and consumers.  Looking at this graph the trend for supermarket sales has been steadily tracking [...] read more
  June 15, 2008 8:21 pm - 8 Comments
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  Jeanette on Close Up - by frog

  
  
  
  Close Up also featured Jeanette last night asking Fonterra to consider making a gesture to New Zealanders who are feeling the pain of rising food prices by selling its domestic milk at a reasonable margin but not a price related to the international market price.  Fonterra termed this a  subsidy and resisted the concept but [...] read more
  June 12, 2008 9:43 am - 48 Comments
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  Greens looking forward to after the election - by frog

  
  
  
  Vernon Small, uses his column in the Dominion Post today to argue that the Greens have no where to go when they get down to negotiations after the election. He notes that the political climate while volatile, looks better for the Greens than last election. So, on balance, the Greens can look forward to a [...] read more
  June 2, 2008 5:07 pm - 78 Comments
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  The farmers’ share - by frog

  
  
  
  Federated Farmers have just released an interesting report on the share of profit that farmers get from the retail price of food.  [T]he farm price for wheat in 2008 was 16 percent of the cost of a loaf of bread. Of a 20-slice loaf of bread the farm share accounted for around three slices. In [...] read more
  May 15, 2008 4:37 pm - 22 Comments
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  ComCom vs Woolies court case continues - by frog

  
  
  
  As I hoped the Court of Appeal case between the Commerce Commission and Woolworths finally started to generate some comment about what was best for consumers rather than shareholders. Currently Woolworths and Foodstuffs own about 99 percent of New Zealand’s grocery market.  The Commerce Commission lawyers’ opening evidence was covered on Radio New Zealand this [...] read more
  April 30, 2008 10:16 am - No Comments
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  We’re spending less on cars but more on food and credit cards - by frog

  
  
  
  There is some interesting data in the February 2008 Retail Trade Survey results released this morning. The two big industry groups to have a significant impact on the figures were cars and groceries. Our retail sales for February fell $42 million but would have been relatively static except that motor vehicle retailing fell 5.8 percent [...] read more
  April 14, 2008 12:04 pm - 3 Comments
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  Aussie farmers think consumers are missing out - by frog

  
  
  
  I mentioned 3 months ago that Australia’s Consumer Commission has launched an inquiry into food prices. The Australian National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has just testified at that inquiry that the prices consumers were paying for food was not reflected by the payments that farmers were receiving for producing food. The NFF said consumers who were [...] read more
  April 11, 2008 2:36 pm - 2 Comments
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  Food sovereignty - by frog

  
  
  
  The future of New Zealand’s grocery market continues to wind its way through the courts. Last year the High Court overruled the Commerce Commission’s decision to prevent either Foodstuffs or Woolworths from buying the Warehouse. The Commerce Commission is now appealing that decision and a result is expected from Justice Mallon shortly. The Commerce Commission [...] read more
  January 30, 2008 4:51 pm - 13 Comments
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  Oily food - by frog

  
  
  
  Pacific Ecologist Magazine’s latest issue covers the link between peak oil and food security. Around the world our farms are guzzling staggering amounts of oil through the use of machinery, transport, processing, chemicals and fertilizers. Caroline Lucas, Andy Jones and Colin Hines point out that our food system consumes roughly ten calories of fossil fuel [...] read more
  December 11, 2007 4:07 pm - 9 Comments