Retail Round-up: 23rd November

Retail Week - Price to make mark at Morrisons?
Mark Price, MD of Waitrose, has been named as a front runner to fill Marc Bolland’s head role at Morrisons. The Sunday Times reported this week that Sir Ken Morrison favours Price, and that the value supermarket is likely to outmatch any pay deal offered by Waitrose. Price has notably brought in bumper sales for Waitrose despite the recent recession.more

Retail Week - Return for Woolworths?
Woolworths may return to the high street as part of a plan by Shop Direct Group, who are currently running the chain as an online store. The popular bargain brand may return as a 200-store operation in the form of franchised shops. Woolworths went into administration a year ago this week, resulting in a loss of 30 000 jobs and 800 store closures.more

Retail Week - Toy-buying boosts sales at John Lewis
shoppers get going in earnest. Toy sales skyrocketed, with wheeled toys up 150% a Mini Micro T-Bar Scooter proving a best seller. Director of selling operations David Barford said: “We think there will have been some dads playing a part in the purchasing, and perhaps buying gifts for their children that they would like to play with themselves”.more

The Grocer - McKenna tipped as Bolland replacement
Asda FD Judith McKenna could be another front-runner to replace Marc Bolland as Morrisons’ CEO. Previously tipped to succeed Andy Bond at Asda, this opportunity could change the situation somewhat and see her rise to the top even quicker. With a successful track-record in significant cost-cutting and known for the amount of time she spends in-store, Judith could bring both the Grocery and Board level experience required to deliver Morrisons’ new strategy and continued growth.more

The Grocer - Blackstone’s Pinnacle aims to swallow Birds Eye Food for $1.3bn
The US company that brought us frozen food and changed the way that we look at food, Birds Eye Food, is to be bought by Blackstone Private Equity in a deal worth $1.3bn. The US company is separate from Birds Eye UK and has come through a major turnaround programme over the past 7 years, allowing the brand to withhold its no.1 position in the US market.more

The Grocer - Bananas up as Christmas gets closer
It seems that we could be nearing the end of recent price cuts on food with supermarkets gradually increasing the price of bananas in the run-up to Christmas. It is reported that prices are to increase before Christmas so that supermarkets can then reduce them in January when customers are looking for New Year discounts.more

Marketing Week - AOL to revive brand with new identity
AOL has unveiled a new logo creating a fresh brand identity which will be introduced next month to coincide with AOL becoming an independent company from Time Warner on the 10th December. News of the brand identity follows recent reports that AOL is planning to cut about a third of its staff. The internet firm says it is asking up to 2,500 staff across all divisions to take buyout packages.more

Marketing Week - Heineken appoints new group commerce director
Heineken N.V has appointed Procter & Gamble marketer Alexis Nasard as group commerce director taking global responsibility for marketing and sales. Nasard takes up the role on 1 February and joins Heineken’s executive committee, reporting to Jean-François van Boxmeer, Heineken N.V. CEO. Nasard will have global functional responsibility for the company’s marketing, sales, innovation and wholesale strategies. He will also be responsible for portfolio management and the continued growth and strength of the Heineken brand around the world.more

Marketing Week - Supermarkets dominate top family brands
According to the 2009 FamilyBrands report carried out by YouGov for advertising agency Isobel, Marks & Spencer is the UK’s top family brand. Supermarkets performed well in the poll with the Co-op, Morrisons, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s joining M&S in the top ten. Legacy brands such as Cadbury’s and Warburtons were also well perceived by consumers, but restaurants and airlines fared poorly in the study. The worst performing family brand was Ryanair with only 1 per cent of respondents believing the company to be either “caring” or “good listeners” or “promoting family values”. more