- What is a symbol group retailer? - What benefits do symbol group organisations offer to retailers? - Symbol groups infographic What is a symbol group retailer? A symbol group retailer is an independent retailer that is a member of a larger organisation known as a symbol group. A well known example of a symbol group is SPAR. The symbol group retailer sector comprises...

Shops and people will be connected to each other more than ever in the store of the future, reveals IGD research. The report commissioned by Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) and written by food and consumer goods experts IGD predicts: Shoppers will demand more personalisation. They’ll expect communication, promotions and deals to be tailored to their individual values and needs Social ...

Walmart’s Get on the Shelf initiative is an innovation from its @WalmartLabs division. It encourages potential suppliers to submit online videos of their products to a public vote to gain selling space in Walmart’s stores and on its website. As Walmart seeks to drive further innovation in this area, we take a closer look at this unit and its role in the retailer’s broader e-commerce...

A lot more people are now planning before going out to do their food and grocery shopping, compared to three years ago, according to the latest IGD shopper research published today. Nearly seven in ten shoppers (67%) plan most of their food and grocery shopping before they even get to a store, up from 47% in 2008. Checking their cupboards, fridges or freezers is the most popular form of pla...

This year will mark the fifth anniversary of the credit crunch … and the UK’s deficit reduction plan still has five more years to run. The US hasn’t even started to tackle its enormous debt yet.The eurozone is staring over a precipice. And even china is juddering after a massive collapse in property prices. According to Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, “there’s no economy in the world immun...

Despite the economic downturn, people are still interested in maintaining the quality of their food and groceries they buy, but want more help from the industry to do so – according to research from IGD. Speaking at the Quality Meat Scotland conference today (Wednesday), IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch revealed the three priorities that shoppers want food companies to focus on: H...

- Production of pigs in the UK - Performance - Self-sufficiency - Welfare - Environmental impact Production of pigs in the UK Decline in UK pig production There was a significant long term fall in UK pig numbers between 1990 and 2010. In 2010, there were an estimated 4.4 million pigs in the UK, which represented a decline of almost 10% compared with 2006. The total n...

For some time now, South Africa has been described as a ‘springboard’ for modern retailing in Africa. So with this mind, we look at what makes it one of the most exciting emerging grocery markets in the world right now. To begin with, here are a few facts on the South African market. South Africa has a population of 51 million. Living Standard Measures, or LSM profiles as they...

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, wrote to the editor of the Lloyd’s Evening Post on 9 December 1772 with an analysis of the austerity affecting Britain at the time. The various causes of hardship he listed, such as unemployment, inflation, increased taxes and national debt, have an air of familiarity about them in today's difficult economic times. ...

Despite the economic gloom, food and consumer goods companies can still prosper if they follow a five step plan utilising a new model for growth, according to international food and grocery experts IGD. Speaking at the opening of the IFM conference in Paris, the chief executive of IGD Joanne Denney-Finch unveiled the plan: Involve consumers more closely in developing new products and ser...