War on Want, the charity group, has accused Tesco, the United Kingdom’s largest grocery chain, of retailing clothes that were created under slave labor conditions. It is alleged that Tesco is buying their clothes from a textile factory that, in India, pays it’s employees $17.29 (USD) for a 54 hour week. This equates to $.32 per hour.
The Times [...]
Workers at Vancouver’s Save On Foods have voted 58% to reject a new contract offer from the Overwaitea Food Group (owned by Jim Pattison). Union representatives covering 27 stores from the Chilliwack to Squamish regions, will issue a 72 hour perishable goods notice today. Perishable notices are issued in order to give the company time to deal with [...]
U.S. Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, is urging TESCO’s Sir Terry Leahy to reconsider their policy of non-engagement with unions. Obama is concerned over the worker’s rights in TESCO’s FRESH & EASY outlets.
The Times of London
In the United Kingdom, as a result of the credit crunch, a growing number of consumers are shopping in discount retailers LIDL and ALDI. These two discounters are moving ahead of their retail rivals in the British grocery sector. ALDI grew by 20.7 per cent. While below ALDI’s performance, LIDL’s sales lift of 12.8 per [...]
The employee union at Jim Pattison’s Overwaitea Food Group has reached a tentative agreement for a new contract.
The Vancouver Sun
Britain’s supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, is experiencing slow growth in retail sales. Same store sales had a growth rate of 3.4%. The BBC (June 18, 2008)
U.S. consumer products manufacutures grew 10.6 percent this past year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who conducts research on behalf of the Grocery Manufacturers Association. “The Food, Beverage and Consumer Products Industry: Achieving Superior Financial Performance in a Challenging Economy 2008,” report “stated that even in a difficult economy with ever-increasing commodities prices, agile [...]
Aldi opened environmentally friendly store in East Syracuse, N.Y. on Monday. The store boasts LED lighting in the coolers, more efficient refrigeration technologies, and a 30% reduction in utilities. Aldi also has a “no bag” policy in order to reduce unnecessary waste. The store is intended to showcase the chain’s new [...]
Giant Food LLC has completed a multimillion-dollar remodel of stores in Bethesda, Md.; Clarksville, Md.; Largo, Md., Rehobeth, Md., Columbia, Md.; and Warrenton, Va. “The renovations are part of the Ahold banner’s three-year Project Refresh investment plan to remodel or replace about 100 Giant Food stores, according to Giant Food e.v.p. and g.m. Robin Michel [...]