INTERNATIONAL NEWS

New York - Greek winemakers are not pricing their wares in drachmas - yet. read more

Tokyo - Japanese electronics giant Sony on Thursday posted a record full-year loss of $5.7bn, but vowed it would swing back into the black this year as it embarks on a huge restructuring plan. read more

British retail sales fell at their fastest rate in more than a year last month and jobs growth slowed, nudging the economy closer to a third quarter of contraction and raising the chance of another cash boost from the central bank. read more

It has been a solid first quarter for MillerCoors - the joint venture in the US between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company - driven by strong mix, positive pricing and unseasonably warm weather. read more

Events such as last year’s Japan earthquake and Arab Spring (pictured) should act as a wakeup call to companies to evaluate the “change readiness” of countries in which they operate, business consultants have advised. read more

US grain futures dropped on Monday as investors fled riskier assets, after Greek and French polls stoked doubts that struggling euro zone economies could continue to pursue austerity measures crucial to resolving the bloc's debt crisis. read more

Samsung Electronics, sanctioned by a US judge for its failure to produce source code in a patent-infringement case in San Jose, California, will be unable to use some evidence to defend itself against Apple.  read more

Germany's Adidas said on Thursday it would cut the number of its Reebok stores in India by about one-third as it tackles “commercial irregularities” at the unit, an issue that has clouded a strong start to a bumper sports year. read more

Milan/London - World food prices eased in April after rising in the first quarter of this year, the United Nation’s food agency said, but inflation worries are still simmering as soybean prices climb. read more

Americans are growing more frustrated with customer service, and their social media savvy is making it hard for businesses to get away with ignoring the problem, according to the 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. It found that consumers who have used social media for service wield the greatest amount of influence. They tell significantly more people about their service experiences, and say they'd spend 21 percent more with companies who deliver great service — compared to 13 percent on average.  read more

Motorola Solutions has released a report that shows an increasing interest from retail, hospitality and field service industries for mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions as a core strategy for improving customer service read more

Nyon, Switzerland, 27 April 2012: UNI Global Union welcomed the signing of an historic first collective agreement at Carrefour Colombia that it says should serve as a new model for labour relations in the country. Along with the gains for Carrefour Colombia the workers, the agreement is notable for the fair and secure organising collective bargaining process that created it.  read more

There's a new refrigerator on the market that allows customers to buy cold products using QR codes and a Mobile App. The Vending Fridge, created by ShelfX, a provider of self-checkout and inventory management solutions, is aimed at hotels, offices, retail stores, gyms, coffee shops, schools, libraries or retail locations where flexible food vending is needed, according to a company press release. read more

Washington - Global food prices are rising again, pushed higher by costlier oil, strong demand from Asia and bad weather in parts of Europe, South America and the United States, the World Bank said on Wednesday. read more

More than a third of US-based manufacturing companies with sales greater than $1bn are planning to bring back production to the United States from China  read more

Walmart Stores shares were down 3.1% in early premarket trading on Monday following an article in the New York Times this weekend alleging that the world’s largest retailer stymied an internal probe into bribery at its Mexican affiliate, Walmart de Mexico. read more

Zurich - Swiss food group Nestlé is to buy US drugmaker Pfizer’s infant nutrition business for $11.85bn, beating out French rival Danone in the battle for dominance of baby food in fast-growing emerging markets.  read more

Brewer SABMiller said on Monday that Alan Clark, currently head of its European business, would become chief operating officer in July, preparing the ground for him to succeed Graham Mackay as CEO. read more

London - GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to sell a clutch of international over-the-counter healthcare brands for £164m to South Africa’s Aspen Pharmacare Holdings [JSE:APN], Britain’s biggest drugmaker said on Friday. read more

The UK’s largest retailer Tesco has announced plans to expand on-line supplier collaboration in an effort to reduce supply chain carbon emissions  read more

UK retailer Marks & Spencer has been hit by stock shortages caused by what the group’s CEO referred to as ‘not perfect buying’ read more

SABMiller plans to invest up to $2,5bn in Africa over the next five years to build and refurbish breweries, its head for the region said yesterday, as it looks to slake rising demand for beer on the fast-growing continent. read more

Moody’s rating agency yesterday downgraded Nokia’s debt grade to near-junk status, citing a sharp decline in first-quarter cellphone sales that led to a 35% fall in revenue. read more

Washington - US retail sales rose solidly in March as Americans shrugged off high petrol prices and bought a range of goods, implying economic growth in the first quarter was probably not as weak as many had feared.  read more

London - The London Olympics will give a short-term boost to Britain's weak economy but economists predict the greatest sporting spectacle on Earth will fail to prevent a sharp slowdown this year. read more

Walmart has launched a programme to provide training to women working for companies in its global supply chain read more

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) yesterday revealed plans to clamp down on human rights abuse in its supply chain. read more

Coca-Cola Company’s Simply Orange juice brand is not simply orange juice, according to a lawsuit filed against the beverage company read more

UK manufacturing is under immense pressure according to research out this week which shows 25 per cent of the major manufacturers for the retail sector are struggling to survive. read more

After a one-year pilot study of Savvy Penny, an in-store digital coupon system that uses Bluetooth technology to offer value and savings to consumers, Milam's Market in Coral Gables, Fla., is rolling out the loyalty solution that delivers two-way interactive promotions directly to the consumer at the point of sale through touchscreens on the store shelf, according to a company press release. read more

Milan - Global food prices rose in March for a third successive month, driven by gains in grains and vegetable oils, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Thursday, putting food inflation firmly back on the economic agenda. read more

Supermarket chain Tesco is to ditch the traditional blue & white stripes on its own-brand products as part of a major re-launch, it was announced today. read more

Despite all the buzz around showrooming and mobile shopping, retailers will be relieved to know that brick-and-mortar stores are still important for 90 percent of shoppers, according to a study published by the e-tailing group with online local media company Local Corporation. read more

NFC Bootcamp announced that its first international boot camp will take place in London at Screenmedia expo 2012, a trade show dedicated to digital screenmedia, marketing and technology. read more

Walmart has said it is planning to source an increasing volume of agricultural products locally in the sub-continent.  read more

Brands in Britain spent almost £5 billion (R61bn) advertising online in 2011, with video ads and marketing on social media platforms driving growth to its biggest increase in five years against a weak economic backdrop.  read more

Loblaw's Joe Fresh, Canada's biggest grocer, opened a flagship store last week on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, but instead of meat and produce, it's selling $29-women's dresses and $12-men's shirts, according to Bloomberg.  read more

Beauty company Coty said on Monday it offered to buy Avon Products for $10bn, but the bid was rejected by the cosmetics direct seller, which is grappling with sliding sales in key markets and a bribery probe. read more

In a further sign of its international strength, global retail group Alliance Boots opened another store in Thailand this week.  read more

Walmart Stores Inc. plans to lower its grocery prices by $1 billion this year in hopes that customers will be drawn in by the lower prices on food and also make purchases in other areas of the store, according to a published report. The retail giant generated $145 billion in grocery sales last year.  read more

Owners of big-box to mom-and-pop stores understand the value of having a location or display that stands out in the crowd of saturated advertising messages. Marketing Ad Group said it has found a way to cut through that tidal wave of advertising with its Holographic Greeter, an information, branding and promotional messaging medium that displays a holographic image projected onto a life-sized cut-out, according to a company press release. read more

Since Tesco's poster retail experiment in a Korean subway station last June, the idea of using QR codes and NFC tags to let consumers make purchases from virtual stores has exploded. Stockholm Central Station worked recently with e-commerce platform provider Jetshop to test the concept, hoping to discover how the mobile-connected "poster stores" would impact the future of retailing, according to a story on NFC World. read more

LOUISVILLE, KY. — Digital Signage Today, the daily news and information portal devoted to the digital signage industry, has just published the 2012 edition of its report "Digital Signage ROI: Finding the return on investment for digital signage." read more

UK retail sales fell more than economists forecast in February as households curtailed spending after a weaker-than-estimated increase the previous month.  read more

Bangkok - State media in Thailand say the self-made Thai billionaire who created the renowned Red Bull energy drink three decades ago has died. He was 89. read more

Only a minority of chief executives are very confident that their current risk-management strategies will prove effective against supply chain events such as the Japanese tsunami, a new report has warned.  read more

Tesco Plc (TSCO) said the head of its biggest unit, Richard Brasher, will step down from the board and leave the company in July after the U.K.’s largest supermarket chain saw market share slide to seven-year low. read more

Johannesburg - The rand slid against the dollar in late afternoon trade on Wednesday after worse than expected local retail sales data as well as strong support for the greenback against the euro following remarks made yesterday by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).  read more

Rain across parched cocoa plantations in West Africa, which supplies 69 percent of the world’s beans, is leading analysts to pare forecasts for shortages, threatening the biggest rally in a year. read more

In order to avoid having to place cancer warnings on their soft drinks as required with Californian law, Coca-Cola co. and Pepsico are working closely with suppliers to alter the recipe of their drinks. read more

After cooling down following a visit by Chinese vice president Xi Jinping to the United States, trade tensions between China and the westerns world have once again begun to boil over protectionism claims. read more

Diamond Foods Inc. (DMND) retained Dean Bradley Osborne Partners LLC as financial adviser to strengthen its balance sheet as a planned earnings restatement threatens to violate some of its debt agreements.  read more

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit multi-year highs on Tuesday as US retail sales rose more than forecast last month and as concerns eased about the euro zone’s crisis.  read more

Record dairy profits and milder weather are leading to a surge in milk supplies from Auckland to California, turning last year’s best-performing commodity contract into one of the worst of 2012. read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller [JSE:SAB] said its newly-acquired Foster’s business has lost a licence to import and distribute Corona Extra lager in Australia. read more

As “panic” hit world markets, the Standard & Poor’s latest GSCI Spot Index of 24 commodities indicates a 1.5% fall to close at 692.61 in New York, marking the biggest slump since last December. read more

Industry analysts are predicting that Walmart will announce its support for Hollywood's UltraViolet digital movie technology at a media event next week in L.A., according to a blog on the L.A. Times site.  read more

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola will continue to source oranges from local Italian suppliers after initially saying it would drop them following reports of poor working conditions among fruit pickers. read more

Supermarket chain Asda has exchanged contracts on a deal which will see it take control of the sourcing division of one of its largest suppliers GAAT, it was announced today. read more

India's farm ministry wants a ban on cotton exports to be revoked as the curbs will hurt farmers in the world’s second-biggest producer, minister Sharad Pawar said. Futures surged for a second day to the highest level in more than two weeks.  read more

Large supermarkets are changing strategies as customers begin to shop online instead of going to hypermarkets.  read more

Adidas has expressed concern that Indian regulations requiring foreign companies operating single brand stores in the country to source 30% of goods locally are overly restrictive. read more

A Waitrose store overlooking the Olympic Park in London has been awarded the world's first BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) 'Outstanding' rating for a retail building. read more

Only 5% of British people would care if brands did not exist, according to research by Havas and MPG that placed Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury's in the world's top 10 "meaningful" retail brands. read more

Indians sip only two liters of beer a year, just one-twentieth the amount consumed by Chinese and less than one-fortieth by Americans. SABMiller Plc (SAB), Anheuser- Busch InBev NV (ABI) and Carlsberg A/S (CARLB) see that as an opportunity. read more

Walmart Stores raised its annual dividend by nearly 9% on Thursday, as momentum in the company’s key Walmart US chain has rebounded. read more

A national campaign against plain packaging of tobacco was launched in London on Monday (27 February). read more

A US company has developed a counterfeit risk algorithm to forecast the likelihood of an electronic part being targeted by counterfeiters. read more

Worldwide soybean reserves are being depleted at the fasted rate in almost two decades, as demand for food, fuel and animal feed ramp up. read more

New orders for long-lasting US manufactured goods fell in January by the most in three years as demand slumped across the board, suggesting the economy started the year on weaker footing than expected.  read more

Chemicals found in some food packaging can increase the risk of developing heart disease, according to new research from the UK. read more

Technology giants Hewlett-Packard and Dell are keeping a close eye on rising wages amongst their Chinese suppliers with both unsure where these costs will be absorbed. read more

Nokia has signed a supplier deal to ensure that the tantalum it sources comes from conflict-free sources.  read more

Arlington - Global crop prices will retreat sharply this year as farmers around the world expand production, bringing stability back to commodity markets and easing food inflation fears, the US government forecast on Thursday. read more

Label Apeel is teaming up with HP at the Pack Tech Exhibition, being held in Birmingham from February 29 to March 1, 2012. read more

Target Corp. (TGT), the second-largest U.S. discount retailer, posted fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded some analysts’ estimates, helped by discount card initiatives and grocery sales.  read more

Esprit Holdings Ltd. (330), the clothing retailer pushing to recover from a three-year earnings decline, expects to save HK$1 billion ($129 million) by June 2015 as it adds sourcing offices in India and Indonesia.  read more

Walmart has announced that the presence of a “solid” supply chain was a factor in its decision to increase investment in the holding company of Yihaodian, an ecommerce website in China. read more

Waitrose is the latest UK food retailer in the spotlight over decisions to fine suppliers for late deliveries, a move which has been met with a storm of protest. The news comes after reports of suppliers hitting back at similar plans by retail giant Tesco. read more

China's manufacturing activity continued to contract in February as export orders weakened, HSBC said Wednesday, in a further sign that the eurozone crisis and US weakness are hurting demand. read more

Chicago - Walmart Stores fourth-quarter profit came in just short of Wall Street's expectations, sending shares down 2.6% as it cut prices to win over US shoppers during the holiday season. read more

SABMiller plc (SAB) and Molson Coors Brewing Company reported on Thursday that their joint-owned US unit MillerCoors' fourth quarter underlying net income increased 32.5% to US$194 million versus the fourth quarter 2010. read more

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has brought forward its ban on all disposable plastic products, except on those made from oxo-biodegradable plastic, by one year. read more

Emerging market stocks with links to the middle class are the best bets to profit on expansion in those economies, according to Bob Holderith, who oversees the fastest growing developing-nation exchange traded fund in the US.  read more

The Chinese consumer may not qualify for the description “big spender”. But the traditionally thrifty Chinese may spend more than was previously thought on the things that keep households ticking over every day. read more

Vevey - Nestlé echoed the cautious 2012 tone of other global food manufacturers on Thursday after reporting forecast-beating sales growth in the last three months of last year. read more

Johannesburg - Whether Walmart ultimately succeeds in buying a controlling share of major South African chain Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM] could affect whether other Americans come to do business on the continent, a US Chamber of Commerce official said Thursday.  read more

Proview International Holdings Ltd. (334), which claims ownership of the iPad trademark in China, asked retailers to stop selling Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s tablet computer as the dispute between the two companies intensified.  read more

Kellogg Co. (K) agreed to acquire Procter & Gamble Co.’s Pringles potato chip business for about $2.7 billion in cash to triple its global snacks sales after a deal with Diamond Foods Inc. (DMND) fell through. read more

Nestle SA (NESN), the world’s biggest food company, reported 2011 sales growth that beat analysts’ estimates and forecast higher 2012 earnings as it introduces products such as the Nescafe Alegria coffee maker. read more

New Sony chief executive officer has warned that cost-cutting is a priority in the company’s TV business and supply chain as the company counts the cost of a fourth consecutive annual loss. read more

Brussels - Heineken, the world’s third-largest brewer, has launched a €500m cost savings plan, and forecast revenue growth in emerging markets would mitigate higher barley costs this year.  read more

Ocean carriers are floating plans to increase import trans-Pacific freight rates by $800 per 40-foot container. read more

Heineken NV (HEIA), the world’s third- biggest brewer, reported annual profit that beat estimates and unveiled new cost-saving targets amid increased expenses for making beers including Desperados and Amstel. read more

World oil prices inched upwards on Tuesday in a subdued market after Moody's warned it could downgrade ratings on three top-rated eurozone members amid continued international tensions read more

Paper giant International Paper has announced that it has won US antitrust approval for its $3.7 billion takeover of Temple-Inland, on condition that it sells three containerboard mills. read more

Bunge, a leading supplier of agricultural commodities including grains and soyabeans, has said that it expects market conditions to remain challenging over the year ahead.  read more

The South African government is slapping additional duties of 6%-63% on Brazilian exporters of chicken into the Southern African Customs Union market — but insists this will not push up prices. read more

South African customers may soon be buying cellphones and airtime from Kodak Express stores as the company chooses to opt out of the digital camera market and move into more lucrative revenue streams, it said on Friday. read more

Nokia no longer resembles a man standing on the edge of a burning oil platform with the sea as his only option for survival, according to CEO Stephen Elop. read more