News

Welcome to our weekly round-up of news from the packaging industry's biggest clients.

Retailers

Sainsbury's has become the latest retailer to launch a meal deal targeting consumers who are seeking to replicate the dining out experience, at home. The promotion enables shoppers to purchase a main dish, an accompaniment and a side dish for £5. 

Supermarket giants Tesco and Asda went head to head with price cuts on thousands of everyday products last week. Asda promised to reduce 12,500 prices across its stores, meanwhile, Tesco responded saying it would cut prices on more than 3,000 items.

Online giant eBay expects sales by retailers and other big sellers of product on its site to grow to £1bn.

Maternity wear retailer Blooming Marvellous has been bought out of administration by entrepreneur Elaine McPherson, who played a part in rescuing clothing chain Ethel Austin and home goods discounter Au Naturale last year.

L'Oreal-owned Body Shop has said 150 British jobs are at risk after the cosmetics retailer announced a restructuring drive. It is consulting employees about proposals to reduce its global workforce by 275 jobs to make the business more efficient.

Shop Direct Group, which runs sites including Littlewoods and Kays, has said that rising online sales and the demise of high street rivals has boosted its e-tail business. The retailer told The Financial Times that it has already hit last year's pre-tax earnings figure of £60.9m in the first nine months of its present financial year.

Fortnum & Mason is set to launch its food products in European department stores. The first ranges will launch in the food hall of LVMH-owned department store Le Bon Marché in Paris next month.

Brands

Turkey producer Bernard Matthews has restricted movement on two East Anglia farms after its birds tested positive for bird flu. The company said it was running its business "as normal" while Defra ran further tests.

Diageo has reached an ten-year agreement with Namibia Breweries to enable it to brew and distribute larger Windhoek globally except for certain African markets.

According to reports, Birds Eye plans to introduce unbreaded and unbattered products to capitalise on interest in healthy eating.

Mobile phone giant Vodafone is to cut 500 UK jobs as part of efforts to slash costs by £1bn as it grapples with the recession.

Britvic is relaunching J2O. The rebrand, which will be rolled out in May, includes revamped packaging and new flavours.

Irish food manufacturer Kerry Foods, owner of the Walls sausages, Homepride flour and Mattessons brands, has reported a 6% growth in revenue to €4.8bn for the year ended 31 December which boosted profit by 8% to €409m.

London cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco, which owns Lucky Strike and Dunhill, reported a 20% rise in pre-tax profit to £3.7bn for 2008, boosted by acquisitions in Scandinavia and Turkey.

Burton's Foods, the maker of Wagon Wheels, has launched two limited edition versions of the chocolate biscuit featuring 1970s gold packaging and a caramel flavour. The packs will be on sale until the summer.

Beauty products group L'Oreal has announced plans to fight the recession by introducing cheaper creams.

Premier Foods is to axe the Bisto name and replace it by putting the days of the week on packs instead, with jars and cartons reading "Aah! Monday" to "Aah Friday".