- Waitrose say sales of whole squid have risen by around 230 per cent
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Sales of squid have tripled due to the growing popularity of the Dukan diet with Mediterranean-style calamari set to become the barbeque hit of the summer.
Normally conservative Britons are developing a taste for squid which is low in fat, high in protein and one of the 100 or so foods permitted on the Dukan plan.
Nutritionists recommend it as it helps the body absorb iron, is rich in Vitamin B2 and contains high levels of the phosphorus which is good for the kidneys as well as teeth and bones.
Healthy choice: Squid is set to become the barbeque hit of the summer with supermarket chains reporting a huge surge in sales
Waitrose supermarket say sales of whole squid have risen by around 230 per cent in recent months compared to last year while sales of the tubes - or 'pouches' - have risen by 75 per cent.
The chain currently sells around 85 tonnes of squid a year but this is expected to rise to around 100 tonnes next year.
Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket, also reported a sharp rise in sales with a ten per cent increase in frozen squid so far this year compared to 2011.
Dukan disciples: Both Pippa Middleton and her mother Carole are said to maintain their slender figures by following the Dukan diet
Another reason behind the surge in demand is the the ease of preparation - squid is ready to eat after just as a minute or so on the grill.
The majority consumed in Britain is imported from South Africa or India, with fresh squid coming into season later in the summer.
Diet guru: Nutritionist Dr Pierre Dukan
But more are now being caught in British waters with 10.2 million worth landed by domestic fishermen in 2010, a 70 per cent rise on 2009 according to figures from the Marine Management Organisation.
Jeremy Ryland Langley, specialist buyer of fish and shellfish at Waitrose, told the Daily Telegraph: 'Brits are going mad for squid this year. It is one of our fastest-growing seafood lines and we expect to see it continue to rise in popularity.'
The rise of the Dukan Diet has attributed to celebrity adopters with the Duchess of Cornwall's mother and sister, Carole and Pippa Middleton said to be followers.
The diet aims to establish users' 'real weight' before helping them maintain it for the rest of their lives, concentrating at first on 72 high-protein foods including fish and non-fat yoghurts. Copious amounts of oat bran are also involved.
Vegetables and carbohydrates are introduced later on, but dieters must have one protein-only day a week for the rest of their lives.
Dr Dukan claims that 40 per cent of those who follow his diet never regain weight - compared with the usual figure of around 80 per cent.
Other celebrity fans are said to include Jenifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz and supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Morrisons appoints new corporate technical services director - Retail Bulletin
You are here: Home | News | Morrisons appoints new corporate technical services director
Morrison's has appointed Andrew Clappen as its new corporate technical services director. Clappen is replacing technical director Liam Pope, who is retiring after more than 25 years at the supermarket chain.
Previously senior vice president for food safety, quality assurance and regulatory affairs at Canadian retailer Loblaw, Clappen will be responsible for food safety, trading standards and compliance issues in his new role. He will report to Morrison’s corporate services director Martyn Jones.
In a separate move, Morrison’s has recruited Allison Taylor as loss prevention director to head up a new loss prevention unit. Taylor joins the supermarket from Dixons.
Commenting on the appointments Martyn Jones said: "These appointments are part of Morrisons ongoing development from a family business to a FTSE-50 company. They will ensure we have the right people and processes in place to satisfy our external stakeholders."
Tagged as: morrison's | loblaw
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Source: www.theretailbulletin.com
Watford Supporters Trust statement regarding takeover (From This Is Local London) - This is london Calling
Watford Supporters Trust statement regarding potential takeover by owners of Udinese and Granada
11:33am Tuesday 19th June 2012 in Latest Sport
Watford Supporters Trust have released a statement regarding the pending takeover of the Hornets, where among other things they raised concerns about the Golden Boys becoming a "nursery club" for Udinese.
The statement read: Over the past few months the board have been very active in making contact and holding discussions with a number of people, which has included attending executive meetings, meeting senior employees of the club and members of the board and maintaining close links with the media. We have been active in trying to make sure that all promised payments have been made and that developments (such as the new pitch and the SW corner) are fully funded, whilst at the same time trying to ensure that funds for more peripheral activities (such as possible future revenue streams) are not likely to cause short or long-term financial problems.
In this respect we have been seeking to increase the transparency in the operation of the club and its dealings and in so doing we have also had several discussions with Mr Bassini.
We were not prepared however to fuel any of the rumours, particularly since we have had a reasonably successful season and we are continually trying to maintain stability in the club after considerable instability in many ways.
It is always difficult at a time of rumour and speculation and we have been investigating the rumours for substance, including speaking to Mr Bassini. The culmination of the rumours you will now have seen as emerging stories in the press regarding the possibility/probability of a change in ownership of the club with the new owner likely to be Signor Pozzo who owns Udinese in Serie A and Granada in the Spanish first division. There is still uncertainty about this and it is not a done deal at the time of writing. This is a fluid and rapidly changing situation after a period of comparative calm on the surface.
Will this be good or bad for the club?
At the moment there has been no sale although it may be imminent. If the club is sold to Sr Pozzo we will have an owner with a general interest in Football. There is a strong possibility that he would want to bring some of Udinese’s younger players on loan to Watford, which is what he has done with Granada. This has implications for Sean Dyche’s control over player recruitment and the academy development of young players. Two or three talented young Italians who have to fight for their place in the team may have advantages in introducing players who have a high technical proficiency. However, if they have to be played under instructions from the owner, who currently seems to see Udinese as the focus of his operations, then this would be bad and we would simply become a nursery club for Udinese. It should be noted that Granada just missed relegation last season. It is also unknown what he would think about the community involvement of the club and any withdrawal of support from the Community Trust would be a serious undermining of the role and position of the club in the community, something that Watford FC is rightly admired for.
It is unclear just how much money Mr Bassini has put into the club and there is considerable secrecy over the finances. There are indications that some of the conditions of the purchase of the club by Mr Bassini have not been met in full, e.g. delays in payments and deadlines. While this in itself is not necessarily a cause for concern, it is indicative of having to operate very close to financial limits and it is possible that the operation has been financed through player sales. Again this is not necessarily a cause for concern because it is fundamentally what we were doing before Mr Bassini took over - but previously there was complete transparency, which as sole owner Mr Bassini does not need to embrace. However, such failures could trigger action by the bond holders to take back the club or to take control over key assets against which the sale has been secured, such as the ground. It is also of concern that if there is a cash flow problem that the pitch replacement could not be completed or the club could acquire a debt that it could not pay on time.
The Trust Board have been aware of events unfolding having been in close contact with the club and having spoken with Mr Bassini. While rumour and speculation should not be a reason to react prematurely we have been monitoring the situation and have been in regular contact with a number of key people. We will be using our influence to try and ensure that any deal will protect the club and its interests. If there is a new owner we would seek a very early meeting with the new owner and/or his representatives and we would want to see members of the current board retained on a future board to ensure continuity and representatives who would champion the Watford Way and what the club stand for.
We need an owner who will buy in to the values of the club and provide an extended period of financial and organisational stability. The Trust will do everything in its power to ensure that this is what happens.
Comments(38)
a1derek says...
11:39am Tue 19 Jun 12
pete50 says...
11:41am Tue 19 Jun 12
StephenKilamanjiro says...
11:42am Tue 19 Jun 12
WFCinexile says...
11:52am Tue 19 Jun 12
KL Massive says...
11:54am Tue 19 Jun 12
Colin West's mullet says...
11:56am Tue 19 Jun 12
llloydwithathirdl says...
11:59am Tue 19 Jun 12
wfc cassiobury says...
12:08pm Tue 19 Jun 12
cliff46 says...
12:25pm Tue 19 Jun 12
tonupchris says...
12:39pm Tue 19 Jun 12
not a regular says...
12:39pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Colin West's mullet says...
12:42pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Dunderdale Pinner says...
12:44pm Tue 19 Jun 12
StephenKilamanjiro says...
12:46pm Tue 19 Jun 12
StephenKilamanjiro says...
12:53pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Dunderdale Pinner wrote:Prime example of a doom and gloom monger...all teams have to adhere to the financial fair play system...if money is made for the football club, it stays with the football club it is made. It is either returned to the shareholders by way of dividend or used to finance the clubs trading expenditure. It's got nothing to do with economic climate, it's to more to do with the fact that they are trying to build an umbrella of European teams. They only sent players to Granada because they needed players at Granada. These guys aren't chancers like Baz, these guys have been involved in football teams, either as manager, I'm referring to Vitto Pozzo, who is the father of Giampaolo Pozzo, or owner, for the last 26 years, they have a proven track record of stability and solidarity, but done their own way. Values are important in football, I agree. But so is evolution.
A few points of concern. I hope Signor Pozzo has deep pockets. Three clubs could be a drain on his wallet. How open will he, or his son, be with supporters? Will he attend a fans forum to discuss his ideas for going forward? If WFC get to the premiership how can we ensure that the cash stays in the UK and not find its way to Italy or Spain? With the problems in the Euro for Italy and Spain is the UK a convenient place to put your money? What will be the future of the management team and in particular SD? We want to promote our Academy not have players forced on us unless they a some quality. Baz says they have a 100 players to choose from. That is not the way I would like to see WFC select their team. SD must have a say in who comes and goes. Having got a good team together and working for each other with a happy dressing room, do we really want this type of imposition? Yes I want WFC to move forward, but in the right manner. I do not want to see a lot of disruption in the dressing room.
Colin West's mullet says...
12:57pm Tue 19 Jun 12
jasonwatford says...
12:58pm Tue 19 Jun 12
llloydwithathirdl says...
1:01pm Tue 19 Jun 12
jasonwatford says...
1:10pm Tue 19 Jun 12
SAHornet says...
1:29pm Tue 19 Jun 12
garston tony says...
1:54pm Tue 19 Jun 12
mooneysmagic says...
2:11pm Tue 19 Jun 12
@heathFMResearch says...
2:19pm Tue 19 Jun 12
In the summer of 2009, the club was literally two weeks from closure, until the Pozzo family arrived. Since that summer, the club has gained two consecutive promotions and survival in the Primera, albeit by the skin of their teeth last season.
Fact is, without the Pozzo family, Granada CF would no longer exist. Whilst they're not Russian or Arabian oil billionaires, they are solid and supportive football people, who know how to run a football club well.
They cleared the debts and provided meaningful investment at Granada. Loaning players from Udinese obviously helped a great deal initially, certainly with the two promotions.
Granada CF is now one of very few clubs in Spanish football, free of debts. They're now a club with genuine potential for progress and in recent years, referring to the "meaningful investment" I mentioned earlier, have established a rapidly developing youth system - with 90% of the youth players being from Granada province.
I genuinely believe that the Pozzo family will want to preserve and improve upon what is already successful at Watford. They will not pump stupid amounts of money into the club, but they will invest wisely, in order to push Watford towards the Premier League.
Some may be concerned that Watford might become a "nursery" for Udinese. Look at how Udinese themselves have grown as a club over the last ten years. They will never go toe-to-toe financially against the giants of Italian football. They won't ever get the same level of sponsorship and don't have a huge supporter base.
They've invested wisely in players. This is the key. This is the "Udinese Model" at work. The same approach is being used at Granada CF and will likely be used at Watford.
I genuinely believe the Pozzo family taking control of Watford, will be a very positive thing. From the perspective of a Granada CF supporter and reporter, I've seen at first hand how they work - and have been extremely impressed.
Don't expect huge investments, or instant success, but do expect a club that will be managed extremely well and will certainly grow.
tonupchris says...
2:28pm Tue 19 Jun 12
@heathFMResearch wrote:Sounds very good and more importantly sensible.
I've lived in Granada for the last eight years and have followed the club since the Tercera, the fourth tier of Spanish football. They gained promotion to Segunda B4, but still struggled financially. Since following the club and reporting for various media in recent years, it's been an amazing journey.
In the summer of 2009, the club was literally two weeks from closure, until the Pozzo family arrived. Since that summer, the club has gained two consecutive promotions and survival in the Primera, albeit by the skin of their teeth last season.
Fact is, without the Pozzo family, Granada CF would no longer exist. Whilst they're not Russian or Arabian oil billionaires, they are solid and supportive football people, who know how to run a football club well.
They cleared the debts and provided meaningful investment at Granada. Loaning players from Udinese obviously helped a great deal initially, certainly with the two promotions.
Granada CF is now one of very few clubs in Spanish football, free of debts. They're now a club with genuine potential for progress and in recent years, referring to the "meaningful investment" I mentioned earlier, have established a rapidly developing youth system - with 90% of the youth players being from Granada province.
I genuinely believe that the Pozzo family will want to preserve and improve upon what is already successful at Watford. They will not pump stupid amounts of money into the club, but they will invest wisely, in order to push Watford towards the Premier League.
Some may be concerned that Watford might become a "nursery" for Udinese. Look at how Udinese themselves have grown as a club over the last ten years. They will never go toe-to-toe financially against the giants of Italian football. They won't ever get the same level of sponsorship and don't have a huge supporter base.
They've invested wisely in players. This is the key. This is the "Udinese Model" at work. The same approach is being used at Granada CF and will likely be used at Watford.
I genuinely believe the Pozzo family taking control of Watford, will be a very positive thing. From the perspective of a Granada CF supporter and reporter, I've seen at first hand how they work - and have been extremely impressed.
Don't expect huge investments, or instant success, but do expect a club that will be managed extremely well and will certainly grow.
jasonwatford says...
2:57pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Dunderdale Pinner says...
3:07pm Tue 19 Jun 12
a1derek says...
3:12pm Tue 19 Jun 12
garston tony says...
3:20pm Tue 19 Jun 12
StephenKilamanjiro says...
3:34pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Alex Hillcroft says...
3:40pm Tue 19 Jun 12
lutondown says...
4:02pm Tue 19 Jun 12
WFC4ever says...
4:30pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Mjp99 says...
4:41pm Tue 19 Jun 12
corbindallas says...
4:41pm Tue 19 Jun 12
BWood_Horn says...
4:52pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Thus far in the club’s recent history we have been owned by a variety of interests, whose only commonality appeared to be their ability to push us towards insolvency. We now appear to be ‘wanted’ by a group whose core business is football. We have seen what happens to clubs, such as ourselves, with small fanbases when they try to imitate the large debt-ridden enterprises that command the premier league. A common phrase used when discussing many aspects of what our club does is “The Watford Way”. Perhaps the link up between our Italian and Spanish partners – feeding each other players – is a better example of “The Watford Way” than the unsustainable wage demands of ‘bought in’ players paid for with the promises of next year’s TV revenue. This appears to be a very exciting time for WFC and it also appears to offer our club the first period of security we’ve had for, what seems, an awful long time.
I am writing this letter, because I feel that the views and forebodings of Prof Fawell and the WST are not representative of the club’s supporters.
lutondown says...
5:15pm Tue 19 Jun 12
BWood_Horn wrote:Yep
Like many of my fellow Hornets and Hornettes, I read the Watford Supporters Trust (WST) response, to the proposed Udinese takeover with some interest. Unfortunately, it appears that the WST’s published comments have very little in common with the views of the vast majority of supporters on www.wfcforums.com – a very large and diverse section of support and, normally, opinion.
Thus far in the club’s recent history we have been owned by a variety of interests, whose only commonality appeared to be their ability to push us towards insolvency. We now appear to be ‘wanted’ by a group whose core business is football. We have seen what happens to clubs, such as ourselves, with small fanbases when they try to imitate the large debt-ridden enterprises that command the premier league. A common phrase used when discussing many aspects of what our club does is “The Watford Way”. Perhaps the link up between our Italian and Spanish partners – feeding each other players – is a better example of “The Watford Way” than the unsustainable wage demands of ‘bought in’ players paid for with the promises of next year’s TV revenue. This appears to be a very exciting time for WFC and it also appears to offer our club the first period of security we’ve had for, what seems, an awful long time.
I am writing this letter, because I feel that the views and forebodings of Prof Fawell and the WST are not representative of the club’s supporters.
garston 'orn says...
5:16pm Tue 19 Jun 12
Sy says...
6:24pm Tue 19 Jun 12
lutondown wrote:The message I got from the statement wasn't doom and gloom as much as "they're football people which is a good sign but let's see what the business proposal is".BWood_Horn wrote:Yep
Like many of my fellow Hornets and Hornettes, I read the Watford Supporters Trust (WST) response, to the proposed Udinese takeover with some interest. Unfortunately, it appears that the WST’s published comments have very little in common with the views of the vast majority of supporters on www.wfcforums.com – a very large and diverse section of support and, normally, opinion.
Thus far in the club’s recent history we have been owned by a variety of interests, whose only commonality appeared to be their ability to push us towards insolvency. We now appear to be ‘wanted’ by a group whose core business is football. We have seen what happens to clubs, such as ourselves, with small fanbases when they try to imitate the large debt-ridden enterprises that command the premier league. A common phrase used when discussing many aspects of what our club does is “The Watford Way”. Perhaps the link up between our Italian and Spanish partners – feeding each other players – is a better example of “The Watford Way” than the unsustainable wage demands of ‘bought in’ players paid for with the promises of next year’s TV revenue. This appears to be a very exciting time for WFC and it also appears to offer our club the first period of security we’ve had for, what seems, an awful long time.
I am writing this letter, because I feel that the views and forebodings of Prof Fawell and the WST are not representative of the club’s supporters.
That seems fair enough to me. It's fairly clear we're going to have new owners one way or another so it's then just a case of understanding who they are and what their plans for the club are. I'm not sure it's possible to make any sort of informed opinion on whether this would potentially be a good or a bad thing until we know that.
As for whether the WST is representative of the club's supporters, I assume it is representative of its members which is all it can ever be. Supporters' Trusts have proven to be a very valuable tool elsewhere as they provide a forum and mouthpiece for fans' views which are independent from the club itself.
The WST does seem to have a certain amount of access to the club and to the media. If you don't think it represents your views and those of other supporters then it might be worth joining to give those views. Although the amount of influence any supporter's body has with the club will depend on the regime in place at any given time, the club and the media are more likely to speak to an organisation like that than they are to wade through the hundreds of comments on forums and comment boards.
One thing that everyone seems to agree with, though, is that the club needs a period of stability, no matter who the new owners are.
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Source: www.thisislocallondon.co.uk
New emissions policy will force biggest UK firms to reveal CO2 figures - The Guardian
Public companies in the UK are to become the first in the world forced to publish full details of the greenhouse gasses they produce, under plans to be announced by the government.
About 1,800 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, including some of the biggest corporate names in the world such as BP, Tesco and Tate & Lyle, will have to publish their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses blamed for climate change from April next year.
Other large companies could be asked to follow suit when the policy is reviewed in 2015, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, is expected to announce at the opening of the Rio+20 conference on sustainability in Brazil.
Writing in the Guardian, Clegg says the move is part of a drive to encourage companies to measure and so begin to manage their impact on the environment in a bid to improve their performance and reduce their stress on the natural world. Officials have calculated that the move will save the equivalent of 4m tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2021.
"Using resources responsibly is in business' own interests too," writes Clegg. "Pepsi depends on water; Unilever depends on fish stocks and agricultural land; and every firm relies on a stable fuel supply. But while nine out of 10 [chief executives] say sustainability is fundamental to their success, only two out of 10 record the resources they consume."
Some companies and business lobby groups have criticised the proposal, saying that managers already have enough work to do reporting emissions for other schemes such as the European emissions trading scheme and the Climate Change Act in the UK.
However other organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry, have been urging the Department for Environment to introduce the measure so that there are standard measures used by all businesses which can be compared more fairly.
"This is an area where corporate executives have been demanding more regulation from government to provide greater clarity and transparency," said Andrew Raingold, executive director for the Aldersgate Group, which has campaigned for the mandatory measure.
"Our detailed analysis demonstrates that reporting requirements will lead to huge cost savings for businesses as opportunities to reduce their energy use become more apparent," he added.
"Over three quarters of UK adults expect that businesses should be required to report their emissions, as demonstrated by a Populus poll that we published last month."
Under the scheme, from April 6 2013, companies on the main LSE (not the Alternative Investment Market) will have to publish total greenhouse gases for the year, measured in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide, a common international standard since CO2 is the most prevalent greenhouse gas. Some critics are likely to urge ministers to go further and require companies to cut their emissions over time.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Torbay Council refuse Torquay Tesco store plan - This is South Devon
MEMBERS of Torbay Council's development control committee have rejected an application by Tesco to build a new supermarket at Edginswell in Torquay.
Members were advised by officers to refuse the planning application for the out-of-town store.
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Picture by Alison Hernandez
Planning officers say the benefits of the scheme, such as the promise to create 240 new jobs and build 30,000sq ft of office space, do not 'outweigh the harm'.
They say the full planning application does not comply with existing Local Plan policy, which says the land should be used for offices.
The store would also 'have a negative impact' on existing food retail outlets.
The Torbay Town Centres Company objected to the plan and the Edginswell Residents Association had submitted a 50-signature petition against the scheme.
Follow the meeting as it happened in the panel below.
Source: www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk
Tesco shopper injured by champagne cork - Belfast Telegraph
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
A shopper has been injured by a champagne cork.
The woman was left with severe concussion after the run in with the popped bottle stopper.
The incident happened when a bottle of bubbly fell from the basket of another shopper, prompting the cork to escape the bottle and hit the women.
The freak accident happened in Tesco in Exeter on Saturday.
Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Join the queue! Shoppers have to wait nearly FOUR minutes to be served at Morrisons (but you can save a whole minute if you go to Waitrose) - Daily Mail
- Customers queue for an average of three minutes and 52 seconds at Morrisons
By Emily Allen
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Inpatient shoppers shouldn't bother heading to Morrisons to pick up their groceries as the waiting time at the checkout is almost four minutes, according to a new report.
Customers have to wait for an agonising three minutes and 52 seconds before they're served at the supermarket chain, research has found.
In contrast, upmarket supermarket Waitrose has the shortest queues, with shoppers only having to wait for an average of two minutes and 51 seconds to pay for their shopping.
Queue: Customers are irritated having to wait to pay for their groceries
Queuing times are regularly voted the biggest irritation by supermarket shoppers.
The queuing times have been measured by trade magazine The Grocer which carries out a weekly mystery shopping survey, tracking price, service and availability at the five leading grocery retailers, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
Research showed that the average time in the queue at Waitrose is just ahead of Asda on two minutes 57 seconds and Tesco at three minutes and five seconds.
Speedy: Waitrose has the fastest queuing time of two minutes and 51 seconds
But Sainsbury’s shoppers wait longer at three minutes 47 seconds with Morrisons bottom of the league table.
Last month it emerged that Asda is trialing a new type of 'hybrid' checkout which could be the answer for time-strapped shoppers.
AVERAGE QUEUING TIME
1. Waitrose 2 mins 51 seconds
2. Asda 2 mins 57 seconds
3. Tesco 3 mins 5 seconds
4. Sainsbury’s 3 mins 47 seconds
5. Morrisons 3 mins 52 seconds
The special till can switch from a check-out operated by a member of staff to a self-scan till in just a moment.
The chain thinks it could put an end to clock-watching customers reaching a till to find the 'This till is closed' sign displayed.
Four hybrid checkouts have been trialled in Asda’s superstore in Keighley in West Yorkshire.
A spokeswoman for Asda said the trial had gone 'very well' and that it would be rolling out the tills at another four superstores later this summer.
The biggest advantage of the hyrbids, which can be used by customers with trolleys as well as those with baskets, is that it will enable the store to have checkouts that are always open.
Self-scan tills first appeared in the UK in 2002 and were trialled by Asda and other supermarkets in 2003.
But they quickly became notorious for frustrated shoppers by announcing the presence of 'unexpected items in the bagging area'.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
calamari, if cooked on the barbecue have to be properly marinaded else it becomes rubbery. Stuffed with zucchini and shrimps they are SUPERB!!!!!!
- dario, Italy, 19/6/2012 21:55
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