Pasty Tax - The Crust of the Matter
You will have been unable to avoid the recent furore over the humble pasty. No-one could have predicted that a disagreement over tax on the favourite Cornish bake would grace the front of every national newspaper and trend, inevitably, on Twitter as #pastytax.
The Olympic Opportunity
It was announced this week that Cornish company Deli Farm Charcuterie has secured two Olympic Games contracts to supply its air dried charcuterie to athletes and visitors. This clearly demonstrates the continuing scope for regional businesses to benefit from supply opportunities offered by the games.
Beer Festival to support Adoption Charity
Some of the region’s best known brewery companies will be attending the increasingly popular Michelmores Annual Beer Festival which this year will be raising funds for Exeter based adoption charity, Families for Children.
Late Delivery Charges: Supermarket v. Supplier
Two supermarket giants have recently become the subject of much criticism after levying "late delivery" charges on their grocery suppliers. Tesco and Waitrose have been deducting between £10 and £60 from suppliers' trade accounts for every late delivery. The suppliers are often small local businesses and these fines are making a big dent in their profits. One business reported that, within 6 months, it had been fined thousands of pounds, representing 4% of its turnover. Is this justifiable behaviour or, as many critics have commented, "an absolute abuse of power"?
The Secret Ingredient
The "Lea and Perrins" recipe has been kept secret for over 160 years. Originally developed by chemists Mr Lea and Mr Perrins, they passed the knowledge onto their sons who in turn passed the recipe on to a select few. David Thompson at Michelmores looks at the advantages of keeping commercially sensitive information, including recipes and product specifications, secret.
Free Range – How much do we really know?
Free range produce has been a hot topic in the press for a number of years, and most consumers are keen to ensure that they are purchasing from a source which protects animal welfare. But how many of us really understand what free range produce is and, more importantly, if we are actually buying the real article?
How to assess the risk of supplier failure and what to do if it happens
Exeter based food importer and distributor Avilton Foods has been in the press recently after entering administration in September. It is reported that the business owes more than £200,000 to Fresh Retail Ventures, which is part of the Jamie Oliver group. As an unsecured creditor, it is unlikely that Fresh Retail Ventures will recover these monies from Avilton. This case highlights the importance of protecting your business against creditors or suppliers in financial difficulty.
Alternative Routes to Market
In our last article Moving into the International Market, David Thompson looked at reaching new markets through agency or distributorship arrangements. We now consider some alternative routes to the international market.
