Month: July 2015

Mondrian I. P. have raised its stake in Australian supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables.

London-based Mondrian Investment Partners has raised its stake in Australian supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables, Costa Group. Amsterdam-based P&P Cos Holdings also showed interest in the company.

Card fees for payment in supermarkets will be reduced.

Shoppers in Britain could enjoy lower prices next year as the government has announced plans to cap credit and debit card fees charged by banks to businesses.

Older Consumers – different needs
1 million people in Italy will be over 90 years old by 2026, and ageing is happening rapidly in many other European countries. This impacts every aspect of retail industry from layout of stores to design of packaging already. A simple example is adding more areas inside stores for people to sit down and rest, and providing better, larger signs and clearer labeling.

Ethical Consumers
Expect continued rise in consumers who chose products based on values – when prices and product features converge, the only differentiator is brand perception and values. Areas where ethics create price premium: Fair Trade coffee, free range eggs, organic food. Consumers will expect ethical products to be similar in price in future – and retail stores to remove products that they cannot morally justify.

New Zealand has ratified the WTO’s Procurement Pact.
New Zealand has ratified the WTO’s revised Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) and will benefit from new market access opportunities and other provisions.
We welcome New Zeeland’s companies to cooperation.

International trade registers modest growth in the first quarter of 2015.
The volume of international merchandise trade increased modestly in the first quarter of 2015, with growth in both exports and imports registering slower growth than over the previous six months. According to preliminary estimates issued on 24 June, world trade as measured by the average of exports and imports grew 0.7 per cent in the first three months of 2015, based on seasonally adjusted data.

Country of origin labeling disputes.
Appellate body report on COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELLING disputes adopted The Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on 29 May. The Appellate Body reports in the disputes “United States – Certain Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) Requirements – Recourse to Article 21.5 (compliance panel) of the Dispute Settlement Understanding” by Canada and Mexico.

Favoring Local Products Issue.
The Committee on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs) considered issues about concerns on allegedly favoring domestic over imported products through local requirements by governments in several countries in order to support fair competition on a retail market.