Michigan’s wine grape acreage doubled over the past decade, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service. While acreage of Concord and Niagara grape varieties – used primarily for juice, jams, and jelly – has remained steady at approximately 12,000 acres over the past 10 years,…
DetailsThe wine industry outperformed spirits and beer with a 4.6% rate of volume growth in 2011, the largest percent gain in adult beverage, according to Technomic’s recently released 2012 WineTAB (Trends in Adult Beverage) report, which projects another industry-leading year in 2012. In total, the wine industry expanded in 2011 to reach 329.2 million nine-liter…
DetailsR.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has filed a lawsuit against electronic cigarette maker SAS Technologies, accusing the company of infringing on its Camel and Winston brands, reported The Business Journal. SAS Technologies does business as SaveASmoker.com and promotes and sells flavored liquid nicotine products for use with its MaxxVapor Pro e-cigarettes. The lawsuit was filed last…
DetailsFranchise business owners say they are less likely to expand following the Nov. 6 elections, according to a survey of franchisors, franchisees and industry suppliers. The survey, held during a Nov. 7 telephone town hall meeting of nearly 1,800 International Franchise Association (IFA) members, reaffirms that new franchise business formation for 2012 is down from…
DetailsThe Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association, and National Grocers Association have released free guidelines designed to promote model practices in digital couponing and reduce the incidence of coupon fraud. Produced by the Joint Industry Coupon Committee (JICC), Voluntary Guidelines for Digital Coupons shares model digital coupon practices in order to promote a positive experience…
DetailsWe all love our children. However, just because you love your children and get along with them does not mean you can assume that they will love each other or get along with each other in the same way. The reality is that when there is money on the table, family history and love can…
DetailsLiving Essentials LLC, distributor of 5-hour Energy shot, has discovered counterfeit 5-hour Energy products circulating in the marketplace. The company acted swiftly to identify and halt the counterfeiting operation, filed lawsuits in U.S. Federal District courts in both California and New York, and executed court orders that have permitted it to seize large quantities of…
DetailsCollege students aged 18 to 24 made 351.4 million visits to convenience stores and spent about $5.2 billion on c-store products in the 12-months ending June 2012, according to a recently released report by The NPD Group. With the population of full-time and part-time college students currently at 19 million, and their discretionary spending reaching…
DetailsTinfoil thievery—where criminals use the foil to block satellite dish reception—is back in Michigan and Illinois, Oil Express reports. The Michigan Petroleum Association is warning retailers of the scam, in which one person uses a bad credit card to start fueling and distracts employees, while another climbs onto the station’s rooftop to wrap the satellite…
DetailsIn a recent SupermarketGuru.com poll, a sweeping majority (71%) had purchased gluten-free (GF) foods within the past three months, and 54% expect to continue to regularly buy GF foods. Most believe consumers are buying gluten-free products because they believe they are healthier, but the Lempert Report found that the top five reasons reported by the consumer…
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