Category Archives: Fresh Worldwide Press

What is going on in the Franchisig, Ho.Re.Ca, Hospitality and Retail business worldwide? A selection of my favorite news, with sustainability on top!

Retailers, get ready for tablet computer shopping revolution!

Shopping search engine Shopzilla recently published a research showing that the “tablet revolution”, as online shopping via iPads and similar tablet devices is set to climb high in popularity, just as it has done in the US.
 
The research reveals that although the iPad was only launched 12 months ago, 6% of European shoppers already own a tablet and a further 20% are considering buying a device in the next year. The majority of owners said it was as easy to use for online purchases as a personal computer.
 
This trend is set to mirror the US where the iPad is driving a revolution in e-commerce.  A recent US Shopzilla study showed that 12% of consumers now have a tablet device, and a further quarter plan to buy one in the next year. In the European survey, an overwhelming 5-to-1 ratio name the iPad as their tablet of choice.

The Shopzilla research was conducted in Europe’s three largest online retail markets: the UK, France and Germany.  It also revealed that almost 80% of current tablet owners view their device as an addition to their technology arsenal rather than as a replacement for an existing device.
 
The research by Shopzilla of almost 5,000 online shoppers, also revealed:
 
– Nearly two thirds (61%) of iPad or tablet users said it was as easy to shop online with their hand-held device as it was with their personal computer;
– The majority, 71%, had bought or would buy online using their device;
– Dual-screen technology meant 70% of tablet users even watch TV while browsing shopping sites simultaneously, which is really interesting from a cross-platform marketing point of view;
– 53% of iPad or tablet users surveyed used their device to browse shopping sites and share shopping experiences with friends, showing that social shopping has extented its power in real life too;
– 27% of online shoppers currently used a smartphone to browse shopping sites with friends

Rachel Smith, business services senior director at Shopzilla, said:
“Since their launch in April last year, an astonishing 25 million iPads have been sold worldwide, and with one in five online shoppers telling us they plan to buy a tablet in the next 12 months, this is clearly set to be a huge trend for UK  shoppers.”
 
Smith added: “The year of mobile commerce, which has been predicted for some time, is finally here. With the explosion of the tablet market we are seeing a seismic change, and the opportunity will be for the retailers who are first to get it right.” (Source: The Retail Bulletin, image courtesy of The Belton Group)

A new shop concept by DESITA and …ECOFFEE

I am glad to announce that DESITA is planning a shop concept for the new image of the Saadeddin pastry shops chain located in many states and cities of the Arabian peninsula, whose first restyling project has been planned for one of its Riyadh branches.

After having spent a couple of months briefing with the client in Italy and in Saudi Arabia and after having visited the shop location in Riyadh, we are now defining its layout following the client wishes and our already confirmed inputs about the sale process. The chain’s new brand image will be a young, fresh, trendy and European one.

The pastry shop project will be developed over an area of about 350 square meters and will include an innovative sale formula, for the Saudi habits, which we are sure will generate great interest and attention not limited to the Arab area only.

Thanks also to our fortnightly experience in the foodservice business, to our knowledge of the Arab culture and customer behavior and to the unlimited trust from our Client, we will merge the local traditions and habits into a new shop concept, designing innovative interiors and also a new way to intend the coffee shop area along the “single” (reserved to men only) and the “family” rooms areas.

It is in fact required in Saudi Arabia that food shops with catering facilities have specifically reserved entrances, men-only sitting rooms and other ones for women and families.

Furthermore, in agreement with the client, the concept is going to be developed following, where possible, the ECOFFEE guidelines as per the use of materials, equipment, products and sustainable solutions.

This important client has been collaborating with us for many years and his trust has always been rewarded allowing his company to be a trendsetter one in his area of business. His willingness to embrace sustainability in this new sales formula will grant him a sure competitive advantage. It is a honor for us to collaborate with such of farsighted and open minded client.

The combination of the new business formula and of the ECOFFEE guidelines applied to this first pastry shop will be next used in all the other chain branches, so that to make it a point of reference for the sustainability trend in a geographical area more and more sensitive to this issue.

Lebanon’s hotels need to implement responsible hospitality

A great article by Omar J. Sakr, in the Hospitality News Magazine, gives a detailed picture of Lebanon’s Hotel industry as per the introduction of environmental practices.

The author talks about the major findings of his recent field research conducted in Lebanon between June 2010 and January 2011, which show that international hotel chains in Lebanon are more likely to implement environmental practices than local ones. This research also identified different barriers that are not allowing hotels to fully adopt environmentally friendly practices. The major identified barriers were the financial resources of the hotel, the lack of national infrastructure, the lack of awareness among managers and staff, the lack of awareness among guests, the lack of expertise in applying EMS (Environmental Management Systems), and finally the lack of compliance with the existing legislation, which is not compulsory in most of the cases.

75% of international chain hotels in Lebanon are implementing environmental practices with 50% of them implementing formal EMS; the results of the local and regional hotels have shown that only 16% of these hotels are implementing some types of environmental practices and the remaining hotels of this category are mostly implementing energy saving measures.

Not all the hotels managed by international chains are implementing what their mother companies have already achieved in other markets. They are likely to introduce different environmental practices and at varying levels. One of these hotels had not introduced any environmental action, while another hotel has a Responsible Business Manager; other hotels generally assigned environmental policies and practices to the engineering manager

The managers of international hotel chains showed more interest in implementing environmental practices then the managers of local hotels, mainly as a result of the culture of the mother company and the economies of scale at which their companies operate. It is worth pointing out that none of the rurally located hotels, which are individually owned, participated in the survey. The lack of environmental management is the most probable reason for this. The full article is available here.

Another great goal achieved: FCSI membership

After fifteen years of international experience in the foodservice business, I have achieved the status of consultant member of the FCSI – FoodService Consultants Society International. It is a great honor to me to be able to connect and interact with all other FCSI professionals all over the world.

Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) is the premier association promoting professionalism in foodservice and hospitality consulting. With over 1300 members in over 46 countries, FCSI members offer a wide range of consulting services including concept development, feasibility studies, food safety, design, marketing, operations and training. Membership requirements are stringent and FCSI members are recognized as industry experts. We Share, We Support, We Inspire!

Generally speaking, a foodservice consultant is an independent professional advisor who, for a defined scope of work and related fee, works as an advocate for their client in achieving their goals through the design and implementation of foodservice facilities and/or operations/management systems. Consultants provide expertise, knowledge and experience to provide assistance that does not exist in-house, or by providing resources not available at the time. As independent professionals their primary focus is the welfare of the client organization that they serve.

When considering a foodservice project, a FCSI consultant should be your first choice. FCSI is the only such consulting society that operates on a worldwide basis. FCSI maintains a global focus with members in over 45 countries dedicated to providing the highest quality of service. FCSI consultant members must abide by a strict Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. They work efficiently to achieve total client satisfaction and always maintain independence from the supply side of the industry.

For further information: http://www.fcsi.org/ – http://www.fcsi-italia.org/

A cool interactive system projects food onto restaurants diners’ plates

When dining at new restaurants, trying to select a meal from an unfamiliar menu can often place patrons in a quandary. A new projection system in London’s Inamo restaurant, however, hopes to alleviate some of this uncertainty by displaying images of meals on diners’ tables as they browse the menu.

The pan-Asian restaurant uses unique technology called E-table, which is designed to give patrons more “control over their dining experience”. Projectors are installed in the venue’s ceiling, which turn the tabletops into the equivalent of a computer monitor. Using a touch mousepad on the table, diners can navigate the interactive ordering system, with images of each meal being projected onto their plate as they browse the menu. The system also enables diners to place their orders themselves, change the pattern of the projection to function as a virtual tablecloth, view a live webcam feed of the kitchen, play games with other diners, find out more about what’s happening the neighborhood, and order taxis. A video with Inamo co-creator Noel Hunwick can be viewed below:

The versatility of the system means there is plenty of potential here both to make the dining experience more entertaining and immediate, as well as for sponsorship and themed events and launches. Whilst we’ve seen numerous restaurants create apps and install tablets on-site, Inamo have bucked that trend to create a dining experience that is truly unique. Food for thought! (Source: Springwise)

ECOFFEE by DESITA in the 2011 Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa – ninth edition

The Sodalitas Social Award every year prizes the most significant social responsibility initiatives implemented in Italy either by large, medium and small companies operating in any branch of activity, or by business associations, by industrial districts and by government agencies. This award differs from other initiatives for its high social value – also recognized by the President of the Republic – and the growing acceptance and engagement. To participate to the Sodalitas Social Award means to be part of a selected group of companies which have distinguished themselves for their careful attention to the citizens needs, to market trends, to innovation as a tool to allow the grow of the society and to sustainability.

ECOFFEE by DESITA has been published in the Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (Golden Book of Corporate Social Responsibility), collecting all the companies which applied to the Sodalitas Social Award and that have been recognized by the Sodalitas organization as  worth a mention for their actions towards a more sustainable world.

ECOFFEE by DESITA has been published in the “Sodalitas Libro d’Oro della Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa”, collecting all the companies which applied to the Sodalitas Social Awards and that have been recognized by the Sodalitas organization as  worth a mention for their actions towards a more sustainable world.

To have participated to the Sodalitas Social Awards and to have been published in their Libro d’Oro sulla Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa is a great honour for all of us who are involved in the ECOFFEE by DESITA project. This is further stimulating our daily actions towards an always greater and constant attention to those practices that can change the way we all do business, towards a better business. Our commitment to sustainability is the result of a deep belief and of continuous improvement. It is not easy, but we’re going all out.

Whole Foods, Trade Joe’s and Apple ranked in the U.S. top 10

Trader Joe’s took the No. 5 slot with Apple coming in at No. 9. Other top 10 brands were Tom’s of Maine, Burt’s Bees, The Walt Disney Company, S.C. Johnson, Dove and Starbucks and Microsoft, which tied for No. 10. Consumers said that what makes a green brand is its commitment to green products, corporate actions and values. Other top attributes of green companies is the offer good value, are responsible and reliable, are trustworthy and care about their customers.

“When we analyzed the approach of the top ten brands companies, using our Esty Environmental Scorecard, it was clear that the winners achieve a product-value-information trifecta,” said Amy Longsworth, partner at Esty Environmental Partners. “The top brands offer clear price value through co-benefits: a great innovative product that meets my functional needs plus green attributes that meet my values needs. These companies also tend to have robust life-cycle insight and complete sustainability strategies across their value chains, which enable them to draw from rich experience and data for their consumer communications.”

The seventh annual Green Brands study polled more than 9,000 people in eight and was conducted by WPP agencies Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associates and Penn Schoen Berland Associates, as well as independent sustainability strategy consulting firm Esty Environmental Partners.

The study also found that consumers’ appetite for green products has increased significantly over the past year, with special interest around environmental products in the auto, energy and technology sectors.

When it comes to current usage of green products or services, the 2011 study reveals that the household products and grocery categories have the highest consumer adoption rates in all countries except China, where packaged goods/beverages and personal care are the most used categories.

“We’re seeing a shift in the ‘In Me, On Me, Around Me’ mentality when it comes to purchasing green products,” said Russ Meyer, Chief Strategy Officer of Landor Associates. “Consumers have a good understanding of how green choices in personal care, food and household products directly affect their families, and they are now seeing benefits like costs savings that attract them to higher cost items like cars and technology.” (Source: GreenRetail decisions)

Amazing meeting with the “Green Sheikh”

It was a nice February morning in Dubai when my attention was captured by an article published on BuildGreen magazine. It was about Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al-Nuaimi , member of the ruling Royal Family of Ajman, UAE. I was stroked by the words of Sheikh Abdul Aziz, also known worldwide as the Green Sheikh, who choose to use his influence and connections to create a better world through faith, charity and sustainability.

I said to myself: “This is a man I absolutely have to know”. And thanks to his openness, this happened at the end of May.

He agreed to meet me in a three-day long meeting in Ajman, suggesting me where to stay and setting up a flexible schedule to adjust his previously scheduled meetings. My idea was to share with this big influencer all the information, projects and ideas which form ECOFFEE to have his highly reputable opinion about. What happened was that I did not only have the opportunity to have the Green Sheikh commenting what I have been building during the last year, but he also wanted me to join all his meetings and conference calls, introducing me to his world. And it is a big, very interesting one.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz today is Vice President and CEO of the Al Ihsan Charity Centre which supplies food and essentials to the needy. He has a life mission which is guided by Islam: “to achieve all manners of excellent deeds for the satisfaction of Allah (Muslim and Non-Muslim God).” In that mission is protecting the environment and thanks to his education (MA in environmental management, PhD in clean production) and his zealousness, he has activated and coordinated the formation of environmentally and socially responsible non-governmental organizations; created partnerships between public, private and local communities; has advised and raised awareness among decision makers, has participated in steering committees for strategic sustainability in major sectors, and have promoted these issues in the media in the regions of the United Arab Emirates, the GCC (Arabian Gulf Region), and in some other Arab countries, like Jordan. Last but not least, he believes that supporting and educating young generations is a must to create a better, sustainable future.

 As you might guess, I was a little bit intimidated when I first met him, but he was incredibly welcomed and “Down to Earth”, letting me feel at my ease straightaway. “Come with me, I show you the Al Ihsan Charity Centre”. He guided me to Centre, introducing me to his office manager Mr. Khalid, a smart and cleaver young future businessman, and Dr. Haki before leaving for an important meeting. Dr. Haki carefully explained me what the Center is about and what are the activities that takes place in that premise.

The Al Ihsan Charity Center, provides financial, health care and many others support to 9,000 families, 25% of local Emiratis and where each afternoon food is distributed to those who are in need. I was speechless and said to myself: “This is a great man who speaks with his actions, not only with wise words”. Back from the meeting, the Green Sheikh drove me to his house to have dinner with his kids – can you imagine how honored I was to be welcomed to his house too? After a delicious meal, we sat down in the living room and it was my turn to start talking to introduce him ECOFFEE. The knowledge and expertise of the Green Sheikh about the issues of sustainability and responsibility, much wider than mine and much at a worldwide level, brought a new perspective inside the ECOFFEE project. There are quite a lot of similarities between the ECOFFEE project and what Sheikh Abdul Aziz is fighting for. He has directly and indirectly influenced a ban on petroleum-based plastic bags, a new recycling program in Ajman, and an initiative to install sensors that will help reduce energy and water consumption. Although supportive of Masdar City as a hub for R&D in the UAE, the Green Sheikh prefers more modest initiatives, believing that “if 20% of the people had little Masdars and the government gave incentives that would make a difference.” As in ECOFFEE, small everyday gestures can make a big difference.

Surprise was not over that day, because our conversation had to be interrupted for a scheduled conference call with Terry Waghorn, CEO of Katerva, a charity organization registered out of the United Kingdom which delivers the Katerva Awards—the pinnacle of global sustainability recognition – and which acknowledge Sheikh Abdul Aziz among its Goodwill Ambassadors for his ability to take his ’holistic living’ message to the world, activating his moral networks worldwide and galvanizing people of all ages, religions and backgrounds. I was invited to assist at that conference, during which the Sheikh showed once again his being a great, “down-to-earth”, big influencer.

The day after, Sheikh Abdul Aziz had to attend the GITSI conference. GITSI is the Global Initiative Towards a Sustainable Iraq. He did not change his schedule because of my presence, much better: he kindly asked to change the conference schedule to allow me to introduce ECOFFEE to all the participants. That was a great opportunity given me by Sheikh Abdul Aziz and I was able to shrink my usually 40 minute long presentation into a dense 15 minutes span. All his supporting and sharing really made me understand what he meant by ” I am following the core values of an Islamic philosophy based on appreciation and respect. My holistic living message describes one as being connected to the daily circle of life; balancing the spiritual, the intellectual, the physical, the emotional, the aesthetic, the environmental and my own inner peace to help spread peace throughout the world and in the process achieve wisdom.”, values that we often forget about and that should instead permeate our lives.

The conference was over and we left the International guests towards another interesting meeting with the upcoming Dubai HUB managing partners. The time came to pray – and the Sheikh Abdul Aziz wanted to share with me that experience too, allowing me to follow him at the Mosque, another great new experience I have to thank him for. He told me: I will teach you the Wudhu, how to act in the Mosque and how to follow us in the prayer movements but you will be totally free to pray yours and our God. Another sign of his open mind. Meetings with big influencers and great inspiring conversations took place the last day too, and again the Sheikh introduced me to his world and network reinforcing my belief that it is possible to create a better business, a better life and a better world through collaboration, sharing and deep respect.

A comparative analysis about Multichannel Retail in US and UK

Last month Econsultancy surveyed 2,000 consumers in the UK and 2,000 consumers in the US, to unearth attitudes to multichannel shopping and service.

The majority of consumers would find it useful to have a choice of retail channels, and a significant 33.5% felt this was very important. The results were very similar for both US and UK respondents, so the charts show aggregated data.

How important is it to be able to purchase from a retailer using different channels?

Quite a difference between US and UK consumers, with the latter far more likely to reserve items for in-store collection. Many of the biggest multichannel retailers in the UK are offering this service, (Argos, John Lewis, Halfords etc) with some success. For example, Argos’ multichannel sales grew to £1.9bn in the year up to February 26 2011, representing almost half (46%) of its total sales. The reserve and collect iPhone app accounted for 1% of total sales.

Do you reserve products online before collecting them from an offline store?

The use of mobile when shopping offline represents a growing challenge for retailers, as these stats show.

Use of Mobile Websites

US consumers are slightly more likely to use barcode scanners and compare prices via mobile, but a significant minority of US and UK respondents are using mobile as an offline shopping aid. Multichannel returns The vast majority of both US and UK respondents expect to be able to return items bought online to a local store.

However, as Snow Valley’s recent Online Returns Report found, just half of the multichannel retailers studied allow customers to do this. 

If you buy something online, do you expect to be able to return it to a local store?

Use of catalogues Percentage of customers that have used catalogues at least once in the past year before buying online or in store – aggregated US and UK results. (Source: Econsultancy)

A more sustainable coffee begins with a more sustainable water use

Coffee is one of the world’s most valuable commodities, and global annual sales reach up to $70bn (£43bn). The small green bean that has its origins in Ethiopia has long been the brew of choice throughout Europe. Across the pond, office workers clutching towering cups of coffee are a routine morning sight throughout the US.

Even in places known for their tea culture, coffee has transformed social life. Coffee requires only two ingredients – ground roasted coffee beans and water – but in the coming years, the latter ingredient will vex companies that source and market the product.

Coffee is both a labour – and resource-intensive crop to grow. The Dutch NGO Water Footprint Network estimates that a standard European cup of coffee or espresso (125 ml) requires 140 litres of water – which is to say that one part of coffee consumes 1100 parts of water. Meanwhile, droughts in Brazil and Colombia, two of the world’s largest coffee producers, could spark price increases that, in the short term, may contribute to profits, but in the long term will force companies to develop programmes that ensure water conservation throughout their supply chains and especially at the source: farms.

Much of coffee’s water footprint results from the beans’ cultivation. To that end, NGOs such as Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade USA engage farmers across the globe to work together on reforestation projects. While “shade grown” coffee makes for fancy labelling, Rainforest Alliance’s work both preserves the watersheds that provide drinking water while preventing erosion. These programmes provide farmers modest financial returns that encourage them to plant more trees – and reverse the deforestation that resulted in part from the expansion of massive coffee plantations. Companies, like Kraft Foods, with its brands of coffee that includes Kenco, Gevalia, and Maxwell House, have promised to source more sustainable coffee certified by Rainforest Alliance and other third-party certification groups.

Companies that rely on coffee sales to boost their bottom line have responded in kind by becoming engaged at the source. Nestlé UK, for example, funds responsible farming practices in Ethiopia. Coffee farmers in the village of Hama, 310 miles south of Addis Ababa, for years struggled financially and faced declining yields even though the quality of their coffee beans was high. A Nestlé team realised one issue was a wasteful process that separated coffee beans from their pulp. The pulp was a potentially valuable source of compost for the farmers, but instead the farmers discharged it into the local river – where the pulp became a toxin that polluted local water supplies. A pulping machine from South America separated the lucrative bean from the pulp and provided farmers a source of compost, while slashing the ratio of litres of water to kilogram of coffee from 60-1 to 3-1.

Meanwhile, the global giant coffee retailer Starbucks has focused on its water performance within its stores. Three years ago the Seattle-based chain committed to a 25% reduction in water use throughout its stores by 2015. So far the company has reported a decrease in stores’ water consumption by 22%. Much of that decrease has resulted from discontinuing the use of dipper wells, fixtures that constantly stream water to clean utensils and eliminate food residues. That move alone cut Starbucks’ water consumption by about 100 gallons (378 litres) of water per day, per store.

Despite Starbucks’ success, however, companies must work on more efficient coffee sourcing processes throughout their supply chains. Pilot projects like those of Nestlé’s and of Rainforest Alliance’s are templates from which companies can learn if they want their future coffee businesses to not only be sustainable and profitable, but also survive as the global demand for water surges. (Source:Leon Kaye/GuardianUK – Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis)