Trade Promotion

VIENNA, Va. --The National Confectioners Association here and Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) are jointly holding the EPPS Candy Marketplace, May 15 -- 18 in Scottsdale, Ariz., which will bring buyers and sellers together to focus on the Easter and Valentine's Day selling opportunities.

Washington, D.C. -- The United States is claiming victory in a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute with the European Union over the use of regional food names linked to many well-known cheese, wine and meat products.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Senate Committee on Business and Professions, chaired by Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Alameda and Santa Clara counties), will hold an informational hearing today on slotting fees in the grocery industry. The hearing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon in Room 112 of the State Capitol.

CHICAGO - Philip Morris USA has cut wholesale discounts on its best-selling Marlboro cigarettes and three other brands, effectively raising prices for the first time in more than two and a half years.

NEW YORK - Coinciding with the seventh annual National Coupon Month (September), the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA) Coupon Council released 2003 coupon distribution and usage data that showed manufacturers offered more than $250 billion in coupons in 2003, resulting in $3 billion in consumer savings.

WASHINGTON - While the CITAC/ASDA Shrimp Task Force blasted the U.S. Department of Commerce's preliminary decision to impose a food tax on imported shrimp from Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Thailand, saying it would continue its fight against dumping duties on shrimp imports, the 2,000-member Southern Shrimp Alliance welcomed the move.

NEW YORK - "Trade loading," the practice of shipping product ahead of consumption, could be the focus of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of General Mills Inc., Dow Jones Newswires reports.

As beef prices reach record highs, retailers need to stock up on alternative proteins or risk losing considerable sales and consumer interest in one of the supermarket's most influential profit centers.