News from Monster Munch

WALKERS RETRO REVIVAL SEES THE RETURN OF THE ORIGINAL MONSTER MUNCH!

For all those grown ups who have spent years wondering if it is their growing hands that made Monster Munch appear smaller, they will be pleased to hear that Walkers Snacks is rewinding the clocks, and returning the snack to its original monster size!

The re-launch comes in response to growing consumer demand and will take Monster Munch back to the original retro pack design and old texture, flavour and crunchiness that consumers remember and love.

The re-brand will see the loveable Monster Munch Monsters, stars of the 70s and 80s advertising campaign, back on pack. The monsters will stir memories for millions who remember the ads with the same nostalgic fondness as the A-team, space hoppers and leg warmers!

Dominic South, Monster Munch Senior Brand Manager, says:
‘We’re hugely excited to be re-launching Monster Munch and taking the brand back to how it used to be. Consumers have made it clear through both our own research and within online communities that they miss Monster Munch the way it used to be. It’s great that a product like this can evoke so many memories for people and we think the re-launch will appeal to the big kid in us all!’

From September the re-branded Monster Munch will be back on shelf, as Mega Monster Munch, available in Roast Beef, Pickled Onion and Flaming Hot flavours. Each 40g packet will have a RRP of 50p and will be based on the original pack design complete with the reappearance of the Monster Munch Monsters.

News from ASDA

BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH: HOW BRITISH HOUSEHOLDS CAN SAVE £27K
Small changes in daily life can save thousands

The average UK household[1] can save over £27,000 throughout the course of a lifetime[2] and decrease their carbon footprint by making small, everyday changes to the way energy is used in the home, according to a report[3] released by ASDA today.

The study by York University’s Centre for Sustainability Accounting (CenSA) also reported that these changes would have a significant impact on the environment, saving 209 tonnes of Co2 during a lifetime, the equivalent to travelling 115,000 miles by car.

On the back of the study, ASDA launched a booklet giving customers tips and advice on easy ways to save money and live a healthy lifestyle, while helping the environment at the same time. Included is advice such as, changing 10 light bulbs to their energy saving equivalent could save a household £50 a year. In addition, mock kitchens are being set up in 18 of its key stores around the UK to bring to life how simple it is to make these changes.

The report found that substantial savings can be made throughout a lifetime by taking simple actions. Turning the heating down by just 1 degree can save a household almost £6,000 and not heating the house when it’s empty can save a further £4,500. Also, just by not leaving appliances on standby, each home can save over £2,000 during a lifetime – if all households in the UK did this then it would save enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes every single year. Pennies can also be saved every time a cup of tea is made, simply by using just the right amount of water in the kettle.

The following table details the possible financial savings for households across the UK. It also shows the significant benefits on Carbon Footprint with the amount of CO2 saved over a lifetime:

Lifetime Financial Saving (£) and Lifetime CO2 Saving (Kg)

Turning off lights when not needed
£806
2,923Kg

Not leaving appliances on standby
£2,296
8,323Kg

Using the right amount of water in the kettle
£560
2,030

Not heating rooms when not using them
£3,675
60,900Kg

Not heating the house when not in it
£4,533
75,110Kg

Turning the heating down by 1 degree
£5,779
25,814Kg

Using energy saving light bulbs
£381
1,380Kg

Using efficient appliances
£6,944
25,172

Turning off mobile phone charger
£426
1,543Kg

Having showers instead of baths
£1,680
6,090Kg

TOTAL
£27,080
209,285Kg

Surprisingly, it is not London residents that have the largest Carbon Footprint but those in South-East England and the London commuter belt, with people in the North-East being the most environmentally friendly. Residents of Gateshead, South Tyneside, Swindon and Gloucester all ranked the lowest in terms of their Carbon Footprint, with the people of East Hertfordshire, St Albarns, Mole Valley and Elmbridge ranking the highest.

“The UK is responsible for 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year and of this, households are accountable for 75%,” commented John Barrett, Research Associate at CenSA. “This means that by making small changes to their consumption patterns, households can make a big difference to the environment and also save money.”

ASDA’s booklet also recommends how financial and environmental savings can not only be made through changes to energy consumption but also by making changes to diet, the types of products bought and ways of travelling.

A healthy diet that includes fruit, vegetables, wholegrain foods versus an average UK diet which includes alcohol, cheese, soft drinks, more meat and less vegetables will save the average British family almost £100 per year[4]. Also, using the right amount of products and avoiding waste can lead to considerable savings, as identified by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, during an interview he gave at the G8 summit in July. Up to 30% of fresh food that is purchased ends up in the bin and if this was rectified it could lead to savings of approximately £180 over the course of a year[5].

Julian Walker-Palin at ASDA said: “As my Mum said ‘if you look after the pennies, the pounds will look after themselves’ and this survey has proved her right. Although savings don’t look big in the short term, the savings of a lifetime are considerable – more than the average annual salary. As a business, we are commited to lowering prices so this campaign fits ASDA and our customers perfectly.”

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For further information, please contact Sarah Henderson / Hannah Jones at Frank PR on 0207 693 6999 or sarahhenderson@frankpr.it / hannahjones@frankpr.it

Notes to Editors:

Carbon Footprint – Regional Breakdown:

Top 10 worst offenders (CO2 Emissions):

East Hertfordshire 14.68
St Albans 14.22
Mole Valley 14.07
Elmbridge 14.04
Chiltern 13.99
South Waverly 13.99
South Buckinghamshire 13.94
Tandridge 13.84
Windsor & Maidenhead 13.79
Hart 13.79

Top 10 most environmentally friendly (CO2 Emissions):

Gateshead 10.92
South Tyneside 10.93
Swindon 10.93
Gloucester 10.93
Sandwell 10.94
Havering 10.94
Bexley 10.96
Barnsley 10.96
Chester-Le-Street 10.99
Nuneaton & Bedworth 11.01

[1] Based on the average energy consumption for a household in the UK not composition
[2] Based on a lifetime of 70 years
[3] The Environmental and Financial Benefits of Changing Behaviour, John Barrett, Centre for Sustainability Accounting (CenSA).
[4] Based on the average household spending £2800 on food and drink in 1 year, (Office of national statistics spending survey)
[5] The average person spends £600 a year on fresh food products (this includes vegetables, meat, fish, fruit and diary products).

News from Ocado

Ocado becomes first to disclose ‘life expectancy’ online

(LONDON, August 19, 2008) – Independent online grocer, Ocado (www.ocado.com), has become the first online grocer in the world to detail the guaranteed minimum life of fresh food and drink on its website. This will display to customers, while they shop, the number of days until the “use by” date of each product.

The revolutionary move underscores Ocado’s leading position when it comes to food freshness. In a recent survey, 76% of the company’s regular customers stated that their food was fresher from Ocado than from other online supermarkets.

Ocado sees the development as an opportunity to tap into the hundreds of thousands of customers who still do not do their weekly shop online because they perceive that home-delivered groceries will not be as fresh as those they pick themselves from a supermarket shelf.
CEO Tim Steiner comments, “Ocado has always exceeded customers’ expectations on freshness but today we’ve taken a revolutionary step that sets us further apart from the rest of the industry. Ocado customers will have the ability to see product life information just as in a store, reassuring them about the freshness of the food and drink that will be delivered to their homes.
“A further benefit is that Ocado customers will find that meal planning becomes much easier. They will know, at the point of ordering, exactly what they can use at various points throughout the week.”

The initiative has involved considerable re-structuring of the Ocado supply chain and has generated a number of additional benefits. For instance, the turnaround time of fresh produce has been reduced, allowing fruit and vegetables to get from field to plate in a shorter time. For example, bananas spend less than one day with Ocado before reaching the customer and organic onions now come with seven days of guaranteed life compared with five days last month.
What’s more, Ocado now has information at its fingertips to provide customers with a new-look receipt which details when fresh food needs to be eaten.

Tim Steiner explains, “Our receipt will double up as a meal planning tool which means, without rummaging through the fridge, customers can see what needs eating on a given day. We hope that this will further support our ongoing efforts to reduce food waste which, at 0.5% of sales, is far lower than the typical industry ratios of 3-4% of sales.

“This announcement represents one of our most important innovations since opening for business in 2000 and we truly believe that it will set a new standard for online grocery shopping.”

Over the next few weeks, a limited number of Ocado customers will be able to access life information and the new-look receipt as the company makes final refinements to the new system. A full roll-out is expected within a month.

ENDS

News from Alton Towers

Alton Towers Resort to Put Riders in the Picture


To commemorate the 80th birthday of Andy Warhol, the Alton Towers Resort are giving thousands of theme park visitors their “15 minutes of fame” by featuring guests in replicas of Warhol’s creations as part of a new exhibition called The Big Smile.

The exhibition recreates Warhol’s most famous pieces using photos of visitors smiling and having fun on attractions at the Alton Towers Resort. In addition to the original images of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O, Liza Minelli and Audrey Hepburn, a selection of more modern day images including Madonna, Kylie and Kate Moss have also been created.

The images pay tribute to the phrase “15 minutes of Fame” coined by Warhol, giving everyone the opportunity to be famous for at least 15 minutes. Furthermore, hidden within each image are a number of celebrities seen to be enjoying themselves whilst at the Resort, including Michael Owen, Ralf Little, Chris Evans, Kim Ryder, McFly, and Jonathan Ross to name but a few – see if you can spot the rest!

Morwenna Angove, Sales and Marketing Director for the Alton Towers Resort said: ‘As the UK’s Number 1 short-break destination for families, people come to Alton Towers Resort for the fun, thrills and the escape from everyday life that it provides, which is why the campaign is entitled ‘The Big Smile’. In creating these images, we’ve captured the essence of the Resort, whilst giving the public their 15 minutes of fame.’
The photographic mosaics can be viewed by visiting http://bigsmile.altontowers.com/ and any guest who has visited the theme park between the 1st July 2008 and 6th August 2008 may have been featured and could be one of the lucky riders to be catapulted to fame.

News from Hovis

12^th August 2008

A BRITISH ICON MAKES ITS COMEBACK AT HARRODS THIS SEPTEMBER

The iconic Hovis Little Brown loaf, first introduced in 1886, is making a comeback, in response to demand for traditional British bakery bread that’s tasty and naturally healthy.

The Hovis Little Brown Loaf is a delicious, unsliced, wholemeal loaf, which has the Hovis logo embossed on both sides. Available exclusively from Harrods’ in-store bakery from 1^st September, the loaf is priced at £1.05, and will be sold nationwide throughout supermarkets later in the month.

Harrods of Knightsbridge will also be exclusively stocking 122 limited edition ‘Bake Your Own Hovis Little Brown Loaf’ kits in-store. Priced at £24.95, the premium kits will contain a Hovis baking tin and Hovis wholemeal flour, so you can bake your own delicious Little Brown Loaf at home. All profits from the sale of the kits will go directly to Cancer Research UK.

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For more information, please contact:

Frank PR, 020 7693 6999

hovis@frankpr.it

News from Ladbrokesbingo.com

Giant bingo balls run amok in European Capital of Culture

Ladbrokesbingo.com takes to the streets of Liverpool to film a new TV ad campaign

The people of Liverpool are in for a shock this week as Ladbrokesbingo.com, one of the UK’s leading online bingo sites, has taken over this city to record a fun and fast-paced television ad campaign that celebrates the nation’s love of bingo. On location in the European Capital of Culture’s red terraced streets and taking in some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, the exhilarating shoot features a number of 13-foot giant spheres rolling around the city in an enormous invasion of bingo balls.

The advert, devised by advertising agency M&C Saatchi and produced by cutting-edge production company Serious Pictures for Ladbrokesbingo.com, will continue to close off busy areas of Liverpool until Thursday. Directed by Ben Quinn and with a total campaign budget of over three million pounds, the action-packed spectacle will feature over 180 extras including two ‘fat ladies’, two ‘little ducks’ and a real-life ‘legs eleven’. Promising to represent the fun that can be had playing the nation’s favourite game, the advert will feature the giant multi-coloured bingo balls hurtling past a selection of Liverpool’s finest features including The Liver Building, The Steble Fountain, St George’s Hall and Museum Steps, as well as terraced streets of Badminton Avenue and the quaint Lark Lane when it airs in September.

Charlie Goodenough, Acquisition Marketing Manager at Ladbrokesbingo.com says, “This is a really exciting project for Ladbrokes Bingo and we are delighted to be bringing bingo on such a big scale to the streets of Liverpool. We wanted to represent the fun, exciting nature of the game and we’re sure the giant bingo balls will make an impact on both Merseyside and across the country.” The advert will air from mid to late September and customers should visit Ladbrokesbingo.com to experience the thrill of the game and for more information.

News from Cancer Research UK

SINGER SANDI THOM AGES 30 YEARS TO WARN YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT SUNBEDS

Singer/songwriter Sandi Thom, aged 27, has teamed up with Cancer Research UK to warn youngsters about the dangers of using sunbeds. The charity has today published shocking images of how Sandi could look in thirty years time through overexposure to UV rays, which in some sunbeds can be 10-15 times higher than those of the midday sun.

The images, created using age-modification technology, show Sandi as she could look at 57 with severe skin damage, such as could be caused by overexposure to UV from sunbed use or regular sunbathing. The image shows Sandi with deep-set wrinkles, sagging skin, drooping eyelids, large bags around her eye area and skin discolouration, which are associated with the skin losing its suppleness and elasticity.

In contrast, another image shows how Sandi might look at 57 with natural age progression – depicting a natural more fresh-faced look with 70 per cent fewer wrinkles and far less sagging skin.

Sandi used to be a regular sunbed user and would visit her local tanning salon up to three times a week while at university in Liverpool. Using a recent picture of Sandi, the images were created taking into account Sandi’s lifestyle, images of her parents, and her typical UV exposure.

August is a key time for sunbed use in the UK as people returning from their holidays attempt to keep their summer glow. Cancer Research UK commissioned the age modification images of Sandi as part of its SunSmart campaign, which this year is encouraging young people to think twice before they next get on a sunbed.

Sunbeds not only damage people’s appearance, they also significantly increase the risk of skin cancer. Using a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by up to 75 per cent.

Sandi Thom said, “I’m in a state of shock and the thought of looking like this at 57 is terrifying. Having seen these images I can honestly say I am never going to use a sunbed again.

“You can so easily get brown from a bottle these days, there is just no point in ruining your looks and risking skin cancer by using sunbeds. I hope the horrible image of me will make other young people think twice before they next use a sunbed.”

Caroline Cerny, SunSmart campaign manager at Cancer Research UK added, “We want to provide young people with a shocking visual representation of how sunbeds and over exposure to the sun can dramatically affect the way you look further down the line.

“While young people may be using sunbeds as they think they make them look good now, in the long term they are doing serious damage to their looks.”

For more information on SunSmart please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/sunsmart