Tesco is expected to launch the first store under its newly-created discount supermarket chain Jack’s, as early as next week. It is believed that the supermarket chain is poised to reveal the new format Jack’s – named after Jack Cohen, who founded Tesco in 1999 – in a matter of days, with the first store expected to be in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire. The concept is part…

French farming cooperative Agrial has purchased Kingstone Press and Frosty Jack’s supplier Aston Manor. Terms of the buyout have not been disclosed, but the deal is estimated at around £100 million. Agrial is France’s largest cider producer and it now plans to create “a global force in cider”. Gordon Johncox, chief executive of Aston Manor Cider, said: “Aston Manor have been looking at strategic options and…

The UK’s second largest cider producer has hit back after a homeless charity said its flagship Frosty Jack’s should be withdrawn from sale on public health grounds. Thames Reach, which supports thousands of homeless people in the south of England, said these “problematic super-strength drinks” were one of the “biggest killers of homeless people”. But producer Aston Manor has worked with analysts at Kantar to…

Halewood has launched an American-style cloudy apple cider in a bid to create a brand that can match Crabbie’s and Lambrini in scale. Lazy Jack’s is designed to bridge the gap between sweet fruit cider and complex scrumpy cider, and is targeted at 22 to 30-year-olds. Director of innovation Richard Clark told OLN: “This is our first NPD of scale since Crabbie’s was launched five…