Imagine a choc-chip cookie that’s nutritionally balanced but maintains the same decadent taste as its full fat competitors, or guilt-free salt and vinegar chips with only 140 calories. Sharon Thurin of Slim Secrets dared to dream. The concept of Slim Secrets came to Thurin one sleepless night in 2005, when she realised there was a gap in the market when it came to health and wellbeing for women in particular.

Slim Secrets was born with its first flavoured snack bars and over four years it expanded into an entire healthy snack food range. From her Melbourne base, Thurin achieved national distribution in leading supermarkets and in 2006 she turned her sights globally. Slim Secrets now exports to markets including New Zealand, China, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia.

Starting the export journey

Thurin admits exporting was not something she initially planned to enter. “Someone from New Zealand approached us,” she says, “and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Thurin took advantage of the opportunity and began exporting to her first markets in New Zealand and Singapore. “The language issue was easy to deal with and proximity made a difference too,” she explains.

As in Australia, Thurin found Slim Secrets was able to fill a gap in the overseas markets. Thurin soon became determined to make Slim Secrets an international brand. “The more countries we can get it into, the more recognised globally we can get and build up the brand,” she says.

Slim Secrets broke into the Japanese market this August with the help of Austrade, which previously assisted Thurin find distributors in Singapore. In Japan, language barriers became more evident, however this was lessened with the assistance of Thurin’s distributors. “Our distributors put stickers on the products and put out marketing flyers in Japanese [so] language hasn’t been an issue,” says Thurin.

Thurin insists the relationships fostered between herself and her overseas distributors plays a vital role in Slim Secrets’ success. “The distributors have taken on the brand I work with and are passionate about the product.”

However, Slim Secrets has also encountered challenges in the export market. The need for bi-lingual packaging in Canada initially caused problems, and issues have arisen since entering the US market this August. “We haven’t got US compliance packaging yet, so our products are sitting with distributors, but the FDA haven’t released them yet,” says Thurin.

Quarantine is also a challenge in any market. Thurin encountered a barrage of quarantine questions, from Japan and Singapore in particular, regarding ingredients. “It took weeks to go through every single question, my manufacturers hadn’t experienced anything like it,” says Thurin. “One of our bars has primrose seeds and you’re not allowed to import primrose seeds into Singapore.”

Thurin decided to exclude specific products from export that contained ingredients not allowed into particular markets. Otherwise, the entire range of products is exported internationally.

Distribution and marketing

Thurin attributes the distribution channels Slim Secrets has achieved through exporting as one of her greatest successes. Slim Secrets has entered national and international supermarkets, 7-Eleven stores in Canada and Boost Juice bars in Singapore and Malaysia. Some of the products also have Halal accreditation, which assists Slim Secrets’ popularity, especially in the Malaysian market.

Another achievement was the exposure Slim Secrets received in Hollywood. “Having the bars at the Oscars and Emmys was great from a PR perspective,” explains Thurin, who exhibited Slim Secrets at the 2008 gift bag marquees, where celebrities including the stars of Desperate Housewives and Days of our Lives snacked on the products.

Slim Secrets’ success also lies in its competitive difference. Thurin believes packaging is a key feature. With slogans like ‘We only strip the fat’ and ‘chiptease your tastebuds’ on a bag of crisps, Thurin intends for the product to be seriously nutritionally balanced yet playful. “It’s the way we communicate to the consumer, she says. “Unlike other health products, our packaging is funky and not serious.”

Unlike many diet shakes or meal replacements, Slim Secrets’ healthy snack foods help control snack attacks, satisfy hunger and achieve weight goals all while retaining a delicious taste. “If it doesn’t taste any good, people aren’t going to buy them, even if they have a great nutritional profile,” says Thurin. “But in our case they taste good!”

Even in the current economic climate business has never looked better, she says. “We’re in our infancy and there’s so much growth potential. Dieting and nutrition are areas growing globally.”

Thurin is continually looking to the future and eyeing new products and growth prospects. “We have interests in Bahrain and UK health food chain Holland and Barrett are also interested,” she says.

She also working to enhance their presence in America and with the University of California potentially selling Slim Secrets on their campuses, it’s no secret the future is looking bright.

Trade surplus in Europe’s biggest economy rose to 13.9 billion euros. The July figures surpassed expectations from analysts that had forecast a trade surplus of 12 billion euros.

Germany’s current account balance of payments, the broadest measure of trade with other countries, also showed a surplus of 11 billion euros in July.

Exports, an essential driver of the German economy, came to 70.5 billion euros in July and imports remained at 56.6 billion euros.

The figures are seen as a positive sign that Germany is emerging from the recession. Although exports have fallen compared to July 2008 figures, Germany is now prepared to benefit from increased activity in Asia.

ING senior economist Carsten Brzeski said: “The pick-up in economic activity in Asia is benefiting German exports. More than 12 percent of all German exports go to emerging Asia.”

German economic activity is expected to further grow in the second half of the year.

The drop is the country’s largest annual decline since comparable figures were first compiled in 1990.

The results were worse than expected. Economists quoted by the Kauppalehti, a daily business publication, had predicted negative growth of 7.3 percent on a 12-month basis in the second quarter.

Finland’s economy is heavily dependent on exports, which have been in decline with the slump in global demand. Pentti Forsman, an economist at the Bank of Finland said exports now account for around 35 percent of the Finnish economy and would continue to fall into 2010.

Reijo Mankinen, an economist with the ETLA research institute said: “The fall in exports has lowered the investment activity and lowered consumers incomes.”

“Australia has committed to increasing our engagement with Africa across the board through strengthened political contacts, enhanced trade and commercial linkages, cooperation on peace and security, and increased development assistance,” said Byrne.

More than 300 Australian companies are active in at least 30 African countries. Byrne believes Australian businesses have the ability to help Africa grow in areas including infrastructure projects, the automotive sector, education, building and food security.

Over the last five years Australia’s trade with Africa has increased by 8.5 percent per annum and two way trade with the continent reached $6.7 billion in 2008.

Doing Business 2010: Reforming through Difficult Times examined 183 economies and analysed regulations that apply to businesses. The reports noted a 20 percent rise from the previous year with 287 reforms between June 2008 and May 2009.

Singapore ranked top of the list for ease of doing business for the fourth successive year, followed by New Zealand.

The 131 countries that had undertaken reforms represented more than 70 percent of those studied, the largest share  since the report was first published in 2004.

According to the report, two-thirds of the reforms were in low and lower-middle-income economies including Rwanda and Columbia.

Penelope Brook, acting vice president for financial and private sector development for the World Bank, said,”Business regulation can affect how well small and mid-size firms cope with the crisis and seize opportunities when recovery begins.”

The state-owned China Guangdong Nuclear Power Company offered to buy up to 70 percent of Energy Metals, which itself has a 54 percent stake in the Bigrlyi uranium and vanadium project in the Northern Territory.

The proportional takeover was Guangdong Nuclear’s proposition, allowing the company to remain listed in Australia.

Executive director of Energy Metals Lindsay Dudfield says the takeover shows China wants a share in Australia’s rich uranium stocks.

“They currently produce less than two percent of their electricity from nuclear and the Chinese Government is keen to see eight percent,” Dudfield said.

The Howard government lifted the ban on uranium exports to China in 2006, and despite China’s ambitions to build 20 nuclear plants in the next decade, sales and investment by China have been slow.

The directors of Energy Metals are urging shareholders to accept the bid, which would see exploration plans fast-tracked.

After Kraft’s proposed bid, shares in Britain closed almost 1.7 percent higher and Cadbury shares jumped 38 percent to its highest levels in more than two years.

Analysts are interpreting the bid as a sign of confidence from company managers about their future prospects in light of global recovery currently underway.

However, Cadbury said in a statement Kraft’s bid undervalued the company and its prospects. Cadbury added that it was confident in its standalone strategy, boasting a strong brand, category, geographic scope and continued success of its cost savings plan.

Despite the rejection, Kraft has vowed it would continue to work towards a recommendation from Cadbury for its bid. Analysts believe a much larger cash element would be needed for the deal to succeed.

Icap senior economist, Adam Carr has predicted the Australian dollar will continue to rise against the US dollar as the likelihood of a rate hike increases.

“I think we will get above US90c when the RBA starts to tighten, and depending on the pace of that, we could be at parity next year,” Carr said.

However, St George chief economist Besa Deda said the Reserve Bank could be apprehensive about the higher Australian dollar “dampening” the recovery of the local economy by increasing export prices and producing a trade-related drag on growth.

Deda said, “A high currency can dampen growth prospects, but from an inflation standpoint, it can dampen imported inflation.”

The Victorian trade fairs and missions aim to provide businesses with export opportunities and market intelligence by allowing them to access strategic overseas markets as well as showcasing the capability of Victorian industry internationally.

Events will be held in Melbourne and overseas across a variety of sectors including automotive, building and construction, food and wine and defense and aerospace industries.

The events include overseas trade fairs, outbound trade missions and industry capability missions  and offer funding to eligible groups or companies that attend.

For more information please visit www.export.vic.gov.au

The survey of 720 New Zealand employers found hiring intentions over the next three months remains in negative territory with a net employment outlook of -1 percent. However, employer confidence is on the increase after two successive quarters of moderate improvement.

The proportion of employers planning to increase hiring rose to 14 percent and those planning to decrease hiring fell to 13 percent.

Although hiring intentions are still weaker than a year ago, managing director, Lincoln Crawley said there are positive signs the New Zealand job market is stabilising.

Manpower said the recovery of the job market may not be evenly spread across the country. Christchurch faces a net employment outlook of -10 percent; while employers in Auckland and Wellington, both with net employment outlooks of -2 percent, are expecting a moderately improved hiring climate compared to the third quarter.