'At your service' will be the theme of this year's Catersummit conference in October.

Booker has given more than £100,000 to customers in return for their used cooking oil during the first year of its recycling scheme.

Nisa-Today's has announced that it has awarded the £500m contract to manage its distribution requirements to DHL Supply Chain, just days after it rejected a "final" takeover offer from DHL's rival Bibby.

Shoppers who drive to superstores for a few items could save substantial amounts by shopping locally say My Shop is Your Shop campaigners.

A large new contract starting in January has already been won by 3663 as a result of the opening of its new purpose-built depot at Paddock Wood in Kent last month.

Charles Wilson, CEO of Booker, has become the new president of Sweet Charity.

Makro staged its first customer Christmas trade show for caterers, at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.

Today's Group has launched a new corporate logo as part of a move to refresh all of Nisa-Today's branding.

Booker has launched a Back to College promotion which aims to help independent retailers attract more sales from the student community.

Bestway is working with anti crime charity Crimestoppers.

From this month the Christmas confectionery range will be available in Hancocks Cash and Carry.

One of the many successes of the FWD in recent years has been the work done with HMRC on duty fraud on alcohol.

3663 has donated a second truck to be used in literacy and food programmes in Africa.

A new online trading system that will enable wholesalers to buy and sell across Europe will be launched next month.

3663 has merged its Kent operations to create a 'super-depot' at Paddock Wood and has appointed Derek Moore as the new business unit controller.

Nigel Gray has been appointed to the role of retail director at Henderson Retail, the retail division of Henderson Group.

The Authentic Food Company, supplier of international ready meals and snacks to the foodservice industry, has appointed new members to its commercial team.

Henry Wilkes

William Reed Business Media, publisher of food trade titles including ProWholesaler and The Grocer, has launched the Food & Drink Logistics Show.

Landmark Wholesale won the best Wholesale Group for Customer Service in the him! Wholesale Awards.

HT & Co Drinks celebrated the opening of its extension with offers for retailers and the chance to buy in to 'HoT 100 deals'. There were over 500 customers on the day with discounts and the Golden Arrows promotion. Fresh cooked food was available all day in the car park along with a live disco.

== September ==

CASHBACK. Men never ever check their till receipts. But how many women run beady-eyes down their big shop receipts before leaving the superstore?

The procurement of new or upgraded warehousing or depot facilities can involve huge expenditure and tight deadlines, so getting it right is essential.

Last month him! unveiled the latest results from its Cash & Carry Retailer & Caterer Tracking Programmes at Glaziers Hall. Here we take a closer look at some of the findings. The good news is that the average independent retailer spending in the cash and carry is up by £43 on 2008. Frequency of visits has also increased by almost one visit every two weeks. Impulse purchasing has increased from 19% of retailers in 2008 to 22% this year. Perhaps more importantly the percentage of retailers failing to purchase an intended item has fallen by 3%.

With its central location, high footfall and bags of space Hyperama's West Bromwich depot was a natural choice when it came to seeking sites to pilot JTI's new generation of tobacco rooms, according to JTI's customer marketing manager Richard Tyler.

Looking to cut his food waste costs, one independent retailer visits his local cash and carry every morning to ensure he buys just what he needs. His staff enjoy any end-of-day products which are on the brink of going out of date.

Wilmcote, a picturesque village just outside Stratford-upon-Avon, is renowned as the home of Anne Hathaway, William Shakespeare's sweetheart. It is also the home of David and Anna Thomas, who run Wilmcote Stores - the hub of the local community and the epitome of a traditional English village shop.

GlaxoSmithKline is working hard to keep its products fresh in the mind of retailers, especially over the summer months.

The product range is just one element of the Christmas package put together by 3663 to help its customers make the most of one of the key trading times of 2009.

Employee development is business development. Ignore an employee development programme and watch your business slow down and stagnate.

Dairy Crest Foodservice has introduced a new packaging format for its one litre Mr Juicy pure fruit juice.

BakeMark UK has launched a range of products following a trial in Scotland.

Tilda has launched a bigger bag of Arborio Risotto Rice in response to demand.

Pritchitts has been awarded Craft Guild of Chefs Product Endorsement for its Millac Gold and Roselle Supreme.

New Forest Ice Cream has launched a Key Lime Pie flavour pudding.

Consumers are looking to snack on the go and in a quick format. And with colder weather approaching, hot snacks is a growing area.

The hot beverages category has always benefited from a high volume of TV advertising - think of any major brand and you will probably instantly recall a jingle or a campaign such as the Gold Blend couple - and the market leader Nestlé is aiming to up the ante even further with its spend on Nescafé over the next 16 months.

The batteries market is about to see significant changes, with the implementation of the Batteries Directive in early 2010. Distributors of batteries to consumers will see themselves responsible for the collection of used batteries. And this may encourage consumers to look at the growing market of rechargeable batteries.

Perfetti van Melle has combined two of its brands to create Chupa Chups Fruittella.

United Biscuits UK has launched two seasonal variants for Halloween.

D&D Snack Foods UK has launched X8 Exhilarate into the energy drinks category.

Walkers Nonsuch is reminding consumers to stock up on toffee for Halloween and Bonfire Night with the introduction of the Pocket Creamy Toffee Bars

Marlboro has launched a new product at a lower price point than the regular Marlboro RRP.

Mars Petcare UK has launched price-marked packs across Whiskas and Pedigree.

Cornish pasty producer Crantock Bakery has introduced a range of new autumn seasonal Cornish pasties.

PepsiCo has added to its Quaker brand with the launch of Paw Ridge.

Premier Foods has launched two new Ambrosia ranges.

Imperial Tobacco has launched celebratory special edition packs to mark the 10th anniversary of Richmond.

Bacardi-Martini Ltd has launched its premium vodka brand Eristoff into the UK after its success in Europe.

Cellar Trends will be launching a second nationwide campaign of promotions this autumn for its new range of Luxardo sambuca, sambuca flavours and Luxardo Cream Sambuca Liqueur, following its summer launch.

This October, Diageo Great Britain is updating the bottle and label design for Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey.

Budweiser is launching its first advertising campaign following the combination of the Anheuser-Busch and InBev businesses.

CWF - the Yorkshire-based alcoholic beverages specialist - has revamped its range of Lixx flavoured vodka shots with the addition of a new flavour.

== monday ==

The board of Nisa-Today's (Holdings) has rejected a second increased bid by Bibby Line Group Limited to buy the company.