M&S and Booker go national with brands

Booker's 16-month trial to supply select Marks & Spencer stores with branded grocery products is to lead to a nationwide rollout of the scheme.

MSYS creator Toft leaves campaign

Alan Toft has stepped down from his role as chairman of the successful My Shop is Your Shop campaign.

FWD sends duty fraud to Whitehall

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors has taken its ongoing fight against alcohol duty fraud to Westminster and Whitehall, with questions being asked in the House about the scale of the problem.

Londis sees roll out of its fresh food offering

Musgrave Retail Partners has completed the rollout of its programme to offer Londis retailers a comprehensive fresh foods offer.

Makro optimistic in face of further losses

Makro Cash & Carry insists it remains on track to turn around its fortunes, despite suffering an increase in pre-tax losses.

Pub grub is a winner as Booker scoops Highly Commended award

Booker won Highly Commended National Food Supplier at the Great British Pub Suppliers Awards 2009, in association with the Morning Advertiser.

Youings enjoys being in business for 125 years

A Devonshire wholesaler is celebrating 125 years in business this month. Barnstaple-based Youings Wholesale, which joined the Sugro Group in its centenary year, started life in 1884 as a tobacconist with a sweet counter and a few sundry lines.

Robust wholesalers lead the way against adversity

Almost two thirds of wholesale businesses feel the recession has made their operation more efficient, according to new research conducted by Barclays, while more than a third claim the downturn has created other positives such as creating a greater focus on servicing their customers.

Brakes announces Jansen as new CEO

Brakes has announced the appointment of Philip Jansen to succeed Frank McKay as group chief executive officer.

Awareness helps improve security at cash & carries

The FWD has developed a security leaflet to help protect against car park crime at cash and carries.

review

As the next general election approaches, pressure groups around Britain are taking the opportunity to publish manifestos of their demands of the next Government.

DBC in tasty deal with Dim T

Asian Dim Sum restaurant brand Dim T has chosen DBC Foodservice to deliver bespoke products to its sites across London and the south east.

Blueprint scheme comes to an end

The FWD has made the decision to bring its Blueprint scheme to a close in order to focus on new projects.

Prizes for retailers at the annual Bestway awards

Bestway's finest retailers have been rewarded at its Retailer Development Awards.

Booker stakes its claim for top spot in catering meat

Booker claims it is now the biggest catering butcher in the UK, with sales of meat topping £120m through its 160 butchery counters nationwide.

Hancocks promotes Watson

Hancocks has promoted Mark Watson to managing director, following a reshuffle within the family-owned business.

Hyperama's Singh voted onto board at Landmark

Marcus Singh, joint managing director of Hyperama, has been elected to Landmark Wholesale's board.

Walsh is leading light at Makro

Andy Walsh, HoReCa (hotel, restaurants and caterers) customer manager at Makro, has been highly commended in the 2009 Danone Leading Light Award at the annual IGD Food Industry Awards.

Asensio to head retail stores

Appleby Westward Group has appointed Paul Asensio as the head of of its new retail stores division, which has been established to mange the wholesaler's first three stores acquired from Somerfield and to be branded EuroSpar.

buyer in the picture

Job title: trading controller

Musgrave holds Casino Party Night for guests

Musgrave Wholesale Partners held its Casino Party at the Europa Hotel's Grand Ballroom.

GSK visits depot with Alert Plus

GlaxoSmithKline has been visiting national depots to promote its Lucozade Alert Plus.

Today's holds its annual Speed Dating event

The Today's Foodservice Group attracted 43 suppliers and 40 wholesalers at its annual Speed Dating event at Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster.

CJ Lang has reward for staff

Martex, the cash and carry division of CJ Lang & Son, has presented a rewarded to its staff of a cheque for £20,000 as part of its Rewarding Excellence scheme.

We have had to adapt and change

By Denys Shortt, Chairman & CEO, DCS Europe

Good timing is an area to build on

Few sectors are more time-aware than food and drink. Everything from supply of raw materials to delivery to consumer is time-critical, and this includes the delivery of a new warehouse or distribution facility. The difficulty is that the law is not always clear or comprehensible, and on critical issues a lack of appreciation of its anomalies can avoid major problems. Some of the worst are:

A simple way to plan and grow a business

Making progress in any business venture is frequently challenging, time consuming and potentially a costly exercise.

Premier Foods' offer reaps warm rewards

Christmas is coming and depots are gearing up for brisk business. At the Cardiff branch of Landmark member BA Cash & Carry, Premier Foods has been working with staff to ensure they have the right range laid out correctly in the depot. It's a relationship that's been developing over the past year. Carla Rampley, channel marketing manager at Premier, explains: "We've come a long way in the past year and really improved our relationship with BA and this can be clearly seen by the 43% value sales growth year on year. However, there is still plenty of opportunity for us to work more closely together.

Giving customers what they want

Booker deals with 296,000 decision makers in the catering business according to Ron Hickey, sales director of catering for Booker.

Pressure mounting for food industry

"We are living in interesting times," said Julian Hunt, director of communications for the Food & Drink Federation.

Marketing cuts can prove a false dawn

"In the recession the first thing to get cut is nearly always the marketing budget," said Martin Lines, marketing director of Nestlé Professional.

Landmark has a focus on foodservice

Suppliers need to understand that Landmark is not just a cash and carry business, according to Max Wright, senior trading controller for Landmark Wholesale.

Backman suggests cautious outlook

Consumers haven't stopped eating out, said Peter Backman, managing director of foodservice consultant Horizons, but they are choosing to eat out less and to spend less.

Caterers are not just looking for price

Understanding customers' needs is key

ViVAS can help smaller deliveries

Operators with a low weekly consumption of wines are being squeezed and under-serviced because of the high cost to deliver without giving suppliers a return, said James Salmon, general manager of ViVAS Wine Company.

Spirits have a lot to offer foodservice

Hotels, restaurants and caterers provide a big opportunity for Diageo, according to Paul Downing, channel director of route to market and convenience for Diageo.

Telesales provide a point of contact

First of all, let's take a quick look at who uses delivered wholesale and why? Thirty one per cent of delivered wholesale customers are hotels, restaurants and bars, 22% are convenience stores, 18% are non-profit caterers, and 16% are forecourts, according to IGD Wholesale Report 2009.

Tate & Lyle drums up a new idea to make life sweeter

Tate & Lyle has launched Cane Sugar Drums, designed especially for chefs and out-of-home catering needs.

Essential adds to its gravy train

Essential Cuisine has added to its portfolio of gravies with the launch of No1 Savoury Gravy.

Glendale Foods puddings provide a warm glow during cold season

Glendale Foods is introducing new varieties to its range of savoury puddings.

Nutella packs a new opportunity

Ferrero has introduced portion controlled packs of 15g and 30g Nutella.

It's child's play for Annabel Karmel with meal launches

Annabel Karmel Food Services has launched a range of products following new contract wins for its ready meals in pubs, restaurants, hotels and department stores.

cheer leaders

Christmas brings mixed feelings for drinks wholesalers. Although beer, cider and wine sales do see an uplift, some of the logistical and marketing effort is cancelled out by aggressive supermarket competition.

Turkey Delights

On December 25 most families will sit down for the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. According to TNS data (eight weeks ending December 28, 2008), six million British households purchased turkey for Christmas last year.

Spring growth

One of the key occasions in the year for confectionery is Easter. Easter eggs are must-buys and seasonal impulse also does well. Before that, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day also give the confectionery category a welcome boost.

Lindt harnesses its Gold Reindeer for another year of Christmas sales

Lindt is bringing back its Christmas novelties range and introducing new lines.

UBUK introduces price-mark packs

United Biscuits UK has launched a range of price-marked savoury packs.

Crantock has a quick Christmas

Crantock Bakery believes it has come up with the perfect solution for time-pressed and hungry shoppers who love the taste of Christmas.

Unilever unveils its cereal bars in Marmite flavour

Marmite is taking its love it or hate ethos into cereal bars with what it claims is the category's first savoury launch.

Britvic has the pantomime spirit with Robinsons on-pack promotion

Britvic is giving consumers the pantomime spirit with Robinsons.

Home baking ideas at Premier

Premier Foods has re-launched its McDougalls home baking product range.

Kellogg's overhauls Nutri-Grain range to create Elevenses brand

Kellogg's is overhauling its Nutri-Grain range to create two distinct brands backed by a £3m New Year marketing push.

McCain adds to its potato range

McCain is extending its range of potato products.

Home makeover and daily prizes from Air Wick

Reckitt Benckiser is putting its biggest ever seasonal programme behind Air Wick in a bid to drive "significant sales" in the run up to Christmas.

Mars Petcare offers presents for pets over the Christmas season

Mars Petcare is urging wholesalers and retailers not to underestimate the potential for impulse pet snacks and treats in the run up to Christmas.

Exclusive gift pack aimed to deliver more Comfort for independents

Bacardi Brown-Forman has exclusive Southern Comfort gift packs for independent retailers.

Pink blossoms for Christmas

Blossom Hill is aiming to tickle consumer's taste buds with new launch White Zinfandel Limited Edition in the run up to Christmas and New Year.

Crabbie's to star in comedy turn

Halewood International is sponsoring the British Comedy Awards 2009 with its Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer brand.

Khulu Sky gets into plastic fantastic

Roger Harris Wines has launched Khulu Sky in a PET format.

Beverage Brands lays claim to having a WKD new idea

Beverage Brands is aiming to make things easier for retailers with WKD shopping lists.

buyer's diary

Monday