Casper Limited has increased group turnover to £130m, with the addition of the WK Thomas trio of companies to its portfolio of delivered non food wholesalers to the foodservice sector.

Retailer Lesley Brown says she is on target to achieve sales increases envisaged by Booker chief executive Charles Wilson.

A year after Makro Cash & Carry joined Today's, the two companies have announced they have ceased joint negotiations on terms and conditions, although they will still work together on other projects.

Iain Hill has been confirmed as vice-president of the Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA).

Sales of spirits and beer through the wholesale channel have been decimated during the key selling period by a combination of savage below cost price cuts by the major multiples and a resurgence in duty fraud.

Booker has appointed Garry Stimpson into the newly created role of merchandising controller.

Hancocks has launched an Easter promotion offering free eggs to independent retailers.

The Nestlé Rowntree Manager of the Month for January is awarded to Kevin Wood, branch manager of Booker in Norwich.

Dee Bee Cash & Carry in Grimsby has become the first member to trial and then implement Today's Plan for Profit initiative.

Parfetts Cash & Carry has donated £4,500 to Stockport County's Football in the Community (FITC) scheme, bringing the final total to £9,000.

This year's Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) Annual Conference has the theme of the Road Ahead - Paths to Excellence.

Parfetts Somercotes in Derby was the winner of the exclusive ProWholesaler Benson & Hedges Gold competition, which offered cash and carries the chance to win the Benson & Hedges Gold Visible Vault for a day, which has been touring the country as part of the recent Gold Fever activity.

The first Government consultation document of the New Year has already been done and dusted by the Federation of Wholesale Distributors. It came from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, an adjunct of the Department of Health that represents an extremely irritating on-cost for most wholesalers.

"I will carry the My Shop Is Your Shop banner with pride," said Edinburgh independent retailer Dennis Williams, winner of the FWD My Shop is Your Shop Gold Medal Retailer of the Year.

Jo and husband 'Blue' Walshe, owners of Shepton Stores, Shepton Beauchamp, Ilminster, were the winners of the first prize of £750 in an FWD My Shop Is Your Shop competition. The cash will go towards buying laptops for the local school.

TURNAROUND. Chief executive Charles Wilson's achievement in winning the prestigious champion European Company Turnaround title for New Booker has accurately and generously been acknowledged by the boss as due to the hard work and commitment of his managers and staff.

If 2008 is going to be a success, wholesalers and suppliers are going to have to work better together, if our 2007 industry executive study is a guide to go by.

JANUARY. I was asked to stand for our Town Council. After saying no because of time constraints I was persuaded that I was already involved in community-related work so I changed my mind. Invited to speak at FWD annual conference. Accepted invitation to become a member of the FWD PR Action Group (PRAG), which drives the MSYS campaign.

GM Wine Merchant, a Bestway retailer in Milton Keynes, has seen a 30% increase in sales following a Blueprint makeover. This is as a result of the FWD Take Home Blueprint scheme and Bestway joining forces to help deliver the scheme's sales-enhancing principles and guidelines to Bestway retailers across the country.

Foodservice as a sector is seen as the 'Holy Grail' to both wholesalers and manufacturers. This has been fuelled by predictions in the late 1990s that showed the UK would match the US by 2010, with almost half of all the spend on food going on eating out of home, and that by 2013 out of home would overtake retail.

Premier Foods is launching a range of premium, ready-to-use coulis and compotes from Hartley's.

Unilever Foodsolutions has teamed up with Huhtamaki, a consumer and speciality packaging company, to launch Knorr Soup2Go.

Lyons Seafood has launched sustainably sourced, whole cooked Claw Island Lobster.

Pritchitts has launched Viva Milk, a long life ambient milk.

Jacksons of Piccadilly has announced the launch of its range of premium Fairtrade teas to the out of home market.

The leaders of the wholesale sector gathered at the Café Royal to recognise the best wholesalers and suppliers at the FWD Gold Awards, the biggest night in the wholesale calendar. John Wood reports

United Biscuits UK (UBUK) is delighted to receive the Foodservice Brand of the Year Gold Medal for the performance of its leading bagged snack brand, McCoy's.

Mintel, estimates retail sales of healthier food options are now valued at over £7.4bn, around 10% of total consumer expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Mintel adds that the healthy eating trend is here to stay - it is part of a broader social and cultural movement, which has also produced the ban on smoking in public places and the high-profile campaign against binge-drinking.

The FWD annual Gold Medal Awards, now in its 20th year, recognises and rewards leading individuals and suppliers in the trade. This year saw Gallaher Limited win gold for best trade advertising in ProWholesaler magazine.

Coca-Cola Enterprises won the FWD Gold Medal for Overall Service to the Retail Sector. Darren Goldney, trading controller, commented: "We are delighted to win the FWD Gold Medal Award. As the annual award is voted for by the entire wholesaler community, we believe that to come out on top is a great testimony to the hard work and cross functional efforts from people across all areas of CCE.

GSK is proud to have been awarded the Federation Gold Medal for the Grocery Brand of the Year for Lucozade. This is a fantastic achievement and GSK would like to thank all its customers for their continued support.

Carling, Britain's best selling lager, was awarded the FWD Gold Medal for Drinks Brand of the Year.

The wholesale channel played a pioneering role in development of the ethnic food market in the UK, mainly supplying a niche market satisfying the needs of ethnic communities and restaurants. As consumers' tastes have developed and diversified the market has grown substantially and the multiple retailers have woken up to the potential sales to consumers, but there is still plenty of scope for cash and carries and delivered wholesalers to provide authentic ethnic products for consumers and they are crucial in supplying caterers.

Coca-Cola Enterprises has launched its latest on-pack promotion offering consumers the chance to win £25,000 for their football club to buy a top youth player.

General Mills is supporting its Betty Crocker Shake to Make Pancakes range in the run up to Pancake Day.

Ferrero has added to the Kinder range with Kinder Bueno Eggs.

Hain Celestial has announced the addition of Vegetarian Sausage Rolls to the Linda McCartney range.

Unilever UK has announced a re-launch across its Sure, Lynx and Dove ranges.

Grolsch will be on TV screens every week in 2008 through a £3m sponsorship of Channel 4's Original Comedy programming.

Pierhead Purchasing has expanded its portfolio of international beer brands with the addition of southern Chinese beer ZhuJiang Pearl River.

South African wine producer Distell has launched eco-friendly packaging for its Two Oceans brand in the UK.

Ehrmanns has announced the launch of the new international wine business, Domaine Boyar International (DBI).

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