The My Shop is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign and Landmark Wholesale (see below) are both stepping up initiatives to encourage consumers to shop locally.

The Today's Group has reported sales up 12.8% year-on-year in its second quarter, and a 5.4% increase in volume.

Landmark Wholesale is launching a campaign designed to encourage consumers to change their shopping habits.

Duty fraud on a significant scale has returned to the UK within the past few weeks, robbing wholesalers of business at one of the busiest times of the year.

Booker has launched a 'Quick and Easy' hot food solution to help retailers sell food-on-the-go.

Rochdale Cash & Carry opened new premises last month after an investment of more than £2.5m.

Costco opened its 20th warehouse in the UK and its first in Wales at Cardiff last week.

Premier Foods has awarded its Manager of the Month title to Sarbjit Singh, depot manager at Bestway Cash and Carry's thriving depot serving over 2,500 retailers across Leicester. Sarbjit has worked for Bestway for over 27 years, and has been based at the Leicester depot for 19 years. It is here that he met Premier Foods' business development executive, Graham Goggins.

DBC Foodservice has won a

Southern Comfort has put a special emphasis on the wholesale channel to support its £1.2m 'Suspended moments' campaign on TV and outdoor media over the summer.

Summertime is with us at last and, according to the Gershwin lyric, the living should be easy. Well, from a wholesaler's perspective you would at least expect a significant boost to your beer and wine sales as some hot holiday weather arrived.

Cash prizes and trophies have been awarded to staff at Batleys Cash and Carry who have demonstrated the best approach to their work throughout its 19 depots.

Depot staff and customers are being given the chance to win tickets to the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next month in Peroni's latest cash and carry promotion.

In a new unique community bonding programme, five local independent convenience stores and newsagents took teams of youngsters to Leicester City's training dome for an inter-shop tournament.

Baugur, the largest investor in two major wholesale businesses, has sold its stakes to concentrate on its retail interests.

Booker announced at its annual general meeting plans to give staff a stake in the business with a share incentive scheme for senior employees and a Save As You Earn Scheme for all staff.

Key Lekkerland has announced it will close its head office and transfer management of its national accounts to members.

The Prime Minister's call to make the saving of food as important as saving energy has prompted the My Shop is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign to recognise the issue as a positive sales builder for local shops.

Musgrave Group has closed three Holmes cash and carry depots in Northern Ireland, and plans to convert the rest to its format.

One of the highest profile leaders in the wholesale sector has announced that he will be retiring in March 2009.

Premier Foods has awarded its Manager of the Month title to Les Biddle, grocery category controller at Dhamecha - the five-strong chain of cash and carry outlets serving more than 10,000 retailers within the M25.

Makro is aiming to increase its staff's understanding of customers' businesses by arranging for them to work in restaurants, pubs and caterers across the UK.

Landmark Wholesale member Parfetts Cash & Carry has renewed its sponsorship of Stockport County Football Club for the 2008/09 season, following its promotion to League One through the play offs.

Drinksummit celebrated its 18th birthday in June and again focused the trade's attention on the critical importance of the alcoholic drinks category to the overall well-being of the wholesale grocery market.

Spar's largest wholesale company, AF Blakemore & Son, is to introduce a guaranteed investment scheme to encourage retail members to refurbish their stores.

Coors Brewers won the FWD Drinksummit Vase, which was presented at the conference last month.

National Independents' Week, the centerpiece of the My Shop is Your Shop campaign, saw Landmark Wholesale managing director Martin Williams in the front line helping out in a Hot House store.

Booker has maintained its recovery, reporting a further increase in sales, and its former chairman and chief executive officer Hans Kristian Hustad has stepped down from its board.

My Shop Is Your shop (MSYS) campaigners hailed its centrepiece of National Independents' Week as the most effective yet with the biggest ever deployment of wholesalers and big brand supplier staff helping retailers in-store.

Booker's reverse takeover of Blueheath last year paid for itself in just two months, according to Booker chief executive Charles Wilson.

Northern Irish symbol group wholesaler and retailer Henderson Group announced a turnover of £407m for the 2007 financial year, an 8.3% increase on 2006, and pre-tax profit was £9.8m, up from £8.9m in 2006.

3663 has secured a multi-million pound contract to distribute frozen, ambient and chilled products to Subway's estate of more than 1,000 stores across Great Britain.

Batleys Cash and Carry, part of the Bestway Group, has opened its latest pet products only depot - Bestpets - in Bristol.

The total grocery and foodservice wholesale market grew 2% in 2007 to £24.1bn, according to the IGD.

James Hall & Company, the Spar distributor for the north of England, has announced an enhancement of its trading terms with the launch of a new "Spar Rewards" scheme, which will give retailers enhanced bonus payments in return for increased category discipline and buying loyalty.

The Martex cash & carry division of Scotland-based CJ Lang & Son Limited has launched a new promotion for summer.

"Now you see it, now you don't" is normally the conjuror's stock in trade. However, Health Secretary Alan Johnson seems capable of sleight of hand in a government attempt to drive tobacco products off display in shops.

Convenience store owners are taking far too long to adapt their offer to fast changing customer needs, according to John Hart, marketing director of Appleby Westward.

The Society of Vintners celebrated its launch last month at the London International Wine Fair with a tasting hosted by its principal supplier of Bordeaux, Yvon Mau.

As part of National Independents' Week, the My Shop Is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign featured the first ever National Cuppa Day on Tuesday, June 3, with local retailers offering customers a free cup of tea and biscuits and an opportunity to chat.

Dennis and Linda Williams of Broadway Convenience Store in Edinburgh, who won the MSYS retailer of the Year Gold Medal, had a successful National Cuppa Day.

Booker Group is maintaining its recovery, announcing pre-tax profits of £36.2m for the year ended March 28, up 27% on the previous year.

The independent sector has reacted with disappointment to the final report on the grocery market, published by the Competition Commission.