BY?JOHN?WOOD

Thank you for your feedback on the new Foodservice section in ProWholesaler.

National Independents' Day this year far exceeded the success of the two previous events, attracting TV, radio and press coverage which early estimates suggest reached 16 to 20 million people.

Blueheath has announced the fifth successive annual loss since its formation, but directors say they are confident a cost-cutting operation currently under way will bring the company into profit this year.

Bestway has announced it is carrying out a review of some of the functions carried out at the Batleys office in Leeds, with a view to cutting out duplication of roles within the group.

Wholesalers have been urged to work harder with their retailer customers to keep them profitable by Scottish Wholesale Association president Graham Benson.

Booker has unveiled a new price cutting campaign, Booker Price Rollback, which it says represents a multi-million pound investment in lower prices for its customers.

Woodward Foodservice has secured a three-year deal with Little Chef, worth more than £12m a year.

James Hall & Co has announced plans to spend more than £30m on a replacement for its current depot. The Preston-based Spar regional distribution company intends to develop a 484,000sq ft depot on the outskirts of the city.

Bestway has opened its rebuilt east London depot in Hackney after a £6m investment. The development involved demolition of the previous warehouse on the site and took just under a year to complete.

Consumers in the Stockport area have the chance to win a Stockport County family season ticket and free beer for a year by supporting their local shops.

3663 is expanding its scheme to provide locally sourced foods, with the launch of a range of south-west regional products from its Lee Mill and Plymouth depots.

Hancocks Cash & Carry is highlighting its pick and mix products after achieving 3% year on year growth.

The Nestlé Rowntree Manager of the Month for June is awarded to Jim Marshall, general manager of Hancocks in Glasgow.

Bestway has launched the Best-In Club, which offers its retailer members a regular promotional programme and exclusive discounts.

Leaders of the My Shop Is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign estimate that at least 35,000 independent retailers were involved in some way in National Independents' Day (NID) on June lst - far more than in 2005.

FWD Take Home Blueprint personnel have inadvertently become big supporters of the My Shop Is Your Shop campaign - because they are so close to the independent sector.

Catersummit remains the only genuine tripartite forum for suppliers, wholesalers and caterers working to an agenda based on closer understanding and improved communication.

After a bit more toing and froing, the Office of Fair Trading finally made the right decision and we are now embarked upon a Competition Commission inquiry into the grocery market that could last up to two years. For starters, the Eastbourne office produced an initial submission on behalf of the wholesale industry earlier this month. However, there is a lot more work to come and FWD will be actively engaged on its own behalf, and working with others, to provide more evidence.

? Job title: non-foods trading manager

Chris Etherington has joined Palmer & Harvey McLane as chief executive. He was previously managing director of the national aftermarket wholesaler Unipart Automotive.

Mark Aylwin will take over as chief executive of Blueheath when Douglas Gurr steps down at the end of August.

Del Phillips has been appointed warehouse manager for south-west Spar wholesaler Appleby Westward.

Following Kenton Burchell's promotion to head of buying for staple grocery and non food at MBL (ProWholesaler, May 2006) two further promotional changes have been made in the Musgrave Budgens Londis trading department.

june

Customers of Holmes Wholesale Services in Coleraine's Loguestown Industrial Estate had the chance to meet some of the UK's top motorbike racers on the eve of Northern Ireland's North West 200 race.

Makro customers are being offered the chance to win £35,000 in a promotion to mark its 35th anniversary.

The final four teams in the Nestlé Toque d'Or college catering competition are waiting to hear who will be declared the winner.

FIRST. It's not often that the wholesale sector can claim to be ahead of Sir Terry and his legions of public relations experts pushing out massive missives 24 hours a day from darkest Cheshunt.

Time is running out for independent retailers, and the wholesalers who supply them, if they fail to provide consumers with the fresh offer they are seeking. This was the warning from the recent IGD convenience and wholesaling conference, where IGD and HIM released their respective reports on the market and shoppers for 2006.

Metro Group, parent company of Makro, has gone live with the second generation of the RFID (radio frequency identification) technology in its cash and carry stores throughout Germany.

Next Controls has introduced the Tutela4food system, an automated temperature monitoring system to be aimed specifically at the food retail, catering and wholesale markets.

Food and grocery supply chain specialist Baylis Logistics has taken delivery of 56 new vehicles from MAN-ERF UK.

Artic Foods has switched to the new Alpha 520 fridge for its latest vehicle.

Impossible," said some. "You'll never make it credible," said others. "What about mal-redemption?" said some grumpy young men. But enough members of the FWD PR Action Group (PRAG) understood that a money-off coupon promotion would not only create sales for suppliers, wholesalers and independent retailers - it would also create noise.

New research has revealed that the average independent retailer works more than 13 hours day - and crucially they personally know seven out of ten of their customers.

The biggest ever national generic consumer promotion for the independent retail sector was published in the Daily Mirror and Daily Record (Scotland) on May 26, just ahead of National Independents' Day (NID) on June lst.

Creed Catering Supplies is set to top £20m turnover for the first time this year, but managing director Chris Creed is not ready to rest on his laurels and is already investing to support further growth.

The hotel sector represents a food and drink sales opportunity valued at £1.8bn in 2005. But it often does not get the attention its size warrants.

Jamie Oliver burst onto television screens with his usual energy last year with a hard-hitting series that drew attention to what he, and many others, saw as the shortcomings of school dinners. As a result of the series, the Government found some more money for this sector - and the number of meals served in schools fell dramatically. What's going on?

Household products may not generate the sort of volume associated with impulse staples such as confectionery, soft drinks and tobacco, but some cash and carry customers rate them highly for profitability, according to research carried out by HIM.

Although the overall breakfast cereal category is almost static at about £1.4bn, within it significant changes are taking place with the health issue and convenience being the key drivers. Ready to eat cereals take a large majority with around 78% of the market, followed by cereal bars at about 13% and hots at 9%.

The huge potential sales opportunity in petfood, which is being missed by the convenience store sector, is illustrated by HIM's Convenience Tracking Programme. It found that 24% of convenience shoppers own a cat and 20% own a dog, yet petfood does not appear in the top 15 purchased categories in the convenience sector. This is an area that wholesalers are also missing out on. Of the 3,075 retailer customers questioned for the Cash & Carry Tracking Programme only 74% sold petfood. In addition the average actual spend on petfood is £51 against the intended average spend of £68, representing a slippage of 33% on spend. The main reason for the failed purchase was being out of stock. There seems to be a gap in the market which wholesalers would do well to take advantage of.

Local Stockport retailer Paul Mayne opened the Two Roses convenience store in Hawk Green in 2004 having had no previous experience in retail. And after implementing the Take Home Blueprint his sales are up by 25% on his opening figures.

The store run by Sunder Sandher is more than a classic Take Home Blueprint success story. It is a role model community store par excellence. His 900sq ft Londis outlet on a main road in Leamington Spa is a thriving neighbourhood store, which is highly popular with all sections of the local community.

This summer Coca-Cola Enterprises is introducing British consumers to Coca-Cola Zero.

Nestlé Rowntree has announced that its chocolate Smarties brand will be free from artificial colours, although the change will not affect Fruity Smarties.

Philip Morris has unveiled the Marlboro Racing Edition for 2006 on its Marlboro Reds King Size 20s.

Unilever UK Foods has launched its first new major brand in 12 years.

United Biscuits UK has added to its range of muffins with the launch of the Mars Muffin.

Cadbury Trebor Bassett has unveiled a sugar free mint, Trebor Extra Cool. The sweet is a boiled mint made from pure mint oil with an extra cool centre. It targets 'on-the-go' consumers with a handy roll-pack with individually wrapped mints. The launch will be backed by a strategic press and outdoor advertising campaign as well as in-store activation.

Fox's Confectionery has relaunched its long established Poppets brand.

Cadbury has a £4m marketing plan to support the launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk with Creme Egg.

Following on from the new pack launch in 2005 British American Tobacco UK has introduced a new look to its Royals price-marked packs. The new 'clean and contemporary' look is aimed to build awareness and sales of Royals. The packs of 20 have an RRP of £4.24.

Goodfella's has continued its multimedia marketing campaign for Goodfella's Solos with an extension of the company's TV advertising campaign.

Panasonic has launched the Panasonic Power Station, a mixed counter display designed for the impulse category. The display is intended for convenience retailers who have limited space but want to maximise profits. To drive future top-up purchases the Power Station also includes £10 worth of money off vouchers.

E&J Gallo Winery has rebranded its core portfolio of wines under the new name Gallo Family Vineyards.

Beck's has launched a TV advert mixing three different styles of animation with live action. The advert is part of a £12m marketing investment by Inbev UK for Beck's and the new Beck's Vier.

Marston's Pedigree has a new promotion to highlight the importance of a garden refuge for men seeking peace and quiet.

Beverage Brands has unveiled a TV advertising campaign for WKD.

Our confectionery buyer is getting weighed down by the volume of new product launches, brand extensions, special editions, new pack sizes, special promotions and marketing campaigns in his sector.

Poor weather has slowed down the start of the barbecue season and spoiled the Brahma-sponsored National BBQ Week at the end of May, but we remain hopeful of a good summer to promote our wide offering of food and accessories. At least the fish and chip boys are happy.

The snacks market is looking lively. Walkers Sensations and Pringles TV advertising and UB's massive push on McCoy's and KP brands are working.

The Unilever 'Partners for Growth' programme continues to provide good ranging and merchandising advice directly to independents.

If half of Britain is caught up with 'soccermania' what are the other half doing for the next four weeks to occupy themselves?

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and partner Brakes have announced the national roll-out of the Fish & Kids project.