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Vimto Soft Drinks is set to launch its biggest ever marketing campaign. Driven from extensive consumer and customer research, the £4m campaign incorporates a packaging redesign across Vimto’s portfolio and new nationwide advertising.

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Online delivered wholesaler Blueheath has relaunched its drop shipment scheme under the title Bluedrop, and now claims it can provide almost all a retailer’s needs.

The Today’s Group has introduced its first ‘recipe’ style promotions leaflet promoting Kitchen King, the group’s private label foodservice range.

The Nestlé Rowntree Manager of the Month for April is awarded to Gufran Ashraf, general manager of Bestway, Abbey Road, in north London. Gufran started his career with Bestway in 1992, after spending the first three years of his career in Saudi Arabia working for Mitsubishi as a fleet sales executive. Now, after only nine months at Bestway’s flagship Abbey Road depot, he has already impressed Nestlé Rowntree with his enthusiastic attitude and proven commitment to providing a first-class service for retailers.

The Budget small print threw up a potentially difficult situation for wholesalers next year in respect of duty stamps on bottles of spirits.

Drinksummit is like no other beers, wine and spirits conference – it is an event focused entirely on the wholesale and independent retail marketplace.

The annual conference of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, at The Belfry on April 18 and 19, is designed to an agenda moulded by the times in which we live – another event reminding the market of the unique importance of wholesaling.

Landmark has announced a restructuring of its Milton Keynes central office trading department, headed by trading director John Searle.

Blueheath has appointed Garry Taylor as its new trading controller. Taylor, 37, joins from the Focus Wickes retail group where he held several senior management positions.

Spar has appointed foodservice specialist Tony Aram to the newly created position of foodservice strategy manager.

Two new managers have joined Costcutter, covering both trading and marketing.

Date that you joined the company: October 1995

Batleys launched the pilot of its Catering Club at its Cleveland depot with an event backed by a number of major suppliers.

Makro Leeds customer Christopher Maughan has driven away a new van for his catering business after winning a competition set up by the cash and carry company.

The Scottish Wholesale Association’s Annual Conference takes place at The Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel from April 28 to May 1.

PIPSQUEAK. Yes, he made another appearance with some mean-spirited remarks about a certain gentleman and, as usual, got it all wrong again.

Customers of the UK’s major cash and carries are spending more time shopping around, and going further afield for their supplies to get better deals, to such an extent that Tom Fender, managing director of Harris International Marketing, asks: “Do these retailers spend any time in their stores?”

Hub Wholesale Club of Cheltenham, the new cash and carry wholesaler dedicated solely to caterers, has installed an IT system from STL to control its EPOS and supply chain.

Lift Mates, two new products intended to reduce the risk of injuries to staff lifting and carrying boxes and packages, have been launched by Grip-It UK.

Frozen food distributor and cash and carry operator Dales is investing in an Accord distribution system from supply chain solutions specialist Business Computer Projects (BCP), to handle all aspects of its business.

Alan Toft will soon leave the post of director general of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, one of the old established high profile grocery trade associations with a proud unbroken heritage. Asked to write his own job specification when he joined FWD (after launching and editing Independent Grocer (now IRN) for eight years) he simply said that he would attempt to give wholesalers reasons to be proud of their trade, to walk tall and to be valued by suppliers. He launched a string of initiatives and events to draw suppliers’ attention to the importance of wholesaling, creating constructive debating platforms. And he launched ProWholesaler. But he is unhappy about some unfinished business, he says.

Walking into their cash and carry the morning after Scottish Wholesale Achievers 2004 was hard for owners Graham and George Benson, and their shared feelings of bitter disappointment after failing to pick up any awards were quick to spread throughout their Edinburgh depot. Both went about their daily business – but it wasn’t long before their spirits lifted.

A telephone survey has revealed massive support by independent retailers for the My Shop Is Your Shop (MSYS) campaign. They are urging every wholesaler to get behind the generic PR activity designed to highlight the value of the local independent to the community.

The UK foodservice/catering market represents a huge opportunity for wholesalers with a total of 8.5 billion meals served annually generating £33.2bn of sales.

Despite Government attempts to discourage smoking a sizeable minority of the population are strongly resisting its advice, to the benefit of the wholesale channel.

FWD members have offered to open up their books to the Office of Fair Trading to demonstrate the damaging and unfair difference in terms offered to them by suppliers compared with those obtained by the major supermarket groups.

Online delivered wholesaler Blueheath has bought Wrexham-based CTM Wholesale.

One of wholesaling’s best known figures has left the Today’s Group after 14 years and has set up his own consultancy.

The FWD has told the Competition Commission it is in favour of Somerfield’s deal to acquire 114 of Morrison’s smaller stores.

Blakemore Wholesale, part of AF Blakemore, has identified responsible business practice as a key strategy for future growth and released its first Corporate Responsibility Review.

“New Booker” will be established on May 3 and officially launched to 500 depot managers and senior staff at a meeting in Birmingham on June 14.

Booker boss Hans Kristian Hustad apologised to customers for two major lapses in availability and said the company would do all it could to ensure it never happened again.

Decision making at Booker has speeded up since the takeover, according to marketing director Mark Collier.

Booker has no plans to close any of its 173 depots and every single one is making a positive contribution, according to Booker boss Hans Kristian Hustad. And having such a large network would shortly become a major asset he suggested.

The British public may love a cuppa, but lifestyle changes mean consumers are also developing a real thirst for soft drinks. In the last few years there’s been an explosion in the category, which now boasts a much wider choice – of flavoured waters, milk fruit drinks, cordials, smoothies and ready-to-drink ice tea and coffee.

Nestlé Rowntree has clinched a deal to be an official partner of Warner Brother’s film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Tetley’s decaffeinated tea brand Tetley Decaf is being relaunched with a new look and improved taste, backed by a £3m spend.

Buitoni, the UK’s number one pasta brand, is set to be complemented by the launch of seven ambient sauces, supported by a £2m marketing campaign.

Coors Brewers is this month launching its flagship brand in a 500ml can with a temperature-sensitive logo which turns blue when it is cold enough to drink.

Cadbury Trebor Bassett is widening the scope of the Maynards portfolio with the introduction of two new products. Hard gum sweets, previously known as Lion Sports Mixture, and Lion Midget Gems are to be brought under the Maynards brand.

Perfecta has launched a new range of red and white seasoned cooking wines, under the brand Cuisinewine.

Pringles is launching its biggest ever movie tie-in this Spring with Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

Nestlé Rowntree’s fruit brand Rowntrees is to get real from the summer, with the entire range moving to use real fruit juice and no artificial colours or flavours.

Cadbury Trebor Bassett is expanding its £12m Cadbury Snaps brand with the launch of new Cadbury Snaps Mint this month.

Kerry Foodservice is launching the Jet range of fruit smoothie and ice-blended frappé mixes.

Tilda has unveiled plans to invest more than £6m in promoting its Basmati rice, and the Tilda Rizazz microwaveable recipe rices.

Beverage Brands, which manufactures the No 1 ARTD* brand in the impulse sector, is delighted to be involved in the continued development of the FWD educational Blueprint for alcoholic RTD brands. The company believes the Blueprint has put the category on a firm footing for future sales growth, and that independent retailers and wholesalers are reaping the benefits.

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United Wholesale (Scotland) launched 30 stores under the Today’s Group’s new Day-Today fascia on April 2 in what it described as the biggest convenience retail launch Glasgow has ever seen.

Following the decision to give additional focus to the wholesaler/supplier relationship at the Gold Medal awards at the FWD’s annual industry dinner, Landmark will sponsor this year’s manufacturer awards. Nisa-Today’s pioneered the policy at last year’s event.

Scottish Spar wholesaler CJ Lang is investing heavily to ensure the new EU Working Time Directive legislation will not affect delivery service levels to its retailers.

Booker man dies

Parfetts Cash & Carry has unveiled a consumer promotion, Shop Local and Be a Winner, available exclusively to retailers at its new depot in Sheffield.

The Martex Cash & Carry division of CJ Lang has recently extended its Super 6 promotional programme into its depot in Perth.

The Drinksummit vase for 2005 will be presented at Drinksummit to the most supportive and innovative drinks supplier to the wholesale sector.

Food safety scares and issues involving the delivery of meals in both hospitals and schools have catapulted foodservice into the public eye.