But now we are reminded that the giant multiples themselves were frightened by the prospect of Costco - quite a big company itself - opening in the UK in 1993.

The Big Four - or some of them - threatened suppliers with sanctions if they supported the launch of Costco. Can you believe it? Yes.

Happily, manufacturers ignored the bully boys and now we have a vibrant 19-strong Costco chain - soon to be 21 - trading profitably on a remarkable and enviable inventory of only 3,700 items.

Well done, suppliers.

BLUEPRINT. The FWD Take Home Blueprint, the standard best-practice guidance for independent retailers' off-licence departments, has delivered bigger profits to many of the new Best-One stores.

The Blueprint was launched in 1994 and by its educational basis of promoting the principle of stocking brands consumers want, it began to change the total wholesale industry culture in selling beers, wines and spirits

The Blueprint gradually put a huge thumb in the equally huge hole through which many millions of cash and carry and delivered wholesalers' profits were haemorrhaging.

This commercial benefit to the total industry is sometimes overlooked when we read about retailer's improvements in sales (by as much as 30%) produced by the Blueprint.

GROCERY. There appears to be an obstacle in helping independent retailers to take advantage of the new trend in consumer demand - good old-fashioned grocery is back in favor in local shops.

A reliable sample of one independent tells Vigilante that his grocery sales in the last year are up by 4%. Suppliers confirm this upward curve in the local market.

Independents need every help they can get as the final Competition Commission's (CC) report expected in the next week or so confirms its love affair with the giant multiples.

So why are wholesalers not grasping the helping hand of those grocery brands which are household names, who are so anxious to offer guidance? It's a mystery.

OUTRAGE. Don't get angry, get even is the maxim. But as independent retailers will never get even why do they not get angry?

Any other section of business treated with the contempt with which the Competition Commission has "consulted" with the wholesale/independent lobby in its market review, would be very angry indeed.

Look at the nation's publicans and drinkers hit by Mr Darling's hurtful increases in alcohol duty. Hundreds of them are supporting a poster campaign which bans the Chancellor from their pub. Excellent.

BARRED. If the CC fails in its duty to independents why not ban its bosses, managers and staff from using local shops?

If pubs can make their anger felt - the Chancellor is banned from his local bar in Edinburgh - is there a case for independents to follow the publicans' example and ban CC staff from their stores to call public attention to their shabby treatment by the CC?

The CC employs a lot of people. Barring them for a week from the local shops where they buy their cigarettes and newspapers would make a point, would it not?

A simple notice in the window would make the public relations point even if no CC staff ever entered the shop.

INCIDENTALLY. Alistair Darling is the MP representing the Edinburgh constituency in which My Shop is Your Shop activists Dennis and Linda Williams run their highly successful Premier store.

The Williams will invite the Chancellor to their shop during National Independents' Week so he can show his "support" for small business, and you will be informed if he accepts.

But will he still be Chancellor come June 2nd?

POIGNANT. Eddie Thompson put his stamp on wholesaling in Scotland very successfully prior to selling his business to devote more time to his beloved Dundee United.

Eddie has not been well and those of us who saw his clenched fist held aloft as supporters cheered at the recent Cup final against Rangers recognised his smile from old. Rangers were lucky to win on penalties.

The young nimble Eddie was an excellent table tennis player. On a Spar conference on the QE2 he defeated finalists Lionel Cashin and a trade press editor whose name we can't remember to win the delegates' title.

Eddie calculated his powerful backhand topspin return to compensate for the liner's pitching and rolling movement to win crucial points. Competitors were out-thought.

PLASTIC. Surely, too many people miss the real point surrounding the issue of free plastic shopping bags. Include Mark Price, the managing director of goody-goody Waitrose in this.

M&S (where former Booker boss Sir Stuart Rose is now in it deep for seeking the chairmanship plus his chief executive's job) will charge 5p for every bag given out in its food department from May.

The Government will ban free bags from 2009. But Mr Price says there are many other actions which would be taken to help the environment including more efficient store refrigeration.

The point he misses is that the consumer can relate very closely to, and understand why, plastic bags are eco-unfriendly. She is not likely to get emotional about those new Waitrose chill cabinets.

It's likely that the first batch of the new MSYS bags-for-life will appear soon.

CONGESTION. The probe by Channel 4 into Mayor Ken's record included a comment by a Londis delivery driver which said it all.

Despite the tax on drivers entering the pay-up zone, our genial driver said it takes him two hours to cover 18 miles. Say no more.

MASTERCLASS. Booker's Bryan Drew gave a masterclass in cash and carry profitability to fellow wholesalers at the FWD annual conference. Shame you missed it if your company is struggling.

After trashing the previous strategy, which left the company "in a mess", he demonstrated in simplistic terms how wholesaling succeeds when ranging and price are retailer-sensitive.

From a business mired in debt produced by flawed thinking, Booker is now what our industry needs - a stable network which has 40,000 conversations a year with its customers.

Keep talking, Bryan.

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