Archive of all AF Blakemore articles – Page 12
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News
Farmfoods top of the 50
Farmfoods has reclaimed top spot in The Grocer’s third annual ranking of the independent sector’s Top 50 chains. But some old faces have disappeared due to consolidation.The frozen food discounter, which headed the Top 50 in 2002, has had two...
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News
Blakemore invests in new depot
Landmark wholesaler AF Blakemore & Son has invested £5m in a new 72,000 sq ft C&C in Wolverhampton, to replace its existing smaller unit in Great Brickkiln Street. The new depot, which will be completed shortly, will also provide new offices...
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Franchise launch
Midlands-based Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore is launching a franchise scheme for budding store managers.The company has identified 20 sites for potential franchises in 2004 and said 100 people had so far registered interest. The target...
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News
Man of many fascias
Harvey Bains has a heady mix of outlets plus a nightclub. Elaine Watson talks to him about his £15m c-store businessBattle through the crates of booze, soft drinks and snacks piled up round the back of Bains Stores in Kingstanding,...
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News
What young grocery managers say
>>time-of-day merchandising is the next big thing…the importance of consumer insights...Martyn Soar, area manager, Jacksons Stores Soar started his career in 1986 as a warehouse manager for Tates, the company-owned store...
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News
Eight depots for Hadley
Landmark member AF Blakemore has promoted trading manager Steve Hadley to trading controller with responsibility for its eight cash and carry depots. Supported by a team of six trading managers, Hadley will report directly to sales and marketing...
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News
Attempting to break into frozen snacks may not be the most o
The company, set up 22 years ago by former ICI man Tony Craske, has turned its attention towards a new avenue to add to the company's £7.4m annual turnover. The company, which employs 65 workers at its Abergavenny factory, settled on the Rodeo Joe's...
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News
Closing in on Cellar 5
Manchester based property company Maryland Securities is understood to have beaten off rival bidders in a sealed bids process for off-licence chain Cellar 5. First Quench had been widely tipped to pick up a large chunk of the chain, which called in...
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News
Spar bags deal to supply Stars News c-stores...
John Wood Spar has topped last week's 56-store win ( Right Choice deal swells Spar', The Grocer, January 18, p6) with a deal to supply 63 c-stores in the Wolverhampton-based Stars News chain. Spar's biggest wholesaler AF Blakemore has signed...
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News
Right Choice deal swells Spar
Elaine Watson Spar has scored a major coup in the north of England after striking a deal to supply 56 Right Choice c-stores. Cellar 5 purchasing and marketing director Andy Smallman and operations director Steve McArdle led a management...
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News
Right Choice deal swells Spar
Spar has scored a major coup in the north of England after striking a deal to supply 56 Right Choice c-stores.Cellar 5 purchasing and marketing director Andy Smallman and operations director Steve McArdle led a management buyout of the 59...
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News
The Tates modern
A big spend on refurbishments is helping Tates achieve 4% growth as it aims for 250 stores by 2005 says Elaine Watson When Geoff Hallam joined Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore, it had 12 company-owned stores, and they weren't making much money....
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News
C-sector is set to fight
The Grocer news team Tesco won't find convenience retailing as easy as it thinks warned industry chiefs following its bid to buy an 862 storechunk of the market. AF Blakemore retail director Elwyn Davies said: "This is only bad news for bad...
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News
Spar Kick Starts Pub As Hub
Midlands Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore has recruited the first pubs to branch out into convenience retailing as part of its ‘pub as the hub’ initiative to encourage rural businesses to join Spar.Retail director Elwyn Davies said two pubs in...
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News
Landmark and Spar go solo as GTA disbands
John Wood Group Trading Alliance (GTA) the multi billion pound buying group which negotiates overrider terms from major suppliers for Spar and Landmark is being disbanded. All new trading arrangements will be negotiated individually by...
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News
Blakemore buys Edwards C&C
Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore has boosted its presence in Wales with the acquisition of Bangor based cash and carry John Edwards. The deal comes hot on the heels of September's purchase of Newport-based I Mogford & Sons, taking Blakemore's C&C...
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News
Discounters taking to CR
Lidl and Netto have become the latest food retailers to adopt the practice of civil recovery to combat shoplifting and staff theft. Netto director John Buitekant said: "The system is on trial, and trials will continue for the next few months. So...
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News
All our top privately owned retailers have one thing in com
They also share strong relationships with their wholesaler and suppliers and are not scared by the might of the multiples. Sheffield-based GT News is a particularly good example. With sales up by 46% in the past year, it is Britain's fastest...
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News
Jerry Marwood to take over from Middleditch at Spar
Exclusive John Wood Newshops managing director Jerry Marwood will take over the top job in the UK symbol sector in May, when Spar UK managing director Morton Middleditch stands down. In a surprise move, Middleditch announced this week that he...
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News
Symbols put up a spirited defence as multiples multiply in
Despite the growth of high street c-stores run by the major multiples and doom-mongers predicting the end of the independent retailer, the biggest symbol groups more than held their own during 2001. Londis had a particularly successful year,...