Convenience and Wholesale news – Page 244
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News
A minor skirmish for multiples is deeply wounding to c-store
The usual mantra is: small shops rip off customers more than the multiples do. But former shopkeeper Peter Levene has turned this idea on its head. "Customers rip off small shops more than they do the larger ones," he says, basing his views on the...
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Stephen Phillips, confectionery
buyer, Budgens Our Christmas and Easter strategies are similar. For Christmas we plan to have fewer SKUs (stock keeping units) and concentrate on key lines with proven sales. There'll be a limited number of new products, mostly from the major...
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GTA confident of replacing lost revenue as Makro goes
Makro is pulling out of Group Trading Alliance, the multi-billion pound buying group it set up with Spar UK and Landmark. The 27-depot cash and carry group will cease to be a member of GTA at the end of the year. In a statement it said: "Following...
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Former M&S Direct man to head Londis supply chain programme
Londis has appointed Jon Peggs as operations director to oversee the group's supply chain development programme and distribution infrastructure. He joins from Marks and Spencer Direct where he was head of fulfilment. Prior to that he held a number...
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Budgens revamps wine web guide
Budgens has introduced a new wine guide to its revamped web site (www.budgens.com). This offers no facility to buy wine online but provides general information and a database of wines available from the chain. Senior wine buyer Christine Sandys...
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First convenience store bank opens at Edinburgh Botterill's
Spar won the race to open the first bank inside a convenience store when the Bank of Scotland launched a pilot at a Botterill's store in Inverkeithing, Edinburgh, this week. The prototype bank at the relaunched 4,200 sq ft store has a cash deposit...
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Convenience stores: Connex stations set for 40 stores
Exclusive Anne Bruce Railway stations have become the latest battle ground for convenience operators with French catering giant Elior preparing to launch a co-branded c-store chain. The news comes a week after Marks and Spencer revealed it was...
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Symbol groups: Upgrade for Londis RDCs
Londis has announced plans to spend £3m on its southern regional distribution centres at Thamesmead in south-east London and at Andover in Hampshire. The investment by the symbol group will include new chill stores at both RDCs. Chief executive...
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Profile: Gerry Johnson, md Booker
Wholesale conversion Helen Gregory talks with the md who thought the wholesale sector languished in the shadow of the retail multiples, until he was charged with steering Booker into a new era Booker boss Gerry Johnson used to think wholesale was...
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C-stores: Bruno Brookes set to launch free satellite radio f
EXCLUSIVE A free satellite radio service which aims to increase sales will be offered to 22,000 c-stores and CTNs over the next 18 months. Newsagents Radio has been set up by Storm Digital Broadcasting, headed by former Radio 1 and TV presenter...
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C-store multiples: Alldays turns up the instore heat
Exclusive Sheila Eggleston Alldays has signed a deal with Cuisine de France to install L'Art du Pain bake-off units in more than 200 stores. The chain also intends to boost its hot food offer with Cuisine de France's Hotshop hot food to go...
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Association of Convenience Stores: Call for PO terms rethink
The ACS has warned of a further drop in sub post office numbers unless the Post Office Network makes the prospect of taking on a post office more appealing to independent retailers. In a new report, the ACS Post Office Committee claims retailers'...
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Mace: Cross fuels Aberness
Tim Cross has taken over as non-executive chairman of Aberness following Bruce Cochrane's decision to step down after 12 years. Cross is founder and chief executive officer of independent oil company Dana Petroleum. Cochrane has assumed a...
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Londis' Duckett must turn her hand to supply chain solutions
Londis has promoted Nicola Duckett to information systems director. She will be responsible for developing supply-chain procedures, and develop the Londis EpoS software. She said: "The result will be even better service levels, better...
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Small retailers: London wholesalers furious at Ken's £5 cong
The independent trade has slammed London mayor Ken Livingstone's proposals to impose a £5 congestion charge on vehicles entering the city centre on the grounds it will unfairly penalise small retailers. Ian Brown of Fulham wholesaler H Brown said:...
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Retail crime: C-stores get £15m to beat thugs
The government has given small stores a cash boost to help fight crime as fresh industry figures reveal an increase in violent attacks on staff and theft. Robberies in grocery stores ran at the rate of eight per 100 outlets. Small shops were...
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Convenience stores: AW's Hart attacks critics of Spar tv ad
Appleby Westward marketing director John Hart hit out at critics of Spar's new £2m TV advertising campaign at the company's annual trade show at Westpoint, Exeter. Referring to recent letters in The Grocer and a follow-up letter from Londis to Spar...
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C-stores: Business barometer
The recent spell of warmer weather has paid dividends for the c-store trade although there is less optimism among independents when it comes to expectations for the next three months. In this month's poll of 100 readers of The Grocer, 56% said...
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C-store multiples: Price cut drive fails at Alldays
Alldays blamed a failed pricing initiative for depressing its interim results released this week, but chief executive Stuart Lawson said the foundations for recovery were now in place. The c-store chain made an operating loss of £1.5m for the six...
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Channel Islands Wholesale Group: Sailing for Guernsey
Jersey based Spar wholesaler Channel Islands Wholesale Group is heading to Guernsey this year. Discussions are now underway to set up a distribution facility on the island, said group MD Nigel Robson. "Initially, goods will be shipped over from...