Hopes for an answer to possibly the longest-standing question in grocery retail - whether Costcutter will extend its supply agreement with Nisa - were dashed after Costcutter’s new CEO Darcy Willson-Rymer said he needed more time to examine the company’s options.

Costcutter had said earlier this year that it would make an announcement on the Nisa distribution deal - which runs out in July 2014 - by this week’s annual exhibition, which took place in Birmingham on Monday.

And Sir Michael Bibby, MD of Costcutter owner the Bibby Line Group, admitted the supply agreement was the “elephant in the room”. But in a speech to retailers at the event, Willson-Rymer said there would be no announcement until he had “gone through everything with a fine-toothed comb”.

He apologised to retailers for the false deadline and admitted he had been under pressure to make a decision since taking on the CEO role just a week before, “because everyone had been expecting it”.

“Everyone appears to be in a hurry for us to make an announcement - a situation we have created ourselves,” he said. “I want to go through everything in detail and I don’t want to create more speculation, so I will not be saying what our options are. I assure everyone we will make an announcement in good time before 2014.”

However, some retailers expressed concern that no decision has yet been made. One told The Grocer: “No deal, no announcement and no long-term plan. Darcy’s announcement is a stall.”

Costcutter used the event to relaunch Rhythm & Booze - the off-licence chain it bought out of administration in March this year. The fascia has been given a new red, black and white look, featuring a treble clef.

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