Nisa-Today's is revamping its chilled range in a bid to help independents compete better with supermarket s.

The buying group is to make a number of healthy and organic ranges available through its NisaChill delivered service .

The new ranges will be rolled out over the next two months. The first to be listed, from 27 March, will be the Annabel Karmel Eat Fussy range of ready meals for young children . Nisa will also introduce five healthy meals from the Food Doctor brand.

"These ranges present a massive opportunity for independents," said John Sharpe, Nisa-Today's MD of central distribution trading and logistics. "This is a huge market for us and we will continue to seek out new products and solutions ."

In April the group will introduce the Simply Organic range of soups, pastas and sauces. There will also be fresh meat under the Ensors Organic brand.

Sharpe said he believed that these extensions, as well as 100 new specialist Polish products, would generate increased and repeated sales for Nisa's members.

Meanwhile, Nisa's wholesaling arm the Today's Group has unveiled a number of initiatives it plans to introduce this year.

Speaking at the Today's Group annual conference in Tenerife earlier this month, David Cullen, Nisa-Today's corporate affairs director, detailed plans developed by the company's Conference Action Group.

These include stepping up staff training, making the Nisa-Today's six-days-a-week Premier Service on chilled and frozen available to Today's symbol retailers, and Today's FM radio being launched to symbol and retail club members.

Improving customer loyalty would also be a focus, he said. Today's Group MD Rodney Hunt said group turnover had grown by 3.6% during 2006.

He told members they needed to improve customer service and add value to the services offered to retail customers in order to boost the independent sector .

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