l All market data for the Christmas Best Sellers is sourced from ACNielsen, a VNU company and the world's leading marketing information company. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the company provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behaviour. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. l ACNielsen is the recognised authority of the alcoholic drinks trade in the UK and provides market data information and analysis to brewers, distillers, vintners, importers and retailers. l The Christmas Best Sellers feature is produced exclusively for The Grocer and is sourced from ACNielsen's Off-Licence Audit for Great Britain. This includes all retail measurement data from most of the major multiple retailers, via weekly monitoring of integrated data from EPoS checkout scanners, supplemented with retail audit information using a sample of outlets for other multiple retailers and independents to represent the 43,000 off-licences currently trading. l ACNielsen market coverage for the Christmas Best Sellers represents the cross-section of trading channels operating in the market, ie, multiple grocers, multiple specialists, independents and co-ops. Sales figures are quoted in £m sterling. The value sale periods covered are for the period ending Nov/Dec '00; Nov/Dec '01. The change in sales value compares performance for the bi-monthly period ending Nov/Dec '01 and Nov/Dec '00. A brand is defined as a collection of products in the same product field sold under the same brand name. For example, sales value figures for wine brands will include all varietals and sub-brands sold under the same brand name. Flavour ranges are combined within flavoured alcoholic beverages to produce a total for the particular brand. l ACNielsen's Retail Measurement Services provide comprehensive information on actual purchases, market shares, distribution, pricing and merchandising and promotional activities and are the fastest and most accurate monitor of consumer sales in Europe. l ACNielsen MMS is the leading and most comprehensive provider of advertising expenditure measurement in the UK. ACNielsen's global media measurement service includes television audience measurement in 18 countries, radio audience measurement in 11 markets and advertising expenditure measurement in 30 countries. l In addition to customised research, ACNielsen offers consumer panel research, which tracks the buying behaviour and demographics of more than 135,000 households in 20 countries, primarily through hand-held, in-home scanners (10,500 households in the UK). l Through strategic partnerships between NetRatings (NASDAQ: NTRT), Nielsen Media Research and ACNielsen, the Nielsen//NetRatings Internet audience measurement service collects real-time data from more than 233,000 individuals with access to the internet in 29 countries around the world. Nielsen//NetRatings uses unique technology capable of measuring both internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive internet usage data and advertising information in the global marketplace. For more information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com {{FEATURES }}