>>nominated this month: asda, booker, budgens, the co-operative group, somerfield and tesco

Danny Ayton
category buyer, Booker
Ayton joined Booker in 1998, having worked for BP as a retail category buyer, and then One Stop as buying controller for impulse products. His retail buying experience has helped Booker increase its focus on the consumer to build strong category plans around the 4 Ps - product, price, position, and promotion.

Howard Robbins
head parallel and grey food team, Tesco
Robbins joined Tesco in 1977. After four years in areas such as retail planning, productivity services and commercial support, he moved into marketing and buying. Robbins has worked in food and non-food, including grocery, impulse, frozen and electricals. He moved to form the new parallel and grey food team.

Guy Mason

Buyer, tobacco, stamps and lottery, Asda
Mason joined Asda in 1997 on the graduate manager scheme. Since then he has risen through a number of store roles, including checkout manager and produce manager. After Asda was acquired he became a trainer for Wal-Mart systems before moving to petrol operations/systems manager. He took his current job in 2003

Christine Sandys>.
senior buyer, tobacco, Budgens
Sandys joined Budgens as senior buyer for tobacco, wines and spirits in September 1999. Prior to this she was with CRS, joining in 1983 as an assistant buyer for tobacco, wines and spirits and progressing to buying manager. She was then promoted to the role of category buyer, taking responsibility for wines and spirits.

Peter Newton
Category buyer, tobacco, spirits and fortified wines, The Co-operative group
Newton has been in this role since 1996, having joined the group in 1995 as a category assistant. Prior to this he worked at Halifax Property Services as a sales negotiator. His range accounts for about £800m and he has achieved net additional income of over £2m in the past two years.

Liz Smith
Category buyer, newspapers, magazines, cigarettes and tobacco, Somerfield

Smith who is currently on maternity leave, has been in her role since November 2001 and oversees a £548m turnover category. Since July 2003 she has added category planner, non-edible, to her responsibilities. She has been at Somerfield since 1998, starting in an assistant buyer role.