All articles by Peter Cripps – Page 11
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News
3663 results bruised as consumers eat out less
Foodservice giant 3663 First For Foodservice is feeling the effects of the credit crunch as people cut back on eating out. The wholesaler’s profits have levelled off over the past year and are not expected to improve greatly in the year...
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News
Malcolm set to replace Walker as CJ Lang MD
Scott Malcolm is to become the managing director of C J Lang & Son, Scotland’s largest independent retailing and distribution company, at the start of November. He will take the reins from current chief executive David Walker, who is to retire. In a...
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News
Is Bestway looking to purchase rival Makro?
Speculation is rife that Bestway is planning to buy rival cash & carry operator Makro. The two companies are rumoured to be thrashing out a deal that could create a wholesaling giant to rival Palmer & Harvey McLane and Booker, with a turnover of...
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News
Make or Brakes with Woodward purchase
With its own debt mountain, why is Brakes buying loss-making Woodward Foodservice? Peter Cripps reports
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News
Aldi celebrates 19.8% growth by joining BRC
Aldi has joined the British Retail Consortium, as new figures confirm the growing success of discounters. The German discounter joined the likes of Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s while celebrating 19.8% sales growth in the past year, and a record 3%...
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News
Johnson hired to focus on Woolworths future
Struggling Woolworths has appointed another Asda man. Former marketing director Steve Johnson will take up the reins as its chief executive on 1 September, replacing Trevor Bish-Jones who had been in the post for six years. One of the toughest jobs...
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News
Discounters muscle in on top-up market
Discounters muscle in on top-up market: The rise of the discounters threatens c-stores and off-licences as much as supermarkets, according to a new report. The survey, carried out this summer by retail consultancy Him!, revealed that shoppers are visiting discounters twice a week – the...
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News
Brakes plays it cool over its debt levels
Brakes boss Frank McKay has shrugged off rumours the company is struggling, pointing to double-digit sales growth and insisting the new 98p fuel surcharge is more fair and transparent than putting up food prices. “No-one has been immune to the...
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Profiles and QandAs
Putting pies back into chip shops is way to go
Holland’s Pies’ new managing director, Neil Court-Johnston, plans to turn around the declining sales of the traditional food manufacturer with the help of chip shops. Sales at the Baxenden-based company have dropped by some 10% to 15% over the past...
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News
Suppliers size up the discounter potential
Cash-strapped British shoppers are flocking to the hard discounters. What about the brands, asks Peter Cripps
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News
Wholesaler prices rise along with cost of fuel
The rising cost of fuel has forced some delivered wholesalers to raise their prices – although others claim to have found different ways to cope. Foodservice giant Brakes introduced a 98p fuel charge on all deliveries at the start of the month. ...
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News
Spar retailers boycott Vodafone over rate cut
Almost 3,500 convenience stores boycotted Vodafone yesterday by refusing to sell its top-ups after the mobile phone operator announced it was cutting retailers' commission by one percentage point. Led by Spar retailers, they threatened...
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News
Nisa-Today's shrugs off Booths' departure
Nisa-Today's insists its business won't be affected when supermarket chain Booths leaves the buying group at the beginning of next year. "Booths' termination of membership will have no material effect on the group's operations as Booths...
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News
Out goes needs test as Blears aims to protect small stores
The controversial needs test is to be scrapped and replaced by a new impact test. At the annual conference of the Royal Town Planning Institute on Thursday, communities secretary Hazel Blears announced that the planning rules were to be...
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News
High oil costs fuel new collaboration scheme
With soaring fuel prices, the need to cut costs as well as carbon emissions has never been greater. Last week, The Grocer revealed details of a groundbreaking collaborative distribution scheme involving 37 retailers and suppliers,...
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News
Collaboration 'notenough'
The Co-operative Group, one of the 37 companies working with IGD to cut travel miles in the grocery industry, has written to energy minister Malcolm Wicks asking for the Energy Bill to be amended. The letter, seen exclusively by The...
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News
Three Holmes depots close
Musgrave Group is to close three Holmes Wholesale cash & carry depots . The depots in Coleraine, Newtownards and Cookstown will close by the end of the month and business will move to the Ballymena, Hillview, Belfast and Lurgan depots,...
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News
Crown Crest set to boost Instore food
Value retailer Instore, which operates the Poundstretcher and Instore fascias, could expand its food range further if Leicester-based wholesaler Crown Crest takes over the loss-making company.
The retailer revealed this week it was “in… -
News
Blakemore gives Spar store refurbs pledge
AF Blakemore is encouraging independents to spend large sums on refurbishments despite the gloomy economic conditions. The wholesaler, which supplies 700 Spar stores in the Midlands and parts of Wales, has offered to underwrite...