Welcome back to those of you that, like the worker bees of Grocer Towers, returned from the festive break today.

Add Christmas to the preceding weeks of disruption by the weather and it seems like a very long time since it was ‘business as usual’. And the landscape has continued to shift in our absence.

The hike in VAT to 20% took effect this morning, prompting a fresh round of warnings from retailers about the move’s likely impact on consumer spending.

That followed some interesting/fanciful ideas last week from Oliver Letwin’s ‘nudge unit’, which aims to shape public behaviour through subtler means than the usual big stick of taxation.

One such nudge could see shopping trolleys marked with special fruit and veg sections, with health ministers hoping this clever bit of psychology prompts punters to pick up more of the old ‘sports candy’.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley, meanwhile, wants to issue money-off vouchers to shoppers for healthy foods as part of his ‘Great Swapathon’. Lansley has called the scheme “a great example of how government, the media, industry and retailers can work together to help families to be healthy”.

And that’s exactly what he’ll be discussing at The Grocer’s Food & Health Debate next month, where Lansley is a keynote speaker.

Asda will be handing out one tranche of his vouchers – and today there was news of yet more upheaval at the Walmart-owned chain. Andy Bond has stepped down as chairman, effective immediately, and will sling his hook for good at the end of March when he polishes off the Massmart acquisition for Asda’s American parent.

Where (if) Bond resurfaces could be one of the more interesting stories of what promises to be another very eventful year in the trade.

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