We are into the final furlong. The biggest week in the golden quarter for the grocery market is here. And the question is: will consumers wait till Christmas Eve to do their grocery shopping, or will the industry be left with mouldy sprouts and unloved turkeys? Who will make the right call? This is also the busiest week of the year for The Grocer, with the publication of our huge Top Products survey. You will have plenty of reading material for the Christmas break. Our next issue will be out on 5 January and the New Year promises to be every bit as intriguing. We will know then if Iceland's new trading terms, due to change on 1 January, have stuck. As we went to press a smell of mutiny was in the air; but the winner of the 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' award for our review of the year is a foregone conclusion. Even if Iceland is not in trouble, as some suggest, a grocery-wide slowdown looks inevitable, however, following this year's 5.2% growth. Happy Christmas and hold on to your hats.

Topics