Turnover in the independent sector in the UK is much greater than many people believe said Palmer & Harvey McLane national account sales director Paul Hagon. Using IGD's Convenience Tracking Programme figures, he argued that independents, including symbol group members, accounted for about two thirds of the £19bn sales in the c-store sector. But adding in the turnover of all the other independents not covered by the c-store definition ­ such as CTNs ­ took the total figure to £20bn. Some 85% of the sales were branded goods. This represented a massive opportunity to drive brands forward. Hagon said it was far more difficult for suppliers to deal with many individual stores, rather than a single multiple head office, and said wholesalers needed to gather information on the sector to help suppliers. {{NEWS }}

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