>>independents can prosper as well as tesco...get real about kids...

Some of the most startling figures in this week’s magazine can be found in our lead story where we report that in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, 53% of all households paid a visit to Tesco. And there’s more: these shoppers spent an average of almost £138. Incredible stuff.
The figures - which are from our new-look TradeTrak report into the market shares of the big grocers - help put into further context the reasons why Tesco was able to report a stellar performance during the festive period.
And Tesco was not alone, which is why some analysts are hailing 2003 as the the grocery retailers’ Christmas - not least because of their booming non-food sales.
Let’s face it, retailing is a pretty simple business. To succeed, you have to be able to attract people into your stores and have the right sort of products to encourage them to spend their cash. But while grocery retailers did all of that - and more - plenty of high street chains failed to deliver on these vital ingredients for success.
But it was not just the likes of Tesco that enjoyed a very merry Christmas. For me, the other really notable trading statement came from northern supermarket chain Booths. Yet again, its focus on providing a quality food offer has paid off. And it shows that independent operators can still prosper - even when they go head to head with the biggest, and best, multiples in the land.

The new year has started where the old one left off - with the food and health issue topping the Whitehall agenda. But we have big news for those who see food advertising as the main reason why kids are eating a poor diet. As we report on page 34, the kids themselves say they choose foods because they are tasty - not because they have been advertised on TV. Our survey of 1,100 children in 50 schools also highlights the fact that we face a massive challenge in helping kids gain a proper understanding of what constitutes a healthy diet and persuading them that healthy foods can also be ‘tasty’. We need a well thought through public education programme, involving everybody from processors to consumers, not some kneejerk reaction like an ad ban.
The recipes for success
tasty revelations

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