All articles by Elinor Zuke – Page 17
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Profiles
Jennison vows he’ll return Payzone to growth by next year
Payzone has appointed Gary Jennison as managing director as it looks to reverse its falling sales. Jennison joins with nine years' banking experience, most recently as CEO of Secure Trust Bank, and has worked in retail lending at Hitachi...
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NewsWheat prices to soar as drought deepens
The food industry is on red alert again over wheat - and this time it's wheat used in food, rather than feed, that's most at risk.
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NewsFormer boss Baile back for failed Oddbins stores
Former Oddbins owner Simon Baile has bought the leases to five defunct Oddbins stores from the chain's administrator and plans to re-open them as ExCellar wine shops. Baile was putting the final touches to two of the stores, in East Sheen...
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News
Property and wage hikes hit Clearys
Manchester-based Spar retailer Clearys has blamed spiralling property and wage costs for falling into the red. Accounts filed at Companies House this week revealed a pre-tax loss of £41,502 for the year ending 30 June 2010 compared with...
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News
Tesco is hauled over coals after wine pricing ‘error’
Alcohol Concern has raised doubts over Tesco's commitment to responsible retailing after the supermarket this week sold wine at 4p below duty plus VAT.Tesco was selling a six-bottle case online for £12.78 equivalent to £2.13 a bottle ...
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NewsTest purchasing ‘should target repeat offenders’
Union officials have accused Trading Standards of being too indiscriminate with underage sales stings and not doing enough to catch repeat offenders. Speaking at the annual delegate meeting last week, Usdaw general secretary John Hannett...
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News
School sports days get a spur from Spar
Spar is giving its retailers free UKA-branded sports day kits to donate to local schools in the latest phase of its ongoing UK Athletics sponsorship deal. The 2,500 kits each comprise two posters, four sets of 36 bibs, finishing tape,...
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NewsSwaine reveals former Threshers stores boom
Rhythm & Booze owner R&M Swaine has hailed the turnaround of the 34 former Threshers stores it bought when First Quench Retailing collapsed into administration. At the end of its financial year [30 June 2010] like-for-like sales...
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NewsHottest Easter since records began puts eggs in meltdown
Easter confectionery sales were "hammered" by the hot weather as shoppers swapped chocolate for a cold beer over the Easter Bank Holiday. As the mercury hit 27.8C, during the hottest Easter since records began, sources revealed Easter...
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Grocer 33Tesco Extra Cadle, Swansea
The Grocer 33 is a weekly mystery shopping survey, tracking price, service and availability at the five leading grocery retailers: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose. Each week the winning store manager is interviewed by The Grocer.
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NewsEFB snaps up 37 stores from Oddbins administrator
European Food Brokers has bought 37 of the Oddbins stores still open from the off licence chain’s administrator. Deloitte said it was engaged in discussions and “confident of an imminent deal” on the remaining 48 open stores.
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NewsHMRC must return its Eastenders raid haul
Customs officials have been ordered to hand back the documents, invoices and computers they seized from six Eastenders cash & carry depots during dawn raids in December after a court ruled that search warrants should not have been granted in the...
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News'We were the biggest before and we’re still the biggest': an interview with Peter Blakemore
AF Blakemore bought Capper & Co last month, creating a Spar wholesaler with a £1.1bn turnover and a 45% share of Spar. In his first interview since the acquisition, Peter Blakemore talks to Elinor Zuke about the takeover, Spar and Big Society
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News
CJ Lang recruitment drive continues with AM Landsburgh deal
CJ Lang has almost sealed its purchase of Spar retailer AM Landsburgh. The Scottish Spar wholesaler this week confirmed it was in talks with the third-generation family business. CJ Lang will take on 10 Spar stores in Dundee and Fife for...
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News
B&M plans to go south with 30 bargain stores
B&M Retail is hoping to have opened 30 new B&M Bargains stores by the end of the year including one within the M25. The Liverpool-based discounter has 235 stores across the UK, but the estate only currently stretches as far...
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NewsMarwood takes up non-executive role in field marketing
Outgoing Spar MD Jerry Marwood has been appointed as a non-executive director of field marketing agency exPD8. He will advise the agency on promotional compliance in c-stores as the agency looks to bolster its presence in grocery....
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NewsNuclear sushi fears unwarranted, say ‘Japanese’ suppliers
UK fans of Japanese cuisine need not fear radiation levels - because the majority of Japanese food imported into the UK doesn't actually come from Japan, importers and wholesalers are stressing.
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ProfilesAG Parfett & Son makes plans for redundancies
AG Parfett & Son has informed staff of plans to make up to 76 redundancies across its six depots. The cash & carry wholesaler decided to lay people off at a board meeting last week. Some roles would be made redundant as a result...
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NewsOddbins staff fury over redundancy pay move
Oddbins could face legal action from long-serving staff after it was revealed they would not be paid statutory redundancy pay or full-notice payments. The troubled off-licence chain revealed earlier this month that it was closing 39...
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Analysis & FeaturesIn the world of off-licences, is Bargain Booze a bargain?
Wine Cellar and Threshers went bust. Oddbins is on the brink of a CVA. So who would want to buy Bargain Booze and why? Elinor Zuke reports