The National Convenience Show has unveiled its first raft of heavyweight partners, with Booker, Imperial Tobacco, Heineken and Robert Wiseman on board.

The show, which replaces the annual Convenience Retailing Show, takes place at Birmingham NEC from 27 February to 1 March and is set to be a must-attend event, with hundreds of ­exhibitors attending.

For the first time, the event will also include the ACS Summit and The Grocer Lunch for the Big 30 wholesalers and Top 50 ­independent retailers.

"We are delighted to ­announce partners of this calibre and look forward to unveiling more," said Andrew Reed, MD of events and exhibitions at William Reed Business Media, ­owner of The Grocer.

ACS chief executive James Lowman added: "It is great the show is being so well received and capturing the imagination of the ­industry."