Rod Addy
Comment & OpinionLet’s stop labelling food ‘good’ or ‘bad’. The reality is more complex
I’m sick of the food industry being used by successive governments as a scapegoat for failed health policies, says Rod Addy, director general at the Provision Trade Federation
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KS puts its housein order
Kwik Save is putting its availability woes behind it with Christmas imminent, according to The Grocer 33 shoppers - but the news comes as fresh speculation emerges surrounding the troubled chain's future. A source close to Kwik Save said...
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Bestway plans new Batleys depot in Kent
Bestway Group has unveiled expansion plans for 2007 alongside strong double-digit annual growth figures for the year to 30 June. The company aims to open the first new Batleys depot in more than five years at Gillingham, Kent, in July...
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Mills makes fresh central to strategy
Mills Group has launched an intense focus on quality fresh food in an effort to fuel growth. At its annual conference in Newcastle-upon-Tyne this week, the independent retailer announced that the category would be its core focus for 2007...
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Cheaper online fags, booze a 'crazy' idea
Online retailers and criminals stand to gain most from an EU ruling that could lower prices for alcohol and tobacco on the internet, wholesalers claim. The European Court of Justice will decide on 23 November whether to accept a...
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Nisa-Today's ripe for tie-up with Landmark?
A merger between Nisa-Today's and buying group Landmark is a distinct possibility following the collapse of the Nisa/Costcutter deal and the retirement of Nisa-Today's chairman Dudley Ramsden, according to wholesale trade sources. Calls...
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It was, er, beautiful, but now it's over
When a bombshell like the collapse of the Nisa/Costcutter merger hits, the fallout is huge. People are left asking not just what happens to the two companies themselves. There are also wider implications for the whole independent grocery sector....
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Frustration over collapse of Nisa-Today's-Costcutter deal
The collapse of Nisa-Today's merger with symbol group Costcutter is a blow for the whole independent sector, according to analysts and sources within Nisa-Today's. Many of the group's retail members have reacted with frustration and...
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Northern Foods comes out in favour of GDA labelling
Northern Foods is to nail its colours to the Guideline Daily Amounts mast. In an exclusive interview, CEO Pat O'Driscoll said the company believed GDAs, originally developed by Tesco, represented the best way for manufacturers to...
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A Kwikening of pace for a beleaguered discounter
The latest survey from Storecheck Marketing shows Kwik Save's fortunes beginning to turn around, but will it be enough for it to face the challenge of Christmas? The company has struggled since it was sold to the Back To The Future...
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Wholesale guns blazing
The Competition Commission's investigation into the grocery market is building momentum - and a string of critics of the big supermarkets is leaving the inquiry team in no doubt about the problems facing smaller retailers. Earlier this...
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Kwik Save deals keep its supply chain going
Details are emerging of temporary supply agreements forged by Kwik Save to maintain availability while it attempts to secure more permanent contracts. Leicester-based Crown Crest Enterprises has confirmed that it is supplying all Kwik...
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Nisa turns up charm to win over shareholders
Battle lines were being drawn over the proposal to merge Costcutter and Nisa-Today's as the management launched a charm offensive to win over shareholders - and outlined their goals exclusively to The Grocer. As a gesture of goodwill,...
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Wineflair war on pay terminals
Off-licence chain Wineflair has finally declared war on PayPoint and Payzone after years of dissatisfaction with the networks. Chris McKay, operations director at Wineflair, which has 42 stores, said it had already removed 12 of...
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Old guard go in shake up
Booker chief executive Charles Wilson is sweeping out the old guard with a shake-up of the trading structure and the shock departure of trading director Shaun Birrell. Wilson has brought in Bryan Drew, his one-time partner and...
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Rail shops get back on track
Four years ago, independent retailer Costcutter was churning out stores on railway concourses at the speed of an express train in partnership with rail network operator Connex. All seemed to be going well, but then the project hit...
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TM puts c-stores under single McColl's fascia
The names Forbuoys and Dillons are to disappear from the high street in a sweeping rebranding exercise by TM Retail Group, owner of the stores. The company, which boasts 1,300 CTN and c-store outlets, aims to convert all Forbuoys...
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The source of success
A Chinese link gives B&M Retail the edge, reports Rod Addy. Hard discounter B&M Retail is in an enviable position when it comes to trying to compete with the multiples on price, in that it can - thanks to an exclusive...
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Judge clears retailers
The debate over selling alcohol to minors shows no sign of diminishing after prosecutions of Asda and Bargain Booze staff delivered different verdicts. Two Bargain Booze workers in Liverpool - both experienced retailers and also...