Did you know that after five minutes at -28deg C, the hairs in your nostrils start to freeze up, along with anything else that is exposed to the intense cold? I share this detail with you after visiting Christian Salvesen's new automated frozen warehouse in Tilburg, Holland. In this icy environment, where human activity is mercifully limited and all the picking is done by high speed robots, the most astonishing feature is the sharing of the facility by competing Dutch retailers Albert Heijn and De Boer Unigro plus several manufacturers. Salvesen now wants to sell the idea to UK multiples. Could this mean we'll see the day when Tesco, Asda and Birds Eye Wall's get into bed together? On a warmer note, Thursday night saw me at the Landmark Hotel at the Top Shop Awards organised by The Grocer's sister magazine Convenience Store. Costcutter's Julia Graves looked in good spirits considering she had lost her handbag earlier in the day. Luckily, corporate affairs director Norman Walker brought his wallet. The evening certainly went with a swing, helped in no small measure by the free bar. The great and the good were still going strong at 3.30am, although I had, of course, retired somewhat earlier. Or did I? I can't remember. Anyway I was up bright and early for the Fast Forward with Bestway seminar at Olympia. As I walked towards the entrance, I noticed some of the crowd around me weren't your average grocery event delegates ­ rather more body piercing than I'm used to ­ but as I took the lift to the third floor they headed off into the Erotica Festival in the main arena. Needless to say, I resisted, without any difficulty at all, the temptation to change venue for the day. {{COUNTERPOINT }}