Landmark Direct, the van sales operation developed by Landmark Cash and Carry, will be launched next week. The buying group revealed at its annual conference in June that it had been trialling the service at two locations (The Grocer, June 9, p5). Trading director Ron Colley said the group had taken its time fine-tuning the service using the experience gained from the trial. He said: "We didn't rush it because we wanted to ensure that we delivered value and service." The new service rolls out in the central belt of Scotland on Monday, supported with stock from Landmark members Bellevue in Edinburgh and United Wholesale Grocers in Glasgow. Over a four-week period the van sales teams will call on 1,500 retailers, selected using Landmark's sales data, with exclusive offers from Bulmers, Scottish Courage Brands and Swedish Match. The deals will only be available at the time of call and will not be available from the cash and carries. Colley said: "The service will now be rolled out and will be operating nationally before the end of the year." He said the service could be used to help manufacturers launch products on a regional basis, or nationally. In addition to selling promotional activity, he said the sales team could also be commissioned to gather information. Landmark has also chosen to launch its B2B website in Scotland. Delivered wholesaler Sutherland Brothers, which is based at Wick in the far north of Scotland, has been chosen as the test bed. The site, landmarkuk.com, will enable retailers to order stock from their local Landmark depot. The service is currently only available to customers of Sutherland Brothers, but Colley said the service would be rolled out nationally before the end of the year. {{NEWS }}