The Grocer 33 has become an institution. Fact. How do we know? Simple: that's what some of the country's most senior retailers told us this week when we canvassed their opinions of the unique shopping survey we launched exactly five years ago. Looking back to June 1997, none of us here at The Grocer could ever have imagined that what we were creating would have such an impact. Sure, we knew The Grocer 33 was a great idea. We also knew it would be controversial. And we knew it would be invaluable for manufacturers, multiple head offices, store managers and independent retailers alike. But did we ever think its stature would grow so that it became the first page that retail bosses turned to each week? Well, we hoped it would. Did we ever imagine it would become a household name? No. Yet since its launch our humble shopping survey has become a star of newspapers, radio and tv. It has been used by retailers in their ad campaigns. And it has made a regular appearance in company annual reports. The reason The Grocer 33 is so successful is that it is able to offer much more than just a weekly price comparison on a basket of goods. It provides retailers with an independent assessment of how their stores are performing in key areas such as out of stocks, store standards, service levels and ­ one of our constant bugbears over the years ­ mistakes made at the checkout. We are proud of what we have achieved. But, five years on, it's time to update The Grocer 33. So from next week, the survey will be expanded. We aim to make it more pertinent to those at head office; more relevant to a wider band of brand owners and own label suppliers; even more useful to those independent retailers using it to keep tabs on pricing in the multiples; and, most importantly, a truly invaluable tool for the managers of the stores we visit each week. So stand by for the new Grocer 33. We promise it will be bigger, better, bolder. Make sure you don't miss it. {{OPINION }}