The British Retail Consortium hopes to start interviewing for a new director general at the end of this month having completed the first stage of its selection process. The Court of Appeal has agreed to the government's ban on tobacco advertising by a majority of two to one. The decision overturns the High Court judgement which found in favour of UK tobacco manufacturers. Permission has been granted for an appeal to the House of Lords. Marks & Spencer is continuing its sponsorship of the Food Foundation's Food Directory website at www.fooddirectory.co.uk which aims to be the most authoritative digital reference source on the food and drink industry. Londis has been ranked as the 50th largest company in London, based on a turnover figure that exceeded £367m last year, by credit analyst Dun & Bradstreet. Nigel Garrow, formerly the chief executive of Dalgety Foods and Spillers Petfoods, has teamed up with venture capitalists 3i to form the Braes Group, with £200m to spend on acquiring food ingredients companies. Ormeau Bakery in Belfast has been awarded the Costcutter Supplier of the Year award in Northern Ireland for the second year running. Cake and pastry supplier Inter Link Foods has been given the go-ahead to buy William Lusty Group, the cake supplier that went into receivership last year. Appleby Westward, Spar's wholesaler in the south west, has broken the £100m wholesale sales barrier for the first time in the company's history. Its new chilled and frozen foods distribution centre at Cullompton, Devon, is scheduled to begin its first deliveries from this coming week. T&S Stores, owner of One Stop and Dillons, begins distribution of packaged groceries and household goods through its Brownhills warehouse from January 17. Up to now, goods have been distributed through Booker. T&S already services its stores in the south through its Southampton depot. Somerfield has chosen Volvo to supply 134 new trucks, with further orders to be confirmed, in a major upgrade to its distribution fleet. Today's Group member GP Mace has opened its relocated cash and carry and delivered wholesale depot in Bridgewater, Somerset. The Ash Manor Cheese Co has won a £267,000 grant from the Welsh Assembly to go towards building a £1m dedicated organic cheese grating, slicing and dicing production facility adjacent to the company's existing premises in Wrexham. The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Information Bureau has been folded into the Fresh Produce Consortium, after 22 years as the voice of British growers. The FPC is at pains to stress that PR activity will continue as normal. Bob Hitchin, DBC commercial director (bacon and meats), has decided to leave the firm in mid February. {{NEWS }}