There’s a lot of balance sheets in the retail grocery sector that can’t take much more disruption, according to Booker chief executive Charles Wilson. Speaking at the 2014 IGD Convention, Wilson said the supermarkets’ economic model has been disrupted. Their
Spar stores and customers across the North of England have helped to raise £200,000 for the NSPCC’s ChildLine Schools Service simply by having a bite to eat. The money has been raised since 2011 through a sandwich promotion on a
Spar UK reports it is racing ahead in making changes to traffic light labeling on its products – with more than 80% of artwork now signed off ahead of schedule. A total of 200 products are already in store using the
Independent food and drink wholesaler, JW Filshill ,has expanded into the export market, setting up JW Filshill International – trading as The Craft Beer Clan of Scotland – to help Scottish craft brewers initially penetrate the lucrative Asia market. The new company, with
Blakemore Logistics has opened the door to a career in LGV driving for several young people by hosting a driver apprenticeship scheme. Working in partnership with the Logistics Apprenticeship Training Academy (LATA), Blakemore Logistics has provided a series of work
Spar reports its service levels are at their highest ever – currently running at 98.7%, with all five Spar wholesalers recording on average 97.5% of deliveries arriving on time over 13,000 deliveries made per week. This success is thanks to Spar’s
Major General John Henderson, the General Officer commanding all British forces in Germany, has paid a visit to the James Hall Bowland View site on 28 August 2014 to thank the company for the support it has given to the Navy, Army
Continued investment in technology, increased productivity and improving operating cost efficiencies helped Glasgow-based JW Filshill, the multi award-winning independent wholesaler and owner of the KeyStore convenience store brand, achieve a turnover of £158m in the year to January 31, 2014
Following its recent acquisitions of forecourt and convenience distributor GAP and Clayton Park Bakery, Spar wholesaler James Hall & Co has replaced IT systems in both companies with BCP’s Accord Distribution solution to deliver business synergies and operational transparency across its new
James Hall & Co, the Spar wholesaler for the North of England, has hosted this year’s Spar International Future Leaders conference, welcoming 36 people from 11 Spar countries to Preston. Delegates from across the globe all had the opportunity to
AF Blakemore’s Heart Distribution division has been rebranded as Blakemore Fine Foods and has also been recognised with a national responsible business award. The company will now officially be known as Blakemore Fine Foods to better reflect the company’s increased
Volunteers from across all corners of the AF Blakemore estate have responded to a call for action as part of Business in the Community’s national day of volunteering (16 May 2014). Around 30 employees from AF Blakemore’s Spar retail, wholesale
AF Blakemore has joined forces with Walsall Business Parks at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce to help businesses in the borough recycle their waste. The company has set up a service especially to aid businesses located on the business parks with their cardboard
JW Filshill, the Glasgow-based wholesaler, has acquired the west of Scotland-based Lawrence McQueen Wine & Spirits Merchants for an undisclosed sum. A second-generation business, Lawrence McQueen Wine & Spirits is a longstanding customer of JW Filshill, the award-winning delivered
The British Bankers Association (BBA) is calling for higher confidence in bank lending from SMEs in the retail sector and launching a campaign to let businesses know they are a lot more likely to get bank finance than they think. The BBA’s
Discount Wholesale, Poundworld’s online wholesale operation has announced a massive rise increase in its annual sales. Launched in May 2012, the website www.discount-wholesale.co.uk is reported to have experienced a rapid year-on-year increase in online sales of 425%. The company, which also runs
Thai cash and cash operator, Siam Makro, is investing in a new retail business platform to deliver actionable insight and optimised operations and support its Pan-Asian growth objectives. The multi-format retail company has selected Oracle Retail solutions to offer the
Employees from across Blakemore Foodservice, Wakefield, have spread some Christmas cheer and donated a cheque for £2,000 to a children’s cancer charity in Leeds. Staff nominated Candlelighters as their charity of the year and have organised a number of fundraising
The Chancellor has announced that there will be a new registration scheme for alcohol wholesalers as a way of tackling alcohol fraud. The register will be run by HM Revenue and Customs, and will take effect in 2016. From 2014,
Blakemore Wholesale has announced the launch of a new Click & Collect service, available in seven cash & carry depots. The service allows business owners to dramatically reduce the amount of time spent away from their business premises, the company
AF Blakemore has launched new company logos all its business divisions to create a more uniform look. Blakemore Retail, meanwhile, has transformed its Bishops Castle forecourt in Shropshire following its recent acquisition from the Co-operative. The new corporate logos and
Palmer and Harvey, the UK’s leading delivered wholesaler, has signed a rolling agreement with One Stop to become the official supply partner for chilled products. Palmer and Harvey has been supplying One Stop’s chilled range since April 2013. The deal
Heart Distribution, the AF Blakemore operation set up to aid small, local producers with getting their products to market, has launched a new initiative to help small producers grow their businesses. The Heart Distribution Producer Growth Scheme, which was launched in
A Worcester-based hospice has received funding from a Spar retailer to support the day-to-day care of patients at the hospice. Burn’s & Co’s Spar Malvern Springs Service Station donated £428 to St Richard’s Hospice through the stores open event on
AF Blakemore has extended its charitable trust to recognise the wide range of community activity undertaken by independent Spar stores across the Meridian & Welsh Guild. The Blakemore Foundation, which represents two per cent of AF Blakemore’s pre-tax profits, was
