[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]
Booker departures Jonathan Prentis, Booker’s chief financial officer, and Mark Chilton, company secretary, have left the business, which merged with Tesco earlier this year. Prentis’s replacement is Ves Bandev, who joined Booker in 2012 following its purchase of Makro. Helen Williams, who has been with the C&C/wholesaler since 2013, takes over from Chilton as company secretary. a Booker Group (01933) 371000
Retailer with drive
SPAR south-west growth Appleby Westward, which recruited 27 more stores to the SPAR south-west network last year, has targeted a further 24 in 2019. The company currently services nearly 300 outlets (company-owned and independent). The new ones are a mix of other symbols (including Londis, Costcutter and Mace) and independents. The announcement was made by managing director Mike Boardman (pictured), speaking at the wholesaler’s third mini trade show of the year, held in Bournemouth. “We have consistently recruited numbers in the mid-20s over the last four years,” he said. “A number of companies have experienced
supply issues while we have still managed to record service levels above 98% in the year. This has helped recruitment where many independent retailers have grown tired of supplies coming in late.” The Saltash, Cornwall, operator’s wholesale sales reached almost £135 million for the year to 30 September. Like-for-like sales rose 4.4%.
The highest summer volume for two years was recorded, with total cases reaching the 250,000 mark. Boardman added: “Our wholesale and retail businesses are delivering industry-leading like-for-like figures. Our service levels are the envy of many, especially during the high-pressure summer months. “With continued investment in our retailers, company-owned stores and warehouse facilities, SPAR is now the only credible independent symbol group.” The show attracted representatives from 84 stores and from 80 suppliers. a Appleby Westward (01752) 854000
P&H demise hits tobacco firms
Ashad Alam (pictured), who owns Al Halal supermarkets in Birmingham, was chosen from over 30,000 retailers as the winner of a Renault Kangoo van in an exclusive competition run by Bestway and PepsiCo. The prize also included a year’s free insurance and £100 worth of credit to spend on Walkers products at the C&C/wholesaler’s Birmingham branch. Retailers had to buy any three cases of Walkers crisps between June and August to be eligible to win the van. a Bestway Wholesale 0208453 1234 06
December 2018
Trading results released by Imperial Brands for the year to 30 September show that the tobacco supplier suffered a £110 million one-off impact on its operating profit due to the collapse of Palmer & Harvey. This was, however, less than the £160 million adverse
effect forecast towards the end of last year when P&H went into administration. According to Imperial Brands’ board, most of this money relates to non-recoverable excise duty. Despite the effect of P&H’s demise, Imperial’s operating profit for the year rose from £2.28
billion to £2.41 billion on sales up from £30.25 billion to £30.52 billion. JTI also took a hit, with profit growth in its 2017 figures impacted by around $180 million due to P&H’s failure. a Imperial Brands (0117) 963 6636 a JTI UK (01932) 372000
Accreditation for Savona Savona Foodservice has been awarded the British Retail Consortium’s AA standard at both of its depots. Savona bought fellow Country Range Group member Ilfracombe Wholesale Grocers two years ago and has since rebranded, added a freezer extension to its Oxford depot, doubled cold store capacity at its Ilfracombe branch and gained multiple contracts.
www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk
“This isn’t just another accreditation,” said Mike Morgan, director and general manager at the Oxford depot. “It is an external recognition
of the investment we have made to achieve the highest possible quality assurances.” a Savona Foodservice (01865) 852010