Treasury minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry has asked for a meeting with the FWD on March 3 following a debate on duty fraud in the House of Commons.

Landmark Wholesale and Today’s Group have both reported strong growth.

In advance of Fairtrade Fortnight, the UK’s largest caterer, Compass Group UK & Ireland has committed to purchasing 100% Fairtrade certified sugar across its entire business by June 2010.

A debate on duty fraud was held at the House of Commons on Tuesday February 9 after intense lobbying by the FWD.

The FWD has won a major concession from the Government in new tobacco control measures that have been announced.

3663 has secured the catering contract to supply facilities management company Elior Group for a further five years. The contract commenced in January and includes the supply of frozen, ambient and chilled products, as well as catering equipment.

Booker has launched a service to help retailers with new battery legislation, which applies from February 1. After that date all retailers who sell more than 32kg of portable batteries a year will be required to provide recycling facilities.

DBC Foodservice has reported a record Christmas trading period, with foodservice sales up 39% year-on-year during the four-week period to January 1. Within this, sales to independent customers were up 26% and national contractual customers up 44% year-on-year, and it said the increase was due to a combination of organic growth and new business wins.

Bestway has reorganised its buying team of negotiators to bring together the Group’s two previous buying teams at Batleys and Bestway.

Booker’s fledgling overseas venture in Mumbai will face competition from Tesco by the end of the year, according to sources in India.

Pressure is mounting on the Government to take stronger action on duty fraud as a result of campaigning by the FWD.

Landmark Wholesale has made two senior appointments. Chris Doyle has been appointed business development director, ending a year-long search for a replacement for Ian Davidson, whose title was marketing director, and Stuart Johnson has been promoted to retail controller replacing Raj Krishan (see panel), who will be joining Today's Group.

Delivered wholesalers and cash and carries were battling to keep their customers supplied in the most severe weather many had faced in their careers.

Hancocks Cash and Carry has announced that it has appointed Jonathan Summerley to its board of directors with immediate effect.

Sweet Charity has announced a new venue for its annual Candy Ball.

Wholesalers and cash and carries have reported strong sales in the run-up to Christmas, although duty fraudsters hit beer and wine sales in some locations.

DBC Foodservice has signed a two-year contract to supply food to more than 100 sites owned by Newcastle City Council, incorporating school catering, social care and civic locations.

Henderson Foodservice in Northern Ireland, a division of the Henderson Group, has announced the purchase of café chain The Streat.

Palmer and Harvey has launched a transactional website to offer 24-hour ordering.

Parfetts Cash & Carry has appointed Pete Mullan as associate licensed negotiator to support the Group Trading team based at the Parfetts head office at Stockport.

Musgrave Retail Partners GB has announced that Jemima Bird has resigned from her position as marketing director.

Job title: buyer

The Off Licence Show will be a new addition alongside this year's Convenience Retailing Show (CRS). It will offer the chance to catch up with suppliers and get advice on the responsible retailing of alcohol.

By David Gilroy, controller, Bestway

Distributors seeking business are delighted when they secure a sole supply agreement with a customer group. No competitor gets a look in for the period of the agreement. Typically an agreement might run for anything between one to five years. Any longer period comes up against EU inspired competition rules that make the agreement unenforceable (an exception occurs where after five years less than 80% of goods must be purchased from the distributor). Negotiations are all important to achieve this.

Echoing last month's article written by Martin Williams of Landmark on how listening to your customers is key, it is important to keep the end customer (the shopper in the independent store or the customers in the pub) in mind when devising your strategy for the wholesale channel.

If the oft quoted figure is correct, a new customer will cost us all seven times as much to sell our goods and services in to as a repeat sale to a current customer. Twice as much would be enough to raise eyebrows. We all know this doesn't mean we don't want new customers it just means in our profit mix the retention of our current customers is paramount.

Knorr has introduced a 100% Mexican-style soup.

Essential Cuisine is re-launching its Classic Demi-Glace range.

Suso, a supplier of soft drinks for secondary schools, is launching a Sparkling Apple flavour for the 2010 spring term.

Heinz Foodservice wants to hear from caterers about its campaign It Has To Be Heinz.

Byron Bay Cookie Company has introduced a limited edition cookie.

The star performers in the wholesale sector during 2009 were celebrated at the FWD Gold Medal Awards before a sell-out audience at The Grand Connaught Rooms, Covent Garden.

Following a year of consistent communication and commitment to the wholesale channel, Nestlé UK has been crowned the Best Trade Advertiser at the 2009 FWD's Annual Dinner and Gold Medal Awards, held at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

With the government's Change 4 Life adverts constantly appearing on our screens it's clear that healthy eating is a trend that is here to stay. Even during the recession, consumers are wanting healthier products. And the New Year brings with it the annual January detox.

Ethnic food brand owners have been rubbing their hands with glee during the recession. That's because just as restaurant goers have been down-trading to takeaways, so takeaway consumers have been returning to their kitchens to knock up a curry or stir fry at home.

Nestlé has announced that KitKat will be certified Fairtrade in the UK and Ireland.

Kellogg's has launched a chocolate cereal bar Fibre Plus.

Heinz has unveiled a new look for the label of its pasta portfolio.

Werther's Original has launched a new bagged chocolate offering.

Birds Eye is launching a new cod variant to its Bake to Perfection range.

Cadbury has launched a Cadbury Creme Egg display competition.

Unilever has launched Pot Noodle in a Mug.

Nestlé Waters has announced that its Nestlé Pure Life brand is the official water of the London Marathon.

Warburtons has introduced Toasting Muffins to its range.

Britvic has launched a year-long promotion called Gatorade Gives Back.

Heineken has announced plans for a tie-up with 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' across its five biggest brands during the World Cup.

Brown Brothers will be launching two new wines at 'World Class', the Australian wine trade tasting in February.

Smirnoff has announced a six-month collaboration with Time Out to launch the Smirnoff & Time Out iPhone app.

Healey's Cyder Farm has announced a range of brand and PR plans for its Cornish Rattler Cyder. These include a new label for the bottles from February, the introduction of a new berry variety this spring, and a number of sponsorship initiatives, all underpinned by a PR programme.

Cellar Trends, the specialist distributor of wines, Champagne, spirits and liqueurs, has been appointed to distribute Kwai Feh Lychee liqueur in the UK.

Monday

The Federation of Wholesale Distributors has taken its ongoing fight against alcohol duty fraud to Westminster and Whitehall, with questions being asked in the House about the scale of the problem.