1. Nielsen
April 2011

2. Foodservice / Wholesaler Movements
UK: Compass and Brakes sign Record-Breaking Distribution Contract. Compass Group has awarded the UK's largest ever catering distribution contract to Brakes. The “groundbreaking” agreement will commence in 2012 and means Brakes will be responsible for delivering over
Foodservice / Wholesaler Movements
Brakes – Announces strategic 7 year partnership with M&B worth over 200m
Dec 11th 2011
*Brakes – Compass and Brakes announce a record breaking partnership for 2012 delivering £300m delivered goods to 5,500 compass sites across the UK for a minimum of 7 years. Source: Dec ‘10
DBC launches Own Label range. Many of the recipes have been created to meet Food Standards Agency guidelines to appeal to the growing trend of offering healthier alternatives to consumers. Source: Wholesalenews.co.uk Dec 2010
DBC Foodservice has won a 3 year contract worth £25m a year SSP outlets at airports, rail stations and leisure facilities in the UK. Source: Wholesalenews.co.uk, Sep 2010.
CJ Lang Sells C&C And Foodservice Businesses To Batleys Source: NamNews Nov 2010
Youngs Acquires Geronimo Inns. More planned following the £60m purchase of trendy local pub owner Geronimo Inns, which also operates three pubs at Heathrow airport. Source: NamNews 19th Dec 2010
Landmark Wholesale’s northern-most member, JW Gray & Co, has won a deal to supply all three shops onboard the ro-ro passenger ferries operated by NorthLink Ferries, Wholesale News 10th Feb ‘11
CPT is the third new Landmark Member of 2011 after Deptford-based Hi-Line Cash and Carry and Manchester-based Broadways joined in January. Landmark website 21st Feb ‘11
Makro preparing for exit. A report by The Grocer said that it has been searching on and off for a buyer for the past two years and was now actively looking again News 16th Mar 2011
Costa acquires Coffee Nation UK coffee retail chain Costa Coffee £59.5m.
Capper & Co has confirmed that it has been acquired by A.F. Blakemore & Son. Sourced Nam News 24th Mar
Punch Taverns, the UK’s biggest pub group, could split itself in two to tackle debts the Sunday Times reported 25th March
Todays Group considering demerger from Nisa as they have different tailored strategies but they will continue to work together – Nisa IGD
Landmark has ambitious plans to develop its catering and foodservice operations following on from last month’s recruitment of JJ Food Service to the Group. With six depots and £140m turnover, the Enfield-based Wholesaler is now Landmark’s fourth biggest Member and the largest company to join the Group for 6 years. March Nam news

3. Published Sales Performances
Food And Beer Sales Drive Growth At Marston’s Pubs and brewing group Marston's said today that had it continued to make good progress in each of its divisions, particularly the beer business, where volumes grew 4%. Marston's, which sells beer under the Pedigree, Banks's, Jennings and Mansfield brands, said it expected profit for the first half ending 2 April to be in line with its estimates. The company has more than 2,000 pubs across the UK. Sourced 16th Mar ’11 Nam News
Bidvest, 3663 parent company, announces positive financial results for the half year ending December Amongst the results was news of a 4.2% increase in revenue to R58.5 billion (rand), with trading profit up 8% to R2.8 billion. Bidvest's headline earnings showed an increase of 11.3% to R1.7 billion, which equates to an increase in headline earnings per share of 9.1%. The value of headline earnings per share currently sits at cents. Sourced 3663 Website 3rd March ‘11
Profits Up At Restaurant Group, Trading Improves In New Year The owner of Chiquito and Frankie & Benny's restaurants 12% jump in annual profits as it revealed new year sales had bounced back after December's snow disruption. The Restaurant Group, which also owns the Garfunkel's chain, posted underlying profits of £56m in the year to 2 January Nam News 11th Mar ‘11
Higher Costs Hit Profits At JD Wetherspoon Pubs group JD Wetherspoon has reported an 11% decline in first half pre-tax profit, blaming higher costs and interest charges following the renewal of its bank facilities in March last year Sourced Nam News 11th Mar‘11
Profits Down At Punch Taverns, Demerger On Track Embattled pubs group Punch Taverns said today the demerger of Spirit, its managed pubs division, was on track to be completed this summer as it reported an 8% drop in first-half profit. Punch, which last month announced plans to spin off Spirit as part of a strategy to reduce its crippling £3bn debt pile, said that its pre-tax profit in the 28 weeks to 5 March fell to £61m from £66m for the same period in 2010.
Booker - Over the 52 weeks to 25 March, total sales were up 6.2% to £3.6bn with like-for-like growth of 5.1%. Like-for-like non-tobacco sales rose by 5.3%, while like-for-like tobacco sales increased by 4.9%. Like-for-like sales to caterers rose by 6.3% and retailers by 4.6%. Internet sales jumped by 29% to £526m. Bookers said that the two acquisitions the company announced in October, the catering supplier Ritter-Courivaud and the drinks group Classic, were performing in line with expectations. Nam News 31st March 2011
Compass, the world's biggest caterer, expects to report higher full year profit as new business and price rises help offset food price inflation and help complement growth from acquisitions. "We are managing the effect of this inflation through a combination of menu planning, professional purchasing, ongoing efficiencies and price increases." April Nam News
Growth Slows At Domino’s Pizza Domino’s Pizza UK & IRL has revealed that its sales slowed in its first quarter due to tough comparatives and weakness in the Republic of Ireland. Like-for-like sales in 608 mature stores rose 4.2% in the 13 weeks to 30 March, down from 10.5% a year ago. They’d risen 4.7% in the first seven weeks and 11.9% in 2010.
Landmark Wholesale reports rising sales figures. Overall sales into depots rose by 13.4% in February, and year to date sales are up 10.3%. Licensed provided the highlight with sales up +43.1%. Own Brand sales sales into depots rose 28.3% Wholesale News Mar ‘11
Sales at Pret a Manger have been boosted by Breakfast sales. Like-for-sales increased by 10% after it expanded its hot food range and started selling porridge. The sandwich chain which has 265 outlets in the UK, US and Hong Kong, said the popularity of its hot food lines, such as toasties, helped sales rise 17% to £327.5m in Underlying profits increased by 37% to £46.1m.

4. Additional Published Insights
Restaurant Brands – may be forced to permanently lower prices as consumers become accustomed to discount voucher spending. Big Hospitality Rachel Johnson 7th Dec 2010
Airports Lead The Way In Global Retail Recovery . The global airport retail market will become one of the best performing in retail and is set to grow by more than 60% by 2015 to be worth US$44.1bn, according to Verdict Sourced: Nam News Feb 11th 2011
Creed Customers offered Online ordering facility . Chris Creed MD said “This is another great step forward” Sourced: Wholesalers News Feb 2011
170 Restaurants, Food & Drink Producers And Supermarkets Sign Up To Government Health Initiative Some 170 companies have signed up to the Government's responsibility deal on public health, with pledges including warnings on alcohol and cuts to salt and fat in food. McDonald's announced it will display calories on menu boards across its 1,200 restaurants from September and remove trans fats, along with fast food outlets such as Pizza Hut and KFC. Nam News 15th March 2011
Today’s Group Expands Plan For Profit Category Advice Initiative Online The Today’s Group is expanding its Plan for Profit category advice initiative by launching its new website, this coming Friday, designed to further the reach and resources available through Plan for Profit. With internet usage increasing as a business function it is becoming more important to have a web presence. Sourced Nam News 7th Mar ‘11
Booker has lowered the prices on 650 items in the next phase of its Booker Price Rollback programme. It says all the main product categories that are important to convenience stores are involved and the prices will be guaranteed through to June 21. A further range of price reductions for caterers, in its Lock Down programme, will be announced shortly and will also be guaranteed to June 21. Wholesale News 14th April
Big Increase In Coupon And Voucher Redemption up 17% year on year valued at £537m in to help family budgets go further. Nam News April
Eat Receives Investment Boost To Drive Expansion Lyceum Capital, the private equity group, has bought a controlling stake in Eat, the takeaway sandwich, soup and salad shop, with a view to tripling its size to more than 300 venues. It currently has 110 UK stores, many of them in London. Nam News 30th March 2011
Good news for food to go retailers - Bread price drop contributes to decrease in inflation A record 2.6% drop in the price of bread and cereals contributed to the overall decrease in the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks, seen in the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.CPI (Consumer Price Index) annual inflation fell to 4% in March, down from 4.4% in February
Booker advertising in the Sun on the 28th April and it will feature a basket of 11 Euro products totalling £5 available at your local Premier store and all good independent retailers. Wholesaler.co.uk April 2011
Woodward Foodservice has broadened its product range into Fruit and Veg Wholesaler.co.uk

5. People Changes
Grimes takes up Parfetts MD role. Steve Parfett has stepped down as managing director of Parfetts Cash & Carry after over 20 years in the role, as part of the company’s transition to employee ownership. David Grimes, former finance director at Parfetts, has taken over the role with Steve appointed executive chairman. Alan Parfett, founder of the company in 1980, will take on a new role as honorary president. Source: Wholesalenews.co.uk Jan 2011
Caterforce appoints Redford MD. Caterforce has promoted Nick Redford to managing Wholesale News Feb 10th 2011
Burke Appointed Chairman Of Mitchells & Butlers Pub operator Mitchells & Butlers has named senior independent director Simon Burke as its new Chairman. He’s also Chairman of HobbyCraft and a non-executive director of the BBC Executive Board. Source: Nam News 11th Feb 2011
DBC appoints new commercial director, meats. With 24 years experience in the meat and poultry sector, McFarlane has great insight into the industry and customers' requirements. He joins DBC from Brakes, where he was the director of prime meats and in ten years helped to drive sales up from £7m to £80m per annum. DBC Website 18th Feb 2011
Chief Executive At Mitchells & Butlers Steps Down Pub and restaurants operator Mitchells & Butlers announced today that its Chief Executive Adam Fowle is to leave the company “by mutual consent” after two years in the post. Nam News 16th March ‘11
DBC Foodservice appoints new sales director with immediate effect . He will focus on development and growth for the independent and profit sector sales to provide an increased financial return.” Sourced Wholesaler News
Makro Huw Edwards is moving from Asda to Makro as its new offer management director. He will oversee the ongoing range reviews and new product categorisation - he states that Makro needs to deliver the right articles at the right price Wholesale News April ‘11