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Booker adds 397 new retailers as Tesco reports robust result

Booker adds 397 new retailers as Tesco reports robust result
(Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Booker, under Tesco, integrated a further 397 net new retail partners in the first half of this year, states Tesco in its interim report released today (3).

Booker retail partners are now total to 7,787 outlets across Premier, Londis, Budgens and Family Shopper.


Operating profit at the company, which also owns the Booker cash and carry business, rose 13 per cent to £1.61 billion in the six months to the end of August, up from £1.43 million over the same period last year.

Sales across the group grew by 3.5 per cent over the period to £31.5 billion and like-for-like sales rose by 2.9 per cent. However, Booker LFL sales dropped a little (1.9 per cent), reflecting a decline in the tobacco market.

Tesco said it had lowered prices across its everyday grocery lines as inflation continued to ease.

Commenting on the numbers, Ken Murphy, Chief Executive of Tesco, said, "We’ve been working really hard to offer our customers the best possible value, quality, and service and they are shopping more at Tesco as a result. We have lowered prices on thousands of lines, launched or improved over 860 products in partnership with our suppliers and growers, and our customer satisfaction scores continue to improve across a broad range of measures.

"The combination of price, quality and innovation means we are as competitive as we have ever been, and we have been the cheapest full-line grocer for nearly two years.

"Our strong UK and ROI market share gains across the last year demonstrate our continued momentum. I want to say a big thank you to all my Tesco colleagues for their hard work serving customers so well. As we approach the Christmas season, we are looking forward to sharing the quality of our festive food with customers, and can’t wait for them to taste it.

"We are in good shape, with volume growth delivering strong financial performance. This builds on our track record of delivery for all our stakeholders. Our strong momentum allows us to continue to focus on value, quality, innovation, and the broader customer experience, whilst investing in growth opportunities in a disciplined, returns-focused way.”

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Fed National President Mo Razzaq

Indies: It’s criminal police and government turn blind eye to shoplifting

Independent retailers are demanding tougher police action, more bobbies on the beat and harsher punishments as shoplifting levels reach an all-time high, a new survey reveals.

A whopping ninety-one per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) called for more police patrols on streets, while a similar number - 90 per cent - said that shoplifters should be handed harsher sentences.

Seven out of 10 respondents (72 per cent) said their stores had experienced shoplifting, break ins and damage to property, while they and their staff had been physically or verbally threatened.

Just under half of respondents (47 per cent) said they and their employees had been threatened or had suffered abuse and violence when asking for proof of age ahead of selling an age-restricted product.

Forty-four per cent reported that they and their staff had faced abuse or violence because they had refused to make a proxy sale – selling an age restricted product to a customer buying for a minor.

The results of the Fed’s survey came as new figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed that shoplifting was at a record high, with almost half a million offences recorded last year.

According to the ONS, 469,788 offences were logged by forces in the year to June 2024 – a 29 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.

The ONS added that this figure was the highest since records began – in March 2003.

“Inadequate responses from the police and a slap on the wrist for offenders means that shoplifting is soaring, and offenders are becoming more aggressive and brazen,” said Fed National President Mo Razzaq.

“From the responses we received, it is clear that real action is needed by police, by courts and by the government to stem the overwhelming tide of crime against retailers and their staff. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and for their businesses to be protected against criminals.

“Fed members are also sending a clear message that one of the catalysts for verbal and physical abuse in stores is asking for proof of age before selling an age restricted product. If the government presses ahead with its plans to phase out smoking and vaping through a progressive ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country, independent retailers will be subject to even greater levels of violence, abuse and theft.”

Calling for action from the government and not just words, Mr Razzaq continued: “Without effective deterrent, criminals and opportunistic members of the public will continue to commit crimes.”

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, during the year to March 2024, 431 fines were handed out for retail theft under £100, while Home Office statistics for the same period show that 2,252 cautions were accepted for shoplifting.

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