Wholesale giant Booker has launched a £5 million January promotion across the UK.
According to latest reports, Booker's campaign features a variety of deals, including 12 buy-one-get-one-free offers and five half-price bargains, as well as Jack’s own-label reductions.
Alongside this, there are three frozen meal deals, including buy a Birds Eye crispy chicken for £2.89 with Jack’s chips (usually £1.69) for free.
There will also be improved pricing on everyday essentials such as bread, milk and eggs. There is a more than 30 per cent saving on some fresh produce, including 750g packs of baby potatoes at 59p.
The campaign started on Tuesday (2) and ends on Jan 30, with Booker additionally offering more than 100 fresh and frozen low prices and over 200 low prices across alcohol for January and February.
Colm Johnson, Booker’s retail managing director, said, “It is essential that retailers can rely on Booker to deliver the best choice, price, and service for them, while still delivering high margins.
“This strong value offering for Premier through a usually quiet month shows we will continue to be committed and offer excellent value for not only the shoppers but also our retailers," reports quoted Johnson as saying.
Cereal Partners UK & Ireland is voluntarily recalling 14 specific batches of Nestlé Frosted Shreddies due to a risk that pieces of hard sugar may be found in the product.
This issue affects Nestlé Frosted Shreddies 500g with batch numbers:
42850952 (expiry date 07/2025)
42860952 (expiry date 07/2025)
42870952 (expiry date 07/2025)
42880952 (expiry date 07/2025)
42890952 (expiry date 07/2025)
42900952 (expiry date 07/2025)
This issue also affects Nestlé Frosted Shreddies 40g box in the Nestlé Box Bowl Mixed Cereals with following batch codes printed on the 40g box:
42913451 (expiry date 06/2025)
42923451 (expiry date 06/2025)
42933451 (expiry date 06/2025)
43173451 (expiry date 07/2025)
43183451 (expiry date 07/2025)
43193451 (expiry date 07/2025)
43203451 (expiry date 07/2025)
43233451 (expiry date 07/2025)
No other batches of Nestlé Frosted Shreddies, Nestlé Shreddies varieties or other Nestlé Breakfast Cereal products, are affected.
Nestle stated, "Consumers are requested not to eat any product with these batch codes.
"Prior to disposing the product, please take a photo of the batch code, which can be found on the top of the pack and contact our consumer services team through the contact us form on our website https://www.nestle-cereals.com/uk/contact or by phone on 0080007890789 to receive a refund.
"Safety and quality is our first priority and we apologise for the inconvenience caused."
PayPoint has taken further steps to increase the accessibility of its services by making key training guides available for retailers in Urdu, Indian Punjabi and Sinhalese – the most widely spoken languages among retailers across its network who do not speak English as a first language.
To better help retailers make the most of PayPoint in store, translated guides are now available to download online for the PayPoint Mini and Connect here. Retailers will also be sent emails with the resources on launch.
“We’re always listening to feedback from our network of retailer partners and looking at ways we can make resources as accessible as possible," said Antony Sappor, Retail Proposition & Partnerships Director, PayPoint, said: By providing key materials in a wider array of translations, we hope that more of our retailer partners can take advantage of the tools on offer to help their businesses thrive, delivering the best possible service to their local communities.”
For further information on the translated guides, or if there is a language which you would like to be considered for future translations, retailers are encouraged to feedback to PayPoint at contactus@paypoint.com.
The Wholesale Group, the UK’s newest buying group, has made significant strides since its launch on January 1 this year, securing 11 new wholesale members and increasing its annual group turnover to £4.52 billion.
With its rapid expansion and distinctive value-led approach, The Wholesale Group is positioning itself as a formidable force in the UK wholesale sector.
The new members, spanning both retail and foodservice, bring The Wholesale Group’s total network to 257 wholesale depots—accounting for over 13.7 per cent of the UK wholesale market.
Recent additions include Café Deli in Croydon, McCartney Foodservice in Boston, Consort Frozen Foods in Burgess Hill, and Ewood Foods in Accrington.
The new members will participate in The Wholesale Group’s inaugural trade show in Cheltenham on 20 March 2025, marking another milestone for the fast-growing buying group.
Tom Gittins, joint managing director, states, “From the outset, we recognised the need for a buying group that prioritises service and is tailored specifically for independent wholesalers.
"The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with 11 new members joining within our first few weeks, demonstrating the market’s appetite for a group that delivers real commercial advantages.”
Stephen Sutcliffe, owner of Ewood Foods, highlighted the strategic advantages of joining The Wholesale Group.
Describing the partnership as a perfect fit for the company's growth ambitions, Sutcliffe credited the new buying group for providing access to an extensive supplier network, a strong own-brand portfolio, and advanced digital marketing support.
He also emphasised that the group’s unique profit-sharing model and absence of membership fees made the decision to join an easy and logical one for securing long-term success.
"The huge benefits offered by the group, including a share of the profits and no membership fees, meant that it was an easy decision to make for our future success," Sutcliffe added.
Gittins reinforced the group’s growing appeal among independent wholesalers, stating that family-run businesses are thriving and that The Wholesale Group is offering them a dedicated platform for sustainable growth.
“We remain the only buying group with no membership fees and a share of the profit for every member, a unique selling point which has proved to be compelling in the current market," he added.
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Pricier labels help AB InBev to push revenues to all-time high
Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) on Wednesday (26) reported forecast-beating fourth-quarter profits and progress in cutting debts that have hung over the company for a decade.
Pricier labels like Corona and Michelob Ultra helped AB InBev to push revenues to an all-time high. The world's largest brewer said cost management also drove margin expansion, producing a 10.1 per cent rise in fourth-quarter profits versus analyst forecasts of 7.7 per cent.
The results shows that the company's revenue increased by 2.1 per cent in last quarter of 2024. The growth was led by Corona.
The group produced strong growth across various key regions, including the U.S. market, where a consumer boycott of core label Bud Light over a social media promotion with a transgender influencer has hurt sales in recent years.
ABInBev states, " Through our focus on brand, pack and liquid innovations, the percentage of beer consumers purchasing our brands increased in a majority of our markets. Our mainstream portfolio delivered a low-single digit revenue increase.
"Our global no-alcohol beer portfolio delivered mid-thirties revenue growth this quarter. Corona Cero, the official beer partner of the Olympic Games, delivered triple-digit volume growth and Budweiser Zero grew volume in the low twenties.
"We continued to premiumise our portfolio in Europe, with our premium and super premium portfolio making up approximately 57 per cent of our revenue in 3Q24."
Michel Doukeris, CEO, AB InBev, comments, “Beer is a passion point for consumers and a vibrant category globally.
"The strength of our 2024 results is a testament to the consistent execution of our strategy and the hard work and dedication of our people.
"We delivered EBITDA growth at the top-end of our outlook and a step change in our free cash flow generation. We are investing for the long-term and are confident in our ability to lead and grow the category.”
Analysts described the company's results as a strong end to the year, following bumper results from rival Heineken and Carlsberg. All three brewers forecast further profit growth next year, with AB InBev forecasting between 4 per cent and 8 per cent, adding to optimism around the sector.
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Businesses face March 2025 deadline to streamline recycling under new government policy
Businesses must not ignore the upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, experts have warned, saying those who flout the rules may face fines and sanctions.
Waste management experts at BusinessWaste are urging the businesses to prep for the reforms set to come into effect from March 31.
Non-compliance will first result in a compliance notice from the Environment Agency, state the experts.
If the issue isn’t resolved, further action—aligned with the Environment Agency’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy—could include warnings, fines, or even prosecution. The agency will assess the severity of each violation before taking enforcement measures.
Simpler Recycling reforms will affect all businesses in England with 10 or more full-time employees, and compliance must be in place by 31 March 2025.
The rules apply regardless of how many employees are on-site at a given time. For example, a business with two locations and five full-time employees at each still falls under these regulations.
Businesses must now separate their waste into:
Food waste
Paper and cardboard (can be combined)
Dry recycling (plastic, metal, and glass, which can be combined)
None of these materials can be disposed of with general waste.
Defra has confirmed that compliance notices will be issued to businesses not separating waste in agreement with their waste collector.
While responsibility typically falls on the business, landlords or facilities management companies may also be held accountable if they handle waste disposal on a business’s behalf.
Mark Hall, waste management expert at BusinessWaste.co.uk, comments, "While we would never advise businesses to ignore important rule changes like this, we can understand why many are frustrated.
"Communication from the government has been very poor, with many businesses unaware the changes were even taking place. It’s fallen on waste management companies like ourselves to reach out to customers to ensure they don’t fall foul of regulations.
“Many businesses have been left in the dark about how the rules work, who they apply to, and even now we don’t have clear guidance on how the rules will be enforced and what the exact penalties will be.
“The generic nature of the guidance has left many questioning what changes they need to make. For example, do all offices with ten or more employees now need to instruct workers to take home food waste to avoid adding collection fees?
"While the new rules will bring undeniable environmental benefits, many businesses feel they are the latest in a line of measures which will only increase operating costs.”
Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has also released a set of guidance for retailers in England detailing what they have to do to stay on the right side of the law when new rules on separating waste come into force in March.