Hancocks is all set to host an event to celebrate its 60th anniversary at its Watford depot tomorrow (25 August).
The UK’s leading confectionery wholesaler is marking the 60th anniversary year with events across the country.
The depot on Colonial Way, Watford will be celebrating the milestone with an event for customers and suppliers.
Customers will have hundreds of offers to take advantage of as well as prize draws and giveaways. There will also be the opportunity to chat with the team and suppliers.
The event is sponsored by Haribo, Nestle, Mondelez and Frisia.
Hancocks has been in Watford for 18 years and although it’s one of the smallest depots in size, it’s one of the largest for turnover thanks to its export sales.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the 60th anniversary celebrations to Watford. We’ve been here since 2005 so it’s great for us to be able to mark that with our customers and suppliers,” Ian Hayes, Hancocks Watford area manager, said.
“For any business to reach such an anniversary is a real milestone, even more so after the last two years and the changes we’ve all had to make to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. We’ve seen our customer base evolve during that period. There’s been an influx of different businesses adding on confectionery for online sales and delivery options.”
The depot employs eight members of staff and supplies retailers across London and the South East with confectionery from around the world. It also offers a click and collect service for customers who prefer to shop online.
The depot exports across the globe to countries including the Bahamas, Malta, Hong Kong, Dubai, Portugal, Germany, Nigeria and many more.
“Our offering at the store is strong which is why we’re able to attract a global customer base. We also sell to former Apprentice winner Sarah Lynn and her business Sweets in the City, Kingdom of Sweets and traditional confectionery retailer, Mr Simms,” Hayes added.
“This event is also a chance for us to talk to retailers to show them what we have planned for the coming year, the offers available to them and the new confectionery lines we’ll be introducing.”
Sixtieth anniversary celebrations will be taking place across the Hancocks stores throughout this year.
The wholesaler has its roots in the East Midlands and was founded by Ray and Liz Hancock who began wholesaling confectionery from their sweet shop in 1962.
In 1969 the second store opened in Sheffield with Stoke on Trent, Manchester and Birmingham opening shortly after. By 1986, Hancocks had seven stores across the UK.
“Reaching such a milestone anniversary is a testament to how our teams across the business work together, the service and products we’re able to supply to retailers, however large or small and the suppliers we work with on a daily basis,” Jonathan Summerley, Hancocks chief operating officer, said.
“As with all retailers, we had to adapt and evolve over the years, more so in the last two years. We’ve invested heavily in our online offering, and this combined with the 14 depots across the UK, means we offer flexibility and the opportunity for retailers to shop in whatever way suits them.”
Hancocks, part of the World of Sweets group, is the UKs leading confectionery wholesaler with 14 nationwide cash and carry stores and an online channel.
Almost 20kg of illicit tobacco and around 40,000 illegal cigarettes being sold to fund organised crime have been seized for destruction from a shop in Maidstone.
The confiscated goods, which included boxes of illegal vaping products, have an estimated recommended retail price of £45,356.
As informed by Kent Police on Monday (10), patrols entered the business premises on Upper Stone Street at around 3pm on Feb 28 to carry out an inspection, alongside partners from Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council Trading Standards.
During the search, officers found two hides; one of which required a strong magnet to open. The other was accessed by operating a modified light switch.
Alongside the hoard of illicit tobacco products, an air-powered revolver was retrieved, for which the business did not have the appropriate licences to sell.
Investigating officer, PC Tom Cunningham, said, ‘Counterfeit tobacco and vape products pose serious health risks to users.
"Their manufacture is not regulated meaning they often contain higher levels of chemicals, as well as ingredients not fit for human consumption, such as animal hair and human faeces."
"In a wider, detrimental impact to the community, those involved in the production and distribution of such goods are often connected with organised crime groups.
"These criminals have not only been found to breach employment regulations but often participate in illegal activities such as human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and drug smuggling.
"In choosing to purchase the often cheaper, illicit tobacco and vape products, members of the public are not only compromising their health but are unknowingly funding abhorrent crimes."
This comes couple of weeks after a test purchasing operation conducted by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Nottingham uncovered the shocking scale of the illicit tobacco and vapes market in the city.
Undercover operatives carried out multiple test purchases across Nottingham in November 2024, visiting 17 stores and finding 25 illicit tobacco and vapes. Counterfeit and contraband tobacco products were easily obtained from stores, including 50g Roll Your Own (RYO) packets from as little as £5.00, and ready-made cigarettes (RMC) from £4.00. Illegal vapes with puff counts of up to 22,000 were also discovered.
License of an independent convenience store in Belle Vue has been suspended after counterfeit vodka was found on sale on the premises.
Hartlepool Borough Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee took the decision following a request from the authority’s Trading Standards Team to review the Premises Licence held by Belle Vue Convenience Store in Belle Vue Way.
The licence allowed the sale of alcohol from 8am-11pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-10.30pm on Sundays.
The visit by a trading standard officer and an environmental health officer was carried out as part of checks at off-licences across the town following a counterfeit alcohol alert issued by the Food Standards Agency.
Members of the Licensing Sub-Committee heard that five 35cl bottles of counterfeit and dangerous vodka were found to be on open sale. Subsequent tests showed it contained a dangerous substance that made it unfit for human consumption.
A wider search of the premises also found 194 illegal vapes in various places behind the counter, on display and in a store room.
When interviewed, the holder of the Premises Licence holder and designated premises supervisor Amandip Singh Kapoor said the vodka was purchased legitimately and he was unaware that the vapes were illegal.
Councillor Gary Allen who chaired the Licensing Sub-Committee, said after the meeting, “A licence to sell alcohol in Hartlepool comes with the responsibilities of upholding the principles of public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.
“Any premises caught selling counterfeit alcohol will face having its licence reviewed and, where appropriate, revoked entirely.
“The vodka found at this shop contained a dangerous substance and this highlights how sales of counterfeit products can put people’s live at risk.
"Sales of counterfeit products, including vapes, also undermine the viability of legitimate businesses and impact the local economy.”
In another incident, the license of a convenience store in Birmingham got revoked after it a knife was sold to a teenager and a hoard of fake and illegal goods were found at the premise
The second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill held in parliament on Monday (10) during which Yvette Cooper reiterated the new measures to tackle the rising crime, abuse and shop thefts, declaring that the new measures will reverse the damage done by the Conservative government.
Among the key announcements made by Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for the Home Department, during the parliamentary debate were a standalone offence for assaulting a shopworker, introducing Respect Orders, scraping the £200 threshold for shop theft offences, and placing £200 million for the next financial year for recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers.
Additionally, the Secretary of State highlighted the unique challenges faced in crimes against rural communities which she stated are often driven by organised gangs.
The Bill introduces measures to prevent prolific offenders from entering places such as town centres, as well as introducing new interventions to help addicts into treatment and end the cycle of reoffending.
Cooper said during the debate, “The Bill introduces stronger action on retail crime. I thank the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, the Co-op, the British Retail Consortium, the Association of Convenience Stores and more for their determined campaigning over many years to protect shop workers.
“They are the staff who kept their shops open and kept our local communities going through the pandemic, but in recent years they have had to face a truly disgraceful escalation in threats, abuse and violence. Our party has campaigned on this measure for very many years.
“Through the Bill, we will introduce a specific offence of assaulting a retail worker, sending the message loud and clear that these disgraceful crimes must not be tolerated, because everyone has a right to feel safe at work.
“We will reverse the damage done by the Conservative government through years of cuts to community police. There are half as many PCSOs as there were 14 years ago, and many thousands fewer neighbourhood police officers.
"Some 10 years ago, the Conservative Government introduced a new £200 rule, categorising shop theft below that amount as low value. That sent the signal, which has shaped the police response ever since, that such crime should not be taken seriously.
"It became a Tory shoplifters’ charter—a signal to thieves and gangs across the country that they could operate with impunity, wandering from shop to shop and stealing away because nothing would be done.
"That kind of crime spreads. It creates a sense of lawlessness, and huge anger and frustration among the law-abiding majority, who see criminals getting away with it and respect for the law hollowed out. This Government will finally end the damaging £200 rule."
The ACS 2025 Crime Report was also launched yesterday, revealing the extent of crime committed against the convenience sector and its retailers, estimating a record-breaking 6.2million incidents of shop theft.
Key figures from this year’s report include:
Crime cost retailers an estimated £316m over the last year
Retailers have spent over £265m on crime prevention and detection measures in their store over the last year
Taken together, the cost of crime and investment in crime prevention amount to a 10p crime tax on every transaction in a convenience store
There were over 59,000 estimated incidents of violence in the convenience sector over the last year, and 1.2million incidents of verbal abuse
59 per cent of retailers believe that incidents involving organised crime have increased over the last year
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Vimto drives Nichols plc to £172.8M in sales for 2024
Vimto maker Nichols has posted higher sales and profit figures for last years despite of challenging market and evolving regulatory requirements.
Over the 12 months to 31 December, the company reported delivering a 1.2 per cent increase in revenue to £172.8 million. Its core packaged business performed well, with revenue increasing by 4.4 per cent.
This was largely driven by strong performance within its UK division, where revenues increased by 6.3 per cent on the back of product innovation, marketing and distribution gains.
Nichols’ international division saw revenues increase marginally, although the rate of growth was impacted by a shift to a lower revenue but margin enhancing concentrate model in a number of African markets.
Meanwhile, revenue in the group’s Out of Home (OoH) operation fell by 8.2 per cent as it made further progress with its planned withdrawal from unprofitable accounts.
A continued focus on cost management resulted in the company’s adjusted operating profit increasing by 14.6 per cent to £28.9m, with margin improving from 14.8 per cent to 16.7 per cent.
Looking ahead, Nichols said it expected continued “macroeconomic uncertainty” but still anticipates that it will be able to further strengthen its performance across 2025. Trading to date is said to have been “positive” and in line with management expectations.
“At our Capital Markets Day in November, we outlined our medium-term financial ambitions and a clear roadmap for growth,” said Chief Executive Andrew Milne
“We operate in a resilient and growing category and are well positioned to capitalise on the significant opportunities across both our UK and international markets, leveraging the strength of the Vimto brand.
"Underpinned by our diversified business model, strong brand portfolio, and solid financial position, I remain confident in our ability to drive high-margin, cash-generative growth and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that Nichols plc is eyeing more international growth after enjoying a “strong” year as the cost-of-living crisis eased.
In a brief trading update, the soft drinks supplier noted that trading in the second half of last year had continued the positive momentum from the first and was in line with its growth strategy and medium-term financial ambitions.
Vimto has a huge international reach and is particularly popular in cordial form in the Middle East during Ramadan.
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Kitwave’s Automatic Retailing depot in North Shields, Tyne & Wear
Kitwave Group, the delivered wholesale business, has reported strong revenue and profit growth for its 2024 fiscal.
In the 12 months ended 31 October 2024, the group revenues increased by 10.2 per cent to £663.7 million, and adjusted operating profit rose by 6.3 per cent to £34m. Like-for-like revenue growth stood at 5 per cent.
“Kitwave has delivered another strong full-year performance. We have met full-year market expectations, achieved organic growth and expanded our operations, particularly in our foodservice division,” Ben Maxted, chief executive of Kitwave, commented.
"The group had a clear plan for FY24 to invest for growth in three key areas: IT, delivery infrastructure and strategic M&A opportunities. The successful execution of this plan saw new warehouse technology enhancing operational efficiencies, a new state-of-the-art storage and delivery facility in the South West and three acquisitions completed, which have significantly increased the scale of the group's UK network.”
The group completed three acquisitions – WLG (Holdings) Limited in Oldham, Total Foodservice Solutions Limited in the North of England and Creed Catering Supplies Limited in the South of England – in the reporting period, significantly expanding its foodservice division.
The company said WLG and Total Foodservice have been fully integrated into the group, with expected operational and financial synergies starting to be realised.
It also completed the new 80,000 square-foot distribution centre in September 2024, adding further capacity for growth of foodservice operations in the South West.
“Looking ahead, the Group has started the new financial year well, and the board is already working towards its goals for FY25. We believe this will generate value for our stakeholders, and we would like to thank all our people for another successful year,” Maxted added.