Tropical Vibes has arguably been one of the most dynamic soft drink launches of the past two years, with over 11m bottles sold so far. The brand features a combination of fresh and exotic fruit flavours, £1 RRP, attractive trade margins and a range of 14 flavours offering something for every preference. Growth continues unabated at almost 70 per cent year-on-year, spurred on by the launch of a range of American-style Lemonades in June 2020 and further innovative NPD is being readied for Spring 2021. The company is leading its ad campaign with the slogan: “Keep the Vibe Alive!”
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New buying group The Wholesale Group
The Wholesale Group
The Wholesale Group adds 11 new members
Feb 27, 2025
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
AB InBev
Pricier labels help AB InBev to push revenues to all-time high
Feb 27, 2025
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
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Retailers warned to stay alert for Simpler Recycling reforms
Feb 27, 2025
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.
The full guide is available to download here.
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Post Office IT system failures
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Post Office Capture cases under investigation spike
Feb 27, 2025
The number of convictions linked to Capture computing software, which was used in Post Office branches in the 1990s before the infamous faulty Horizon system was introduced, has more than doubled in a span of less than three months, revealed a recent report.
21 Capture cases have now been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) for review against eight that were reported in December, according to a recent report by Sky News.
Quite similar on the lines of Horizon Post Office scandal where sub post masters were wrongly convicted due to shortfall, Capture accounting system, used from the early 1990s until 1999, was also responsible for shortfalls which led to several wrongful convictions.
Last year in December, Post Office was asked to urgently review its files and evidence related to Capture so the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) can ensure no one was wrongfully convicted of a Horizon-style injustice.
Responding to the independent Kroll report into the software, the business secretary has promised to provide redress for postmasters who suffered losses as a result of Capture.
The government said it will work swiftly with victims to determine its form and scope, alongside eligibility criteria, by Spring 2025.
The government commissioned the independent report following postmasters coming forward publicly in January indicating they had faced detriment due to the Capture system. In its report, Kroll concluded Capture could have created shortfalls.
If the CCRC finds significant new evidence or legal arguments not previously heard before, cases can be referred back to the Court of Appeal.
Apart from Horizon and Capture, a leading postmasters body accuses Ecco+, another pre-Horizon IT system that was introduced to post masters between 1992 and 1999, as likely to faulty due to which hundreds of sub postmasters were prosecuted by the Post Office.
Speaking with Asian Trader last year, Calum Greenhow – Chief Executive Officer at National Federation of Sub Postmasters (NFSP) stated that Ecco+ system that was introduced between 1992 and 1999 also created problems for sub post masters.
Greenhow said, "Apart from Capture that came in pre-Horizon time, there was another one called Ecco+ that was in operation between 1992 to 1999. Within that period, (I have learned just in the last few days) post office brought about 334 prosecutions over an eight-year period."
He added, "We have heard so much about Post Office carrying out prosecutions during the Horizon. The fact is, they carried out prosecutions prior to Horizon as well, to near enough the same number and to the same degree.
"So we're talking about a prosecution regime over a 32-year period, not a 25-year period. Their attitude against sub postmasters and their own staff has been prevalent for well over 30 years," he said.
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Leading suppliers sign-up for TWC's reporting solution
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Leading suppliers sign-up for TWC's reporting solution
Feb 27, 2025
Coca-Cola and KP Snacks are among first five suppliers to sign up to WholeView reporting solution by TWC, the data and insight specialists for the wholesale sector.
TWC's WholeView is a platform for suppliers who want to aggregate wholesale shipments data bought from multiple wholesalers into one online reporting tool.
Whereas data can sit across many places in an organisation, which is time-consuming and can lead to inaccurate calculations, WholeView provides a "single version of the truth" about sales performance across the whole route-to-market (RTM) channel, states TWC.
Data is cleansed, merged and then aggregated by TWC’s hugely experienced data quality team managed by Vicky Davies, before being delivered quickly and securely via TWC’s market leading dashboards to an unlimited number of users at the supplier organisation.
The first five clients to join WholeView are:
1. AG Barr
2. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
3. KP Snacks
4. Suntory Beverage and Food GB&I
5. Unilever Food Solutions
Kelly Pye, Head of Client Services at TWC, said, "We are delighted to welcome our first clients to WholeView.
"Their need for aggregated data channel via an intuitive and visual data reporting solution aligns perfectly with our mission to provide cutting-edge solutions that drive success and growth.
“By integrating WholeView into their operations, they are poised to unlock new levels of efficiency, productivity, and strategic insight – they will find areas of opportunity quickly by using SmartView."
This comes week after TWC released its SmartView Convenience report showing key trends that shaped the independent convenience channel last year.
Among the key trends, value sales were down -6 per cent through 2024 majorly owing to drop in sales of tobacco products though value growth was seen in confectionery, soft drinks and food-to-go.
The report's other findings are:
- Three categories were in value growth in the sector – confectionery, soft drinks and food-to-go.
- Average spend per unit has only increased by 1 per cent in 2024.
- Alcohol sales under-performed at Christmas (versus the performance over the rest of the year), reflecting the deep promotions offered by other operators (e.g. retail multiples) during December; as well as changing consumer habits and the fact that the comparative period in 2023 included two less trading days on the run up to New Year’s Eve (4 w/e 29.12.23).
- The leading suppliers are winning share. In eight key convenience categories, three quarters of the top two suppliers in each category are growing their share of sales in the channel.
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