17 NOVEMBER 2023 ASIAN TRADER 7
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Wholesalers have united to call
on the Government to ensure
the sector is included in the
forthcoming Crime Bill.
Writing to Home Secretary
Suella Braverman MP, James
Bielby, Chief Executive of the
FWD said, “The food and drink
wholesale sector in the UK is
integral to the operation of
72,000 retailers and 350,000
caterers, the majority of which
are small businesses.
“With approximately £10
billion-worth of trade passing
through cash-and-carry
depots, it has become
commonplace for personal
belongings and purchases,
including bags of tobacco
worth up to £5,000, to be
stolen from customers in cash
and carry car parks and then
sold on the unrestricted black
market.” There has also been
an increase in thefts of
tobacco from wholesale
vehicles in transit, with
limited police response.
FWD says that the loss of
these high-value items is
costing legitimate wholesale
business and the Exchequer
and that more support is
needed from the police.
Wholesalers have played their
part by investing in crime
prevention measures and in
some cases, criminals have
been caught on CCTV, yet cases
are often unpursued by the
police.
“Many thefts potentially
endanger our members, their
employees, and customers,”
Mr Bielby says. Incorporating
wholesale in the Crime Bill will
help support both individuals
and businesses.
As part of its commitment to
support its wholesale members,
FWD’s crime reporting system
collates incidents to monitor
the rate and severity of crime.
This follows a recent FWD
survey where 100% of wholesal-
ers, representing 80% of the
industry, identified crime as one
of their foremost concerns,
primarily attributed to
inadequate police responsive-
ness.
New crime bill needs to take account of depot woes
Government urged to
Government urged to
address wholesale crime
address wholesale crime
The RAC has urged UK
fuel retailers to cut the
price of petrol by at
least 5p a litre to 150p
to reflect far lower
wholesale costs.
The motoring
organisation said the
government’s 5p duty
cut brought in shortly
after Russia’s 2022
invasion of Ukraine is
hurting drivers struggling
to cope with the cost-of-liv-
ing crisis and appears only to
be helping retailers who
have chosen to up their
margins.
With oil trading around
$90 a barrel and sterling
being worth just $1.20, the
delivered wholesale price of
petrol averaged just over
113p last week which means,
with the UK average price of
unleaded standing at
155.33p, average
retailer margin was
more than 16p a litre
before VAT is applied,
the RAC noted, adding
that this is in “stark
contrast” to the
long-term average of 7p
a litre and is even far
higher the 10p margin
that smaller, independ-
ent retailers argue is
now fair due to inflation.
Even diesel, which is
currently averaging 162p
across the country, is
overpriced by around 4p a
litre, with an average
retailer margin of 12p.
RAC calls on major retailers
to cut petrol price
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Heineken warns of
Heineken warns of
demand slowdown
demand slowdown
Dutch brewing giant Heineken said it
sold less beer in the Q3, noting that
higher prices and apoor economic
outlook affected consumer demand.
The company, whose stable of
brands includes Amstel, Sol and Tiger,
sold 63.2 million hectolitres of beer in
the three months to end of Septem-
ber, a drop of 5.4%.
Like many firms, Heineken raised
prices as inflation hit the cost of its
inputs, so overall revenues still rose,
edging 2.0% higher compared to the
same quarter last year to €9.6 billion
(£8.37bn) during the quarter.
Seabrook Crisps expands
Seabrook Crisps expands
in Bradford
in Bradford
One of Bradford’s biggest success
stories has been given the approval to
expand its factory – boosting jobs and
securing its future in the city in the
process.
Earlier this year Seabrook Crisps
revealed plans for a “significant
expansion” of its Duncombe Street
factory in Bradford.
The company said the existing
factory could not meet the demand for
Seabrook’s iconic crinkle-cut crisps.
The expansion would also increase
the number of jobs at the site by at
least 15 – taking the total number of
employees at the HQ to 123.
AG Barr acquires drinks
AG Barr acquires drinks
brand Rio
brand Rio
Irn-Bru maker AG Barr has announced
the acquisition of the Rio soft drinks
brand from Hall and Woodhouse
Limited, the independent brewer and
pub company, for £12.3 million.
Rio has been marketed, sold and
distributed on an exclusive licence
basis by AG Barr’s recently acquired
Boost Drinks division since 2021.
AG Barr said it wanted to secure
the long-term position of the Rio
brand within its wider portfolio,
adding that the transaction is not
expected to have a material impact on
the group’s profits for the current
financial year.
NEWS