Wholesaler Booker sales up 7.3%

Total sales reached £3.9bn, with like-for-like sales up 6.1% - sales to retailers and to caterers both increased by 6.1%. Pre-tax profit increased 27% to £90.8m and operating profit rose 17% to £89.6m. Customer numbers increased by 22,000 to 481,000.
Internet sales increased 21% to £635m. The company said its Booker Direct service is “performing well” and the creation of Chef Direct delivery service “remains on track”.
Booker launched its Classic on-trade focused wholesale business, bought in 2010, in Brighton in July “and it has become the second largest on-trade wholesaler in that market”. "We will be rolling Classic out to a further five sites in the year ahead.” Two of these are already open.
Booker chairman Richard Rose said: “The plans to ‘broaden’ the business are going well. We have converted 142 of our 172 business centres in the UK to the ‘Extra’ format - the lighter, brighter, more modern format. In the 52 weeks Booker distributed £1,053m of product to our customers’ premises versus £930m last year and we continue to expand our delivered offering with the launch of Chef Direct, which will serve major foodservice customers.
“Internet sales were £635m compared to £526m in the previous year and Booker India is making good progress.
“The economy is expected to remain challenging in the year ahead and the food wholesale market remains very competitive. Nevertheless, we expect to continue to make progress in this difficult environment.
“Booker has made a good start to the current financial year, even compared to the very strong performance in the first seven weeks of last year and, in spite of the fact that tobacco sales have been slow, we remain on course to meet our expectations for the year.”