22 May 2008


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Booker sales up but smoking ban hits retail sales

Booker

cash and carry

independent

Booker, the cash and carry group, has reported sales up by 2.3% to £3.1bn in the year to 28 March, but sales to retailers were hit by the public places smoking ban.

Like-for-like sales were up by 3.3% on non-tobacco lines, but tobacco sales fell by 5.4%.

As a result, sales to retailers were down by 1.5%. But this was offset by sales to caterers, up by 2.2%.

Internet sales soared from £44m to £109m after Booker launched its new website in June 2007.

Pre-tax profits rose by 27% to £36.2m.

Booker described market conditions as “challenging”.

It said 24 cash and carry branches were converted to its Extra format, taking the total to 34. A further 30 are planned this year.

The Euroshopper discount range of 33 lines, launched in July 2007, was now selling more than £300,000 a week and being bought by more than 18,500 customers.

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