Booker retail sales up 14.2%

Booker has added 143 retailers to its customer base, as like for like retail sales at the wholesaler grew annually by 14.2% excluding tobacco.

The figures for the net increase in stores was revealed in parent company Tesco’s interim results for the six months ending 26 August.

Tesco referenced growth of 20% year-on-year for entry level own label across Booker, as more than 40,000 retailers purchased from the value range. Like-for-like sales in tobacco were down by 5.9% in the period.

The firm is also gearing up to expand its distribution capacity to support Booker stores, as capital expenditure during the six-month period rose by £75m to £523m.

Meanwhile, the results also revealed 11 stores have been added to the One Stop estate, as “fresh participation” grew across the convenience chain. Twenty-five more One Stops are expected to open in the second half of Tesco’s financial year.

Tesco group chief executive Ken Murphy said: “Booker once again delivered an exceptionally strong performance with very strong growth across both retail and catering.”