Booker makes double acquisition

Booker's purchase of Ritter-Courivaud emerged as it said pre-tax profits jumped to 36.9m in the six months to September 10, up from 29.7m a year ago as total sales lifted 5.5 per cent to 1.7bn.

As well as the acquisition of Ritter, a speciality fine foods supplier to restaurants, hotels and caterers, Booker is paying 4m for Classic Drinks, which supplies pubs and clubs in the Midlands and north of Eng- land.

Ritter and Classic will continue to operate under their existing management teams and brands, but as part of the Booker Direct operation.

Wellingborough-based Booker said the two companies would bring additional expertise to its catering division, which grew like-for-like sales by 6.4 per cent in the half-year trading period.

Sales to retailers rose by 4.8 per cent as Booker continued to produce figures stronger than those seen in the supermarket sector. Fresh departments performed well with fruit and vegetable sales up 46 per cent and meat up by 10 per cent.

Booker's recent trading improvement follows a move to convert more branches to its Extra format with better layout, signage and ranges.

It has more than 170 branches in the UK and will open two more sites in India following a strong performance by its store in Mumbai.