Corner shops help Booker's sales grow by 4.4pc in second quarter The independent convenience stores it supplies have seen more people popping down to their local parade of shops to pick up items rather than going to the nearest supermarket in their cars. Some pubs and restaurants have also survived the downturn relatively well as households cut back on luxuries such as holidays abroad but still treat themselves to meals out. The first-quarter results from Booker, which requires shoppers to become members in order to buy its goods at bargain prices without VAT, exclude any contribution from Makro UK, the struggling rival it bought from German giant Metro in a £140m deal in July. Booker said yesterday that trading at the 30 Makro superstores "continued to be challenging." The Office of Fair Trading is aware of the deal and the Makro branches are being held separately from the rest of the Booker group until a competition investigation is complete. Makro will bring more than one million extra customers to Booker, which although it has more stores than Makro, including two in India, currently has about half a million customers. We are confident that once we have clearance from the competition authorities, Booker and Makro will be able to improve choice, prices and service for the caterers, retailers and small business in the UK. Makro will prove a good addition to the Booker group," said Booker chief executive Charles Wilson, a former director of M&S. Matthew McEachran, retail analyst at Singer Capital Markets, said the second-quarter results were "good" but trading losses at Makro could worsen this year if the stores continue to be held separately from the rest of the group for competition reasons. "There is a risk that losses grow this year and benefits be delayed next year," he said in a note.