Caterers help Booker deliver rise in sales Booker, which has around 170 locations across Britain, said on Thursday that total sales had risen 2.3pc over the last three months and over the year, sales rose 3.5pc to £4bn. The FTSE 250-listed business, which supplies over 83,000 independent retailers, has benefited from customers turning to their local corner shop rather than the supermarket. Booker has seen sales to retailers rise by 2pc while sales to caterers jumped by 6.2pc. Booker's other customers include grocers, pubs and restaurants and over the year, customer numbers increased by 5pc to 504,000. Booker is seeking to expand, both at home and abroad. It has opened its third branch in Mumbai and at home, it has recently acquired Makro, the loss-making UK business of German retailer Metro. Last month, the Competition Commission provisionally cleared the merger. Until it receives formal clearance, Booker is required to hold the Makro business separate; but Booker said that trading at Makro had been in line with expectations during the last quarter. Charles Wilson, Booker's chief executive, said that it is into the final stage of the commission's review of the Makro acquisition and Booker remains "confident that a combination of Booker and Makro will improve choice, prices and service for caterers, retailers and small businesses in the UK." He added that in a "challenging environment," Booker had increased sales through "improving customer satisfaction." Shares in Bookwe edged down 0.4 to 122.4p on the trading update. Philip Dorgan, a retail analyst at Panmure Gordon, kept a "buy" rating on Booker, saying "that the addition of Makro will enhance Booker's growth."