High-street retailer Budgens has launched www.budgenstechnical.com to facilitate communication with suppliers. It is hoped the new site will also help in speeding the flow of information between suppliers and their customer on new product launches. The aim is to cut down on paperwork.

Own-label suppliers will benefit from ease of access to the necessary documentation to ensure their products comply with relevant UK and EU legislation and regulations as well as the store's own requirements. It also has links to other useful sites such as those operated by Defra and the Food Standards Agency.

Suppliers register to one of four sections: Produce, Food, Non Food and Beers, Wines & Spirits. A unique password then takes them to their relevant site only. Here they can download the relevant documents and return them online.

'This is a necessary and very important move for us,' said technical controller Jonathan Bayne. 'For every new product we develop, there's a lot of legally required donkey work. Our own-label range is going from strength to strength and the new site will streamline the development process and help us deliver new products on-shelf more efficiently.' Budgens' consumer information site is at www.budgens.com

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