The wholesale sector gathered in record numbers for FWD Live! 2025 this week (Thursday 12 June), the flagship annual conference hosted by Food & Drink Wholesale UK (FWD). Held at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford-upon-Avon, the one-day event brought together wholesalers, suppliers, and stakeholders from across the supply chain for a day of future-focused insight, innovation and collaboration.
With record-breaking attendance, the conference explored the challenges and opportunities facing the sector through a packed programme of high-profile speakers, dynamic panels and interactive workshops.
Among the headline sessions, Henry Curr, Economics Editor at The Economist, examined global and domestic trends in “The Economic Crossroads”, giving delegates a clear-eyed view of what lies ahead for the UK economy.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, alongside Elevo (formerly Corin & Co), unveiled a game-changing DE&I initiative in “People-Powered Success: Launching the Diversity in Wholesale Academy”.
A retailer and operator-led Customer Panel, facilitated by Cirkle PR, tackled “The Food Chain Reaction”, offering candid views on foodservice and retail’s evolving needs.
Entrepreneur Luke Johnson, renowned for his leadership of Pizza Express and Channel 4, inspired delegates with a call to embrace risk, innovation, and resilience. Sharing the journey of Gail’s Bakery, from wholesale roots to retail success, he highlighted the value of vertical integration, hands-on leadership, and evolving with customer demands. Johnson urged businesses to stay restless, citing how adversity, such as the pandemic, can drive reinvention. He celebrated entrepreneurs as drivers of innovation and growth, characterised by energy, ambition, and relentless will. With experience in hospitality, food, and drink, Johnson emphasised the sector’s power to excite, adapt, and lead, noting a rising consumer obsession with food. In a challenging economy, he called on business leaders to stay optimistic, creative, and courageous, arguing that the UK’s future prosperity lies in the vision and grit of its entrepreneurs. “The only scarcity,” he said, “is human will and the courage to act, and keep going, despite adversity.”
This year’s conference introduced a new format, allowing attendees to customise their day through a suite of breakout sessions, ensuring the content was as relevant and impactful as possible for all delegates.
The day also marked the official launch of the FWD Academy, a landmark moment for the industry and the next phase of FWD’s Diversity in Wholesale initiative.
The FWD Academy is a first-of-its-kind, year-long programme designed to help businesses embed inclusive leadership and workplace culture, moving beyond one-off DE&I activities to create sustainable, sector-wide transformation.
Delivered in partnership with Elevo, the Academy offers a structured programme featuring:
- Core learning modules on inclusion and leadership
- Sector insight sessions linking learning to wholesale-specific challenges
- Cascade tools to drive internal engagement
- A calendar toolkit to activate key DEI moments year-round
- Certification and impact reporting on completion
Access is exclusive to FWD’s Diversity in Wholesale sponsors, now known as partners, who can offer the programme to all employees across their organisations, including their grocery teams, to deepen wholesale understanding and promote cross-functional learning.
Participants will engage with the Academy via a bespoke online hub, providing access to training materials, webinars, interactive tools, and a collaborative community.
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi supported the FWD Academy, saying, “Diversity isn’t just a nice thing to have; it’s an essential business component and it helps deliver the best results. Leadership matters, and the work of FWD and Elevo has been doing that, and the announcement of the academy and its forthcoming programme of training and learning is necessary work at a critical time. It’s brave and it matters.”
“The FWD Academy is a game changer for the wholesale sector,” said Lyndsey Cambridge Head of External Affairs, FWD. “We’re launching the FWD Academy to spark real, lasting change. This initiative is about more than just learning; it’s about creating a sustainable culture of inclusion and leadership, firmly putting people at the heart of wholesale. This boils down to recruitment and retention, and how we as a trade association can support our members to stay ahead of the game when it comes to attracting the best people – and then keeping them! In this climate businesses need to utilise all levers available to stay ahead. The academy is set to be an essential tool in the wholesale armoury.”
FWD’s Diversity, Inclusion and Equity partners Elevo has designed and developed the academy alongside FWD, providing world class expertise to deliver this unique program.
“It’s been such an exciting journey helping to shape the FWD Academy,” said Dervla Gallen, Head of Programmes, Elevo. “The team and I have been able to think creatively, challenge the status quo, and build something that is a real first for the industry. This Academy is about real, meaningful change: equipping people with the skills, insights, and confidence to lead the future of wholesale. I’m so proud that Elevo has been part of bringing this vision to life.”
The pilot programme launches on 17 July, following its announcing at FWD Live!, running through to December 2025, with a Parliamentary launch planned for autumn at the House of Commons. Full rollout is scheduled for January 2026.
Photos credit: Philip Reeson Stills. www.reeson.com
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