Unitas led the field at last week’s FWD Gold Medals awards for wholesalers with an unrivalled six wins, and a further six runners-up.
The group’s members picked up both Retail and On-trade Wholesaler of the Year, while members of their teams won four of the six individual medals.
Unitas MD John Kinney said: “Congratulations to all the winners and to the FWD for a terrific event and it’s fantastic to see independent wholesalers winning 12 of the 13 FWD awards, with our members taking half of those. We’ve seen incredible investment and expansion among our wholesalers. These awards demonstrate how innovative and versatile they can be, with the support of the Unitas central team and great relationships with suppliers. “
Parfetts held off a strong challenge from fellow Unitas member Lioncroft to land the Retail Wholesaler award. The last 12 months have seen the opening of the game-changing 100,000sq ft depot in Birmingham, 7,500 new retailers using the online ordering platforms, and investment in the team at the employee-owned business.
On-trade members Small Beer and Cellar Drinks went head-to-head in their category, with Small Beer getting the nod for its exemplary service to customers as they battled availability and cost-of-living challenges. Investment in stockholding and expanding the delivery fleet resulted in an 18% increase in turnover.
Glasgow’s Lomond – The Wholesale Food Co showed how passionate small independents can rival the achievements of big-budget corporations in their drive towards Net Zero, being shortlisted for the Sustainable Wholesale award alongside Booker and Sysco.
Holly Pennington, HR and Training Manager at Parfetts, took home the Emerging Talent medal after a series of initiatives to transform the culture of the business and enable everyone to excel in their role, while JW Filshill’s Safety and Wellbeing Manager Amanda Casey topped the Wholesale Star category for her tireless efforts bringing mental health and wellbeing to the forefront of Filshill’s strategy.
JJ Foodservice was the only wholesaler to appear on five award shortlists, including four for individual team members. Kane Pearce (Customer Development) and Kevin Peacock (Star Driver) were the judges’ choices in their categories.
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