Achievers 2023 recognises Scotland’s top wholesalers and suppliers

Scotland’s top wholesalers and suppliers have been recognised and rewarded at the annual Scottish Wholesale Achievers Awards.

A record number of guests attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation, hosted by TV sports presenter Amy Irons, at the event’s new venue, the O2 Academy Edinburgh, on 23 February.

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary, Achievers is organised by the Scottish Wholesale Association and highlights excellence across all sectors of the wholesale industry. There were 12 categories for wholesalers and six for suppliers.

Multiple winners on the night included CJ Lang & Son – picking up Best Delivered Operation Retail, Best Symbol Group and Best Marketing Initiative – while Faílte Foods also won three categories: Community Service Award, Best Delivered Operation Foodservice and Rising Star of Wholesale for Bethany Kennedy.

Another triple award winner was United Wholesale (Scotland), which secured Best Cash & Carry for its depot in Queenslie, Glasgow, Best Licensed Wholesaler and Best Technology Initiative.

In the supplier awards, long-time wholesale channel supporter AG Barr won both the Best Overall Service and Best Advertising Campaign categories.

SWA chief executive Colin Smith said: “This is our 20^th year of these prestigious awards and we have a lot to celebrate, from the remarkable individuals who go above and beyond in their day-to-day duties to make a real difference in our industry and in their communities, to the wholesalers and suppliers that go the extra mile to provide exceptional customer service to get food and drink delivered the length and breadth of Scotland.

“The wholesale industry is not for the faint-hearted. We’ve shown grit and determination as we’ve stumbled out of a pandemic and into a new set of challenges and turbulence for the food and drink industry – rising inflation, falling food supplies, spiralling energy costs and the search for skilled workers.”

Smith pointed to how Achievers has evolved over the years yet has retained its clear point of difference as the only awards scheme for the wholesale industry which has an independent judging panel.

“We are very proud of Achievers,” he said. “We have strived every year to improve the awards based on your feedback, and we have created new award categories that reflect changes that have already happened, and that we wish to encourage, in our industry.

“Such is the success of our ‘Delivering Growth Through Wholesale’ programme that the Scottish Government has provided funding for us to create 40 Wholesale Local Food Champions, and I am delighted to announce that for Achievers 2024 there will be a new award for our top ‘Wholesale Local Food Champion’.”

Full list of winners

Great Place to Work

Winner: Lomond Foods

Runner-up: Booker Dundee

Highly Commended: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Best Cash & Carry

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland), Queenslie

Runner-up: Batleys Sher Glasgow

Highly Commended: Booker A1 Edinburgh

Best Delivered Operation – Retail

Winner: CJ Lang & Son

Runner-up: JW Filshill

Highly Commended: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Best Symbol Group

Winner: SPAR, CJ Lang & Son

Runner-up: KeyStore, JW Filshill

Highly Commended: Day-Today, United Wholesale (Scotland)

Best Technology Initiative

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Runner-up: Lomond Foods

Community Service Award

Winner: Failte Foods

Runner-up: CJ Lang & Son

Best Delivered Operation – Foodservice

Winner: Failte Foods

Runner-up: Lomond Foods

Highly Commended: Brakes Scotland and Dunns Food & Drinks

Best Licensed Wholesaler

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Runner-up: Alison Wholesale

Highly Commended: Gordon & MacPhail

Best Marketing Initiative

Winner: CJ Lang & Son

Runner-up: Brakes Scotland

Highly Commended: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Employee of the Year

Winner: David Hadden, Booker Edinburgh A1

Runner-up: Karen Clark, Brakes Scotland

Highly Commended: Scott Robertson, Booker Galashiels

Best Advertising Campaign

Winner: Irn-Bru

‘Let’s Just Agree It Tastes…’ (Prom)

Local Supplier of the Year

Winner: Summer House Drinks

Runner-up: Millers Larder

Highly Commended: Toll House Spirits

Project Wholesale

Winner: Four Loko, Red Star Brands

Runners-up: Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I and Swizzels

Highly Commended: Juul Labs

Best Overall Service

Winner: AG Barr

Runner-up: JTI

Highly Commended: Juul Labs

Best Foodservice Supplier

Winner: Unilever Food Solutions

Runner-up: Highland Fine Cheeses

Highly Commended: Premier Foods

Supplier Sales Executive of the Year

Winner: Mark Violet, Kepak

Runner-up: David Walker, Heineken UK

Highly Commended: Richard Garden, BrewDog

Rising Star of Wholesale

Winner: Bethany Kennedy, Failte Foods

Runner-up: Calum Brown, Brakes Scotland

Highly Commended: Jordan Mclay, United Wholesale (Scotland)

Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year

Winner: Lomond Foods

Runner-up: Booker

Highly Commended: Brakes Scotland