Bidfood’s commercial director Andrew Roberts dies

Bidfood’s commercial director Andrew Roberts has died.

Andrew Selley, CEO of Bidcorp UK, said: “It is with deepest regret that we announce the incredibly sad and untimely passing of our colleague and dear friend, Andrew Roberts, who passed away of natural causes over the Easter weekend.

“Fiercely loyal, incredibly kind and immensely supportive are just some of the many ways those who knew and loved Andrew described him.”

Roberts (pictured) spent nearly 30 years in the UK foodservice industry, having joined Booker Cash & Carry in 1994 where he assumed the role of buying controller before being seconded to Booker Foodservice to head up the buying team.

In 1999, when Booker Foodservice was sold to Bidvest (renamed 3663 First for Foodservice shortly after), Roberts was brought on board to start building from scratch a buying department. Alongside the directorate at the time, he developed the commercial arm of the business and was subsequently promoted to director of buying.

Roberts won the chairman’s award across the entire Bidvest Group in 2009. In 2015 he progressed to the role of commercial director, overseeing the buying, campaign and activation, studio and events functions, and in 2018 was appointed to Bidfood’s senior leadership team.

“His passion and determination radiated through his work and his teams,” commented Selley. “He revolutionised the way we now work with our suppliers, which every year is validated by the Advantage Group Survey drawn from supplier feedback. The survey consistently positions Bidfood as a leading and trusted wholesaler, with fantastic feedback across the board on how we communicate, value and work in partnership with our supplier partners. Andrew was instrumental in this.

“Andrew leaves a lasting legacy through his creation of Bidfood’s incredibly successful customer loyalty programme, Safari, as well as Legends, a sales incentive scheme supporting Bidfood’s key suppliers to drive volume and distribution.

“He was a larger than life character, well-loved and respected across the industry and amongst his peers. He will forever be famous for his compelling presentations and captivating storytelling which made the events he was involved in so enjoyable, inspiring and memorable!

“Andrew leaves a huge hole in our Bidfood family and we will all miss him dearly. Gone too soon, he will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Andrew.”