GroceryAid Barcode Festival raises over £750,000

GroceryAid’s industry summer party, Barcode Festival, returned this year with a sell-out event that raised more than £750,000 for the charity.

With over 3,800 tickets sold and a record 75 sponsors, the event was the most successful in the festival’s three-year history.

Steve Barnes, CEO of GroceryAid, commented: “After the last 18 months, it was wonderful to bring the trade together with smiles on their faces at a unique industry event. Barcode Festival is something we are really proud to deliver for the industry. We anticipate it will sell out extremely quickly for 2022.

“Not surprisingly, the demand for GroceryAid’s services has increased threefold since the pandemic began, which indicates that our support is needed more than ever. The money raised by Barcode will help more colleagues in need.”

Entertainment for the evening was spread across three main stages. On the Skittles Stage guests enjoyed headline acts Rudimental with Ella Eyre, Example, Becky Hill, Scott Mills and Levi Roots.

The Demo Kitchen Stage featured some of the UK’s best known celebrity chefs, including Ainsley Harriott, Levi Roots, Briony May and Kenny Tutt.

Outside, there was more entertainment to enjoy on the Volvic Variety Stage from British drag queen The Vivienne, who delighted fans with comedy cabaret.

Barcode Festival also provided invaluable exposure for smaller brands that accessed the event via ‘The Incubator’, which offered an opportunity to connect and network with the UK’s top retailers and distributors.

The next Barcode Festival takes place on Thursday 7 July 2022. To find out how to get involved or buy tickets, contact the team on events@groceryaid.org.uk.