Gurms Athwal becomes trading director at Unitas

Unitas Wholesale has appointed Gurms Athwal as trading director, effective from 2 June.

Formerly trading director for four years at Parfetts, Athwal (pictured) replaces Cheryl Hope, who has taken on his previous role at Parfetts. Therefore, they have essentially swapped jobs.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the wholesale sector, Athwal has worked at several Unitas member businesses, including JK Foods and Hyperama, as well as Parfetts.

His longstanding association with Unitas and in-depth understanding of its strategy and operations make him ideally placed for this role, says the group.

Unitas managing director John Kinney commented: “We are delighted to welcome Gurms to the Unitas Wholesale central team. His wealth of experience, strategic thinking and proven ability to deliver commercial value will be a tremendous asset to our members.

“Gurms has a strong track record of negotiating commercial terms and promotional programmes that deliver tangible results for both wholesalers and suppliers. Until recently he was a non-executive director on the Unitas Wholesale board, and his transition to executive director ensures continuity and further strengthens our commitment to driving incremental growth through deeper supplier engagement.”

Athwal said: “I am honoured to step into the role of trading director at the UK’s largest wholesale buying group. Having been connected to Unitas for the majority of my career, I have built strong relationships within the team and across the supplier community.

“Unitas’ scale and reach across retail, foodservice and the on-trade offer a unique platform for collaboration and I’m looking forward to building on the excellent work already under way and driving further value for our members.”