JW Filshill was named the best wholesale business in Scotland at the Scottish Wholesale Achievers awards (31 January), taking the Champion of Champions title.
It also won three other categories: Best Delivered Operation (Retail), Best Symbol Group and Best Licensed Operation.
Bidfood Scotland was also celebrating after claiming the Great Place to Work award.
There were joint winners in the Best Delivered Operation (Foodservice) category after Bidfood Scotland and Lomond Foods couldn’t be separated by the judges.
Best Marketing Initiative went to United Wholesale (Scotland) for its ‘Summer of Sport’ activity.
Best Cash & Carry, one of the most closely contested categories, went to Booker, Shawfield.
Craig Shand, Stock Control and Replenishment Supervisor at Booker, Shawfield was celebrating after taking the Employee of the Year crown.
In the suppliers’ award categories, Linda Fraser of Nestlé was named Supplier Sales Executive of the Year, sponsored by Unitas Wholesale.
Project Scotland, which highlights suppliers’ understanding of the Scottish wholesale industry and their commitment to the sector, was won by Quorn Foods in partnership with Clackmannanshire-based Scot Serve for its ‘Quornvenience’ project.
AG Barr came out on top in the fiercely-contested category for Best Overall Service by Suppliers, judged by members of the SWA voting each month for the shortlisted suppliers over a four-month period.
A new award for Achievers 2019 – Best Foodservice Supplier – saw foodservice wholesalers vote on the performance of the shortlisted suppliers over a four-month period. The winner of this inaugural award was Unilever Food Solutions.
Finally, Best Advertising Campaign, which saw wholesalers vote for their favourite advert, went to Bud Light for ‘Dilly Dilly’.
SWA boss Colin Smith said: “Achievers is the perfect vehicle to recognise the very best in our industry and I applaud the exceptional levels of innovation that we are seeing from our members as they seek new revenue streams, develop their operational processes and strive to provide the best possible customer service.”
Smith also singled out suppliers for their support of the wholesale sector in Scotland: “We go to great lengths to ensure that the awards remain meaningful for all involved but we couldn’t do it without our supplier members and we are committed to working in partnership with our sponsors to offer them a solid return on their investment in the form of much closer working relationships with wholesalers and a far better understanding of the Scottish wholesale industry gained through the judging process.”
Almost 450 people attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation, hosted by TV’s Jennifer Reoch at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh.
