Scotland’s most innovative, forward-thinking and resilient wholesalers – and their staff – have been recognised and rewarded at the annual Scottish Wholesale Achievers Awards.
Organised by the Scottish Wholesale Association, and now in its 22nd year, the Achievers Awards ‘recognise excellence across all sectors of the wholesale industry and the achievements that have made a difference to individuals, communities and businesses over the last year.’
Over 500 guests attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation, hosted by sports broadcaster Eilidh Barbour, at the O2 Academy Edinburgh, on Thursday, 20 February, with Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon MSP, in attendance to present two of the awards.
Categories up for grabs incorporated retail, foodservice, licensed, technology, sustainability, marketing and innovation, as well as individual trophies for Rising Star, Employee of the Year, Wholesale Local Food Champion, Supplier Sales Executive of the Year, and Wholesale Driver of the Year. There was also an award for the wholesaler deemed a Great Place to Work.
The undoubted stars of this year’s awards were AG Barr and its people, who left with a clutch of awards for their efforts.
The soft drinks giant won Best Overall Service and Best Foodservice Supplier, decided by wholesaler members of the SWA voting each month over a four-month period for the shortlisted suppliers.
AG Barr also shone in the Project Wholesale category for ‘The Great Transition’, its project to move all the sales from Barr Direct into the wholesale industry.
The Cumbernauld company took the Best Advertising Campaign with its Euros football-themed IRN-BRU – ‘Mannschaft’ ads, while the Supplier Sales Executive of the Year award was won by Craig Barr, AG Barr’s regional business development manager, who the judges described as ‘absolutely dedicated to his company and his customers’.
Finally, two stalwarts of the Scottish wholesale industry – Jonathan Kemp and Ian Johnstone of AG Barr, who have been staunch supporters of Achievers since its inception – received Lifetime Achievement Awards in recognition of their valued contribution to the sector over many years.
In other awards, Inverarity Morton was declared Best Licensed Wholesaler for the On-Trade, having impressed the Achievers judges with its sales team’s product knowledge and a minimum of Level 2 accreditation from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, as well as the Glasgow company’s ‘exceptional support for its customers with its use of the Power BI business intelligence system to present its range, pricing and product details’.
United Wholesale (Scotland) won Best Licensed Wholesaler with the judges pointing to its ‘incredible supplier and customer relationships’, helping suppliers and customers understand Scottish legislation and investing in its retailers.
Wholesale Local Food Champion and Employee of the Year were both won by Megan Smith, purchasing co-ordinator at Glasgow-based Lomond Foods, while Rising Star of Wholesale went to Matt Farmer, commercial development co-ordinator at Brakes Scotland.
The Wholesale Driver of the Year accolade went to John Martin, an employee of Kilmarnock-based Braehead Foods, who was praised for his ‘passion, patience, caring nature and customer service’.
West of Scotland wholesaler JW Filshill took home the Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year category, with the judges stating that the business has worked on several initiatives that have been ‘for the wider benefit of other wholesalers, suppliers and retailers’, with staff empowered by senior management to take the lead in driving sustainability initiatives.
The ‘Best Delivered Operation – Foodservice’ award was also a close-run category, with the independent judging panel forced to implement a tiebreaker question to choose the winner from the top five entrants. Brakes Scotland triumphed having ‘clearly demonstrated how it put its customers’ plight ahead of its own commercial interests’.
The event also recognised wholesale members Dunns Food and Drinks and JW Filshill, both of which are celebrating their 150th anniversaries in 2025.
At the event, SWA chief executive Colin Smith said: “Tonight is all about recognising and celebrating the exceptional achievements of not only businesses but also individuals in the Scottish wholesale channel, the gateway to Scotland’s food and drink industry.
“The people who work in wholesale are the glue that binds our food and drink industry together – be it those who work in partnership with our producers and suppliers, or those who help support, develop and deliver into the local retailer, hotel, school or hospital.
“Once upon a time, the wholesale industry largely flew under the radar of those in the corridors of power, but today, Scotland’s wholesale industry is far more widely recognised by MSPs and MPs alike for the vital role it plays in the food and drink supply chain,” said Smith.
“Every wholesaler, every supplier – be they local or national, large or small – are an essential cog in Scotland’s complex food and drink supply chain. That’s why is it more important than ever that we celebrate their success and recognise everything they do to ensure that food and drink reaches our plates and tables.”
