United we stand

Wholesaler United Wholesale (Scotland) takes home four awards, including the top title, in an evening of triumph at the Scottish Wholesale Achievers awards 2017.

Champion of Champions, sponsored by Cott and won by United Wholesale (Scotland). Pictured above, top row, left to right: Asim Sarwar, managing director; Bernie Brandsma, group director; Arshid Rasheed, buyer; Mike Leonard, Day-Today controller; Enosh Veeramurthy, buyer, and Khalid Iqbal, licensed buyer.
Bottom row, left to right: Naeem Khaliq, buyer; Bobby Gill, buyer; Sean Scrimger, trading director; Khawaja Waqas, buyer; Sheharyar Khan, buyer, and Razvan Syyed, financial director.

GLASGOW-based delivered wholesaler and cash & carry United Wholesale (Scotland) has been named the best wholesale business at this year’s Scottish Wholesale Achievers awards.
The firm, which operates depots at Queenslie in the east end of Glasgow, Maxwell Road in the city’s southside and M9 Cash & Carry near Grangemouth, fended off fierce competition from businesses the length and breadth of Scotland to win the sought-after Champion of Champions accolade, this year sponsored by Cott.
It also won Best Symbol Group for Day-Today, Best Licenced Operation and Best Marketing Initiative for its promotion of the revamped M9 Cash & Carry.

Best Cash and Carry Depot. Pictured above, left to right: Kate Salmon, executive director, Scottish Wholesale Association; Amaan Ramzan, operations director, United Wholesale Grocers; David Reilly, commercial director, United Wholesale Grocers; Waqas Badar, trading director, United Wholesale Grocers; Andy Stevens, head of sales UK, JTI; and awards host Catriona Shearer.

Simon Harrison, sales director wholesale and out of home at Cott, presenting the 2017 Champion of Champions award to United Wholesale (Scotland), remarked that last year represented “another year of improvements in standards, disciplines and service to customers in the Scottish wholesale industry”. The quality of the entrants “absolutely reflected this position”, he said, pointing to the quality, professionalism, passion and commitment of entrants.

Best Symbol Group, sponsored by Lucozade Ribena Suntory, pictured above, left to right: Kate Salmon, executive director, Scottish Wholesale Association; Carolyn Thomson, customer business executive wholesale, Lucozade Ribena Suntory; Mike Leonard, Day-Today controller; Bernie Brandsma, group director, United Wholesale (Scotland); and awards host Catriona Shearer.

“While scoring within a number of the categories was very close, there is a clear winner of Champion of Champions this year,” he said. “This wholesaler achieves consistently high standards, and it has won four of the eight categories outright, making the decision-making process relatively straightforward.
“This puts them in a great position to confront the continued challenges posed by the supermarkets and by economic pressures.”

Employee of the year, sponsored by Britvic Soft Drinks. Pictured above, left to right: Kate Salmon, executive director, Scottish Wholesale Association; Trystan Farnworth, director of convenience and impulse, Britvic Soft Drinks; Jason McLeod, fresh food specialist, United Wholesale (Scotland); John Leslie, customer development manager, United Wholesale (Scotland); and host Catriona Shearer.

Achievers, now in its 15th year and organised by the Scottish Wholesale Association, recognises professionalism and excellence across all sectors of the wholesale industry in Scotland.
Almost 500 people attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation, hosted by newsreader Catriona Shearer, at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh last month.

Kate Salmon, executive director of the Scottish Wholesale Association (left) spoke proudly of the sector on the night, which was hosted by BBC Scotland TV presenter Catriona Shearer (right).

Kate Salmon, executive director of the SWA, said: “Fairness is paramount to Achievers and although our awards have evolved over the years, what has remained consistent is our integrity – our uncompromising standards and high values across all aspects of the competition and we will continue to build on this in partnership with entrants, supplier sponsors and independent judges.”

Scottish Wholesale Achievers 2017 Roll of honour

The Scottish Wholesale Achievers awards programme features awards for wholesale companies, staff and depots and also has a series of awards for suppliers.

Champion of Champions sponsored by Cott

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland)

Great Place to Work sponsored by Philip Morris International

Winner: Fáilte Foods, Glasgow
Runner-up: United Wholesale (Scotland)
Highly commended: Bidvest Foodservice Scotland
 

Best Cash & Carry Depot sponsored by IJTI

Winner: United Wholesale Grocers, Springburn
Runner-up: Bestway Batleys, Glasgow (former Sher Brothers depot)
Highly Commended: United Wholesale (Scotland), Queenslie
 

Best Delivered Operation – Retail sponsored by Mondelez International

Winner: JW Filshill
Runner-up: United Wholesale (Scotland)
Highly Commended: Iain Hill
 

Best Symbol Group sponsored by Lucozade Ribena Suntory

 
Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland), Day-Today
Runner-up: JW Filshill, KeyStore
Highly Commended: United Wholesale Grocers, Lifestyle
 

Best Delivered Operation – Foodservice sponsored by Premier Foods

Winner: Dunns Food and Drinks
Runner-up: Bidvest Foodservice Scotland
Highly Commended: Fáilte Foods and Lomond Fine Foods

Best Licensed Operation sponsored by Halewood International

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland)
Runner-up: Bestway Batleys
Highly Commended: Sutherland Brothers
 

Best Marketing Initiative sponsored by AG Barr

Winner: United Wholesale (Scotland)
Runner-up: United Wholesale Grocers
Highly Commended: Fáilte Foods
 

Employee of the Year sponsored by Britvic Soft Drinks

Winner: Jason McLeod, United Wholesale (Scotland)
Runner-up: Derrick Richardson, JW Filshill
Highly Commended: Irene Maitland, Bidvest Foodservice Scotland
 

Best Advertising Campaign

Winner: The Famous Grouse ‘Full of Character’
 

Project Scotland

Winner: AG Barr for the relaunch of Irn-Bru
Runner-up: Innis & Gunn
Highly Commended: Lucozade Ribena Suntory
 

Best Overall Service by Suppliers

Winner: AB InBev
Runner-up: AG Barr
Highly Commended: Heineken
 

Supplier Sales Executive of the Year sponsored by Sugro

Winner: Fiona Nisbet, Mars Chocolate
Runner-up: Linda Fraser, Nestlé UK
Highly Commended: Archie MacLellan, JTI

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR