Entries for the Scottish Wholesale Association’s Achievers awards have opened with two new categories – Wholesaler of the Year (Under £50m) and Best Use of Data & Insight.
Now in its 24th year, Achievers is the only awards programme in Scotland dedicated to the wholesale food and drink sector, celebrating and recognising the efforts of staff across the industry and supply chain.
The Wholesaler of the Year (Under £50m) category has been introduced to help showcase the importance of SMEs in the Scottish wholesale channel.
For cash and carry depots, the judges will be asking about processes to ensure a great shopping experience along with examples of staff engagement with customers, plus communication on NPD, promotions, core range and category advice.
For all wholesalers, scoring will cover ordering and deliveries, sustainability, use of technology, customer engagement and current challenges. In addition, the judges will be asking entrants what the one thing is, big or small, that has had the most impact on your business, customers or staff in the past 12 months.
Independent judges with cross-sector experience and knowledge will play a key role in the awards, pairing up with supplier judges in each category from the start of the judging process and helping to compile “best practice” feedback.
Following the success of the customer interviews in the Best Cash & Carry and Best Symbol Group categories last year, SWA is also introducing customer interviews for Best Delivered Operation – Foodservice. These will account for 50% of the total possible score.
Once again, the overall winner of each people category – Wholesale Driver of The Year, Rising Star of Wholesale, Employee of the Year, Wholesale Local Food Champion, and Supplier Sales Executive of the Year – will receive £1,000 while there will be £500 awarded to each runner-up and £250 for each highly commended winner.
SWA chief executive Colin Smith said: “Achievers has continued to evolve over the years in line with industry innovations, trends and challenges – the wholesale food and drink sector in Scotland never stands still and our awards recognise that.
“Since last year’s awards, we have consulted wholesalers, suppliers and judges to review and refine the criteria and judging process, helping us deliver an even stronger awards programme this year. We are also delighted to introduce two new categories that will showcase the importance of small businesses, and the innovative use of data and insight across the sector.
“At SWA, we are working harder than ever, and collaborating with suppliers, government, other industry organisations and stakeholders, to raise awareness of the wholesale sector. Achievers is a key component of that drive to make headlines for our industry.”
