Buying group, Unitas, awarded United Wholesale (Scotland) (UWS) its Retail Member of the Year accolade at a special ceremony at Liverpool’s International Convention Centre on Wednesday 11 March.
The wholealer won the award in recognition of its success during 2025, which included the opening of its new London depot, symbol group expansion plans and sustainability drive.
In addition, UWS picked up the Member Initiative of the Year for its Rainham Depot opening. Describing the move as “an unmistakable declaration of intent”, judges praised the new depot as a template for the future of cash and carry wholesale.
Jason Butler, Head of Operations at UWS, also picked up the Members’ Employee of the Year award.
An Outstanding Contribution award was also presented to KP Snacks’ Bill Lattimore in recognition of his 40-year career in wholesale.
The event also celebrated suppliers’ activity, support and partnership with members and the Unitas central team, with awards presented to CCEP, Carlsberg Britvic, Calbee, Caterers Choice, Nestle Food and Beverages, PepsiCo, Refresco, Swizzels Matlow, Sazerac and Unilever Food Solutions.
The awards ceremony followed the group’s annual trade show, Connect26, where Unitas announced a major overhaul of its services to wholesalers and suppliers to provide ‘execution at scale’ across retail and foodservice. New initiatives include: One Week Special promotions, exclusive pack formats for NPD, pricemarked pack promotions and bespoke core range guides for out-of-home channels.
The group is also transforming Plan for Profit, the toolkit for independent retailers, based on Unitas’ biggest-ever research project which is currently underway with wholesalers, suppliers and more than 300 independent retailers.
“We are the UK’s largest buying group and we are performing better than the wholesale market,” said Unitas Chief Operating Officer David Cooke. “We have scale and reach, and critically, we have member engagement. Our members are investing more into their businesses than ever before, which means we can give your brands the attention and support they deserve. Our agility, pace and collective strength is what sets us apart, so work with us to win together.”
