Wholesalers are urged to submit their entries for Scottish Wholesale Achievers 2020, the much-lauded industry initiative created by the Scottish Wholesale Association with two new awards joining the line-up – Rising Star of Wholesale, open to employees aged 26 and under, and Green Wholesaler of the Year.

Scottish Wholesale Achievers, now in its 18th year, aims to raise standards and reward outstanding performance across the trade in Scotland. Any wholesaler with a depot in Scotland may enter the competition.

In a change to the previous format, there will be no Champion of Champions award presented in 2020.

Colin Smith, SWA chief executive, said: “We’re refreshing Achievers for 2020 in response to feedback from wholesalers and sponsors, and to reflect the areas of business that are most important to our members.

“Our new Rising Star of Wholesale award particularly reflects the SWA’s commitment to nurture emerging talent and enhance skills within our industry, raise standards and promote wholesale as a viable career path.

“Meanwhile, the decision to introduce our Green Wholesaler of the Year award, sponsored by Zero Waste Scotland, chimes with the ongoing work by Scottish wholesalers to reduce their carbon footprint via a number of measures, from upgrading to lower-emission HGV fleets and increasing recycling to improving sustainability across all areas of their business.”

Categories for 2020 are:

Wholesaler Awards

Best Cash & Carry (sponsored by JTI)

Are you the best in what is a very competitive and prestigious category? Does your depot clearly communicate your company’s vision, mission and values to the customer? Is your management team always available to customers? Is your depot maintained to a high standard with ease of shop at the forefront of the customer strategy? Are your customers satisfied with your range and availability? Has your depot made improvements in the last year?

Best Delivered Operation – Retail (sponsor TBC)

Are you the best in what is a very competitive and prestigious category? Does your depot clearly communicate your company’s vision, mission and values to the customer? Is your management team always available to customers? Is your depot maintained to a high standard with ease of shop at the forefront of the customer strategy? Does your company communicate promotions effectively to the customer – in shop/online/social media? Are your customers satisfied with your range and availability? Has your depot made improvements in the last year?

Best Delivered Operation – Foodservice (sponsored by Pritchitts)

This award is open to any wholesaler delivering to foodservice operators and recognises the best foodservice wholesalers delivering solutions, ideas and support to their end-user customers. The judges will be looking at how wholesalers are helping their operators understand legislation, menu planning, excellent service and doing things differently.

Best Symbol Group (sponsored by JUUL)

Does your symbol group take a longer-term strategic approach to the way it does business? Are you responsive to customers’ product needs? Do you have a structured sales/support team that provides high-quality support to your symbol group retailers? Do you drive demand by effective customer-focused marketing, promotions and advertising within the symbol group?

Employee of the Year (sponsored by Philip Morris)

Do you have an employee who goes the extra mile to identify business opportunities and constantly looks to drive their self-development? Employee of the Year offers a great opportunity to reward their achievements. Please nominate one employee only (should not be Depot/General Manager).

Best Marketing Initiative (sponsored by Premier Foods)

This category is open to any wholesaler which has developed and implemented a marketing initiative within the Scottish marketplace in the last 12 months. Submissions must be fact-based and supported by the rationale behind the initiative along with the outcomes. Entrants will be required to present, in any format they are comfortable with, to the panel of judges around mid-November 2019.

Best Licensed Wholesaler (sponsored by Halewood Wines & Spirits)

This category is open to any wholesaler which delivers to the on-trade or off-trade, or is purely cash & carry. As market dynamics continue to change, and the supply to the off-premise and on-premise is ever more blurred, are you the wholesaler that does it all or are you a best-in-class specialist? We are looking for the company that has clear strategies and promotions that are targeted at its customers – a company that supports those customers to drive sales through their business, and clearly communicates and collaborates with the suppliers it works with.

Great Place to Work (sponsored by AG Barr)

This award is open to any cash & carry or delivered wholesaler that makes its employees feel valued at work through opportunities, working practices, equality and camaraderie. We all know that our staff are our greatest asset. We all know that a happy workforce is one that is likely to be more successful where people are listened to and motivated, and are made to feel valued. If you feel that your depot is a ‘Great Place to Work’ then please enter and win this award for your team.

Rising Star of Wholesale (sponsored by SWA)

Do you have an employee (26 years old or under) who is showing great attitude, ambition and potential? This new award could give them recognition for their achievements to date and encouragement for the future. Please nominate the rising star in your organisation. Individuals can also nominate themselves for the award, accompanied by a statement from their employer supporting their entry.

Green Wholesaler of the Year (sponsored by Zero Waste Scotland)

This new category is open to any wholesaler which can demonstrate that good environmental practice is a key business strategy and part of its ongoing development. Judges will want to know everything you do in order to achieve your green objectives. This could include issues covering transport, energy and packaging waste, as well as customer and staff engagement, and community involvement. Entrants should show evidence of an overall strategy that sets out your targets and plans to achieve them.

 

Supplier Awards

Best Overall Service

SWA member wholesalers nominate their top 20 suppliers based on deliveries (including admin support), wholesaler support and channel/customer support. Then, over a four-month period, the wholesalers vote on the performance of the top 20 suppliers using the same criteria applied to the nominations. Each month, the suppliers in contention are sent a full breakdown of their scores. This allows them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and thereby enhance their service to the wholesale trade.

Best Foodservice Supplier

Similar to Best Overall Service, this award involves foodservice wholesalers nominating their top 15 suppliers and then voting for the shortlisted companies each month over a four-month period. Each month, the suppliers in contention are sent a full breakdown of their scores.

Best Advertising Campaign

SWA member wholesalers nominate their favourite advertising campaign of 2019. This can be a TV, cinema, press, poster, online or outdoor advertising campaign but it must feature a product or service sold or used in the Scottish wholesale trade. Stills of the shortlisted adverts are sent to wholesalers to prompt awareness, and they then take a final vote.

Project Scotland

This award is designed to recognise and reward the efforts of suppliers’ sales people in Scotland in building relationships with wholesalers through relevant initiatives. The project can focus on a single wholesaler or multiple wholesalers throughout Scotland or in one geographical area and it can run for any period during 2019, ranging from a couple of weeks to all year. The project does not have to run exclusively in Scotland. It can be a UK-wide initiative; if it is, the judges will be looking for Scottish-specific results and perhaps tailor-made Scottish support. Wholesalers and suppliers can send in nominations for this award. Entrants will be invited to meet a judging panel of senior wholesale executives.

Supplier Sales Executive of the Year (sponsored by Unitas Wholesale)

SWA member wholesalers nominate a sales executive who deserves special recognition for developing the business of his/her wholesaler customers in Scotland. It is not open to those who manage a sales team. A panel of experienced independent adjudicators scrutinises the judging process to ensure total transparency and an unbiased approach at all times.

The SWA’s Colin Smith said: “Every year we see extremely high levels of innovation from Scotland’s wholesalers and a commitment to customer service that is outstanding.

“Achievers helps wholesalers focus on their strengths and areas they want to develop. Similarly, it helps the supporting suppliers forge stronger relationships with the industry because being involved in the judging process allows them to really understand the many diverse wholesale businesses that operate in Scotland.

“All of our winners are doing quite remarkable things to grow and develop their businesses, often taking risks but always embracing the partnership ethos that Achievers promotes. Achievers encourages best practice within Scottish wholesaling and challenges wholesalers – big and small – to think differently and engage more effectively with suppliers.

“That’s why the initiative goes from strength to strength every year and why I would encourage all members and non-members to get involved.”

Nearly 500 people will attend the gala dinner and awards presentation at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh on Thursday, 13 February 2020. Tables are expected to be reserved very quickly so please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

The entry form and criteria can be found here.

Closing date for entries is: Friday, 26 July 2019.