Strengthening member resilience, transforming sector capability and reflecting the strategic pillars of SWA – advocacy and engagement, training and development, sustainability, and data and communication – were discussed and explored by speakers and panels throughout the event at Òran Mór in Glasgow on Thursday 28th May.
Tom Slaven, SWA president, welcomed attendees, thanked them for their support, and set the tone by highlighting how the association has adapted to a changing environment – emphasising that the wider industry must continue to do the same.
Scottish Wholesale Association chief executive Colin Smith explained how the SWA pillars, based on engagement with members, are forming part of the association’s three-year strategy. He said: “Supply, Sustain, Support – that’s the framework we've put in front of every political party and stakeholder, translating those pillars into a clear ask: secure the supply chain, sustain a skilled and resilient sector, and support the conditions for growth.”
In a presentation titled Building Wholesale Resilience – The Path to 2050, Tanya Pepin, co-founder and managing director of The Wholesale Company, focused on how the consumer environment has fundamentally changed, with supply chain disruption and unstable geopolitical conditions including global conflicts and climate change.
One of her overarching messages was that “demand is not disappearing, it is fragmenting and evolving”.
Professor Colin Campbell, meanwhile, shone a spotlight on climate change in a session titled Planet & the Scottish Supply Chain in 2050: How climate change and global instability will impact food production, sourcing and logistics.
The chief executive of the world-leading Scottish scientific research organisation the James Hutton Institute, explained why Scotland could play a vital role in sustainable food security and shared in-depth insight on the likely future impacts on food production and transportation.
Other speakers included Martin McCardle, regional operations manager at Brakes Scotland – winner of the 2026 Achievers Great Place to Work award – who shared how practical changes have helped the wholesaler successfully recruit for hard-to-fill roles and improve retention.
He was joined by David Summerhill, lecturer in people and organisations (HRM) at Glasgow Caledonian University. who provided best practice insights to building capability, as well as new insights from surveys and interviews with SWA members.
In conversation with broadcaster Zara Janjua,the conference host, Antony Begley, editor of Scottish Local Retailer, stood in for retailer Girish Jeeva, of Girishi’s Costcutter in Barmulloch, Glasgow, discussing the recent refurbishment of his shop to create a store that meets the changing demands of his customers and ensures he’s ready for the future.
Graham Urquhart, director of sales at the Scotsman Group, owner of Òran Mór, spoke about how the venue is adapting tochanging customer and client demands, and works closely with local producers, and ways it has adapted to offer unique experiences.
A Building Wholesale Resilience panel discussion eatured Jane Mackie, founder of Rora Dairy in Aberdeenshire, Jim Cummiskey, chief executive of Glasgow wholesaler Fáilte Group, Alice Graham, GB head of hospitality,wholesale and foodservice at Carlsberg Britvic, and David Cooke, chief operating officer at buying group Unitas Wholesale.
They discussed whether the sector could develop an incubator model across Scottish wholesale to support emerging categories, brands and local products. The aim would be to strengthen and futureproof the wholesale channel while bringing the entire supply chain together – boosting Scotland’s food security and unlocking the climate opportunities highlighted by Professor Campbell in his presentation.
Meanwhile, the SWA’s Jayne Swanson, head of public affairs, in conversation with the host, discussed how an evolving political landscape “creates a moment” for wholesale and why SWA member insight is the key to turning that moment into impact.
In a session titled Modern Marketing Magic: Simple Ways to Make Your Brand Stronger and More Successful in an Increasingly Complex Media Landscape, Ross Macdonald, head of strategy, and Alison Downs, head of consumer at communications agency Frame shared their take on the basics of branding and modern marketing, offering practical advice for the audience.
Finally, keynote speaker Felix Riley, an entrepreneur, financier and former comedy writer, who helps organisations and business leaders adopt “bigger thinking on their biggest challenges” and show ambition can turn into good outcomes, lived up to his promise that his presentation would “not be motivational fluff”.
Instead, the author and commentator inspired and challenged his audience to free themselves of limiting ways of thinking.
