Record gathering for The Wholesale Group trade show
The event, incorporating its award evening, saw more than 350 suppliers and members in attendance, reflecting the Group’s continued growth
Supported by major industry sponsors, the event featured 99 exhibition stands and brought together 130 attendees from retail and foodservice wholesaler businesses from across the membership.
The day also featured cooking demonstrations, product tastings, giveaways and interactive stands, creating further opportunities for discussion, discovery and networking throughout the event. The Wholesale Group also used the event to showcase its growing portfolio of own-brand ranges, available exclusively to its members.
As always, the trade show culminated with the awards celebration evening, introduced by The Wholesale Group’s chairman Mark Aylwin, which brought together over 350 people from across the industry to recognise leaders in engagement, innovation and collaboration.
Jess Douglas, managing director at The Wholesale Group, said: “Very few events in the industry can showcase quality and innovation on this scale, across both retail and foodservice, but our Trade Show continues to evolve into a flagship event for the sector that really gets people talking.
“As a buying group, we bring together forward-thinking suppliers and connect them with businesses who can help get their products into the market. The Trade Show is a powerful platform for collaboration, and a key part of our overall strategy. It’s important to share learnings, connect like-minded businesses and recognise talent in this way, to enable collective growth.”
Chairman Mark Aylwin introduced the evening’s awards and reflected on the resilience of the sector, noting that wholesale has faced more disruption in the past five years than in the previous 20. He also pointed to a changing future for wholesale, shaped by data, technology and partnership, and said he was proud to see the energy and momentum across the event. This year’s award winners were as follows:
Supplier awards
- Service Supplier of the Year (sponsored by The Wholesale Group): Orderlion
- Digital Supplier of the Year (sponsored by Insight): Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
- Chilled & Frozen Supplier of the Year (sponsored by Dash AI): Lutosa
- Non-Food Supplier of the Year (sponsored by Accelerate): Wrapex
- Own Brand Supplier of the Year (sponsored by CHEF Approved): Lantmannen
- Retail Supplier of the Year (sponsored by CORE Juices): AG Barr Group
- Foodservice Supplier of the Year (sponsored by The Wholesale Group): Kerry Foods
Member awards
- Social Media Member of the Year (sponsored by PepsiCo Walkers): Thomsons
- Head Office Engagement Member of the Year (sponsored by AG Barr): Dennis Edwards
- Frozen Member of the Year (sponsored by Lantmannen): Holland Bazaar
- Own Brand Member of the Year (sponsored by FoodFellas): Ewood Foods
- Foodservice Member of the Year (sponsored by RH Amar): Charles Saunders
- Retail Member of the Year (sponsored by Carlsberg Britvic): Universal
- New Member of the Year (sponsored by Kellanova): AC Georgiades
- Green Wholesaler Award (sponsored by CCEP): All Shires Foods
- Charity and Community (sponsored by Nestlé): Millennium
- Outstanding Achievement – NEW for 2025 (sponsored by Flora): Waterside Food Services
Vinnie Liddar, business unit controller at AG Barr, said “Last night was a real moment of pride for everyone at AG Barr. To be recognised by The Wholesale Group as Retail Supplier of the Year 2025 is incredibly special, particularly in such a competitive and customer-led environment. Since launching in January 2025, The Wholesale Group has quickly established itself as a major force within the channel, making this recognition especially meaningful as a reflection of the strength of our partnership and the consistency of our execution.
“It was also a pleasure to build on that momentum at the Trade Show at Cheltenham Racecourse, which was extremely well organised and provided a valuable opportunity to connect with both members and suppliers. The energy throughout the event reflected the strength and ambition within wholesale today. We are proud of what we have achieved together over the past year and excited about the opportunities ahead. Our thanks go to Tom, Jess, Coral, Kirsty and the wider The Wholesale Group head office team for their guidance and support.”
Awards events Jess Douglas Mark Aylwin The Wholesale Group