FWD Gold Medals: Wholesale winners

Bidfood dominate as the year’s top wholesalers take centre stage at industry award night

Bidfood was the big wholesale winner of the FWD Gold Medals, as the foodservice company took a quartet of gongs – including Young Wholesaler of the Year for rising star Katie Sillars.

But while Bidfood took home the most titles on the night, it was also a fantastic evening of recognition for the likes of JJ Food Service, which bagged a brace of awards, and retiring Bestway Managing Director Martin Race, who received a standing ovation when he picked up a Special Award at the end of the night.

Race entered the stage to a chorus of cheers and Born To Run by his hero Bruce Springsteen, as the curtain came down on his fantastic career within the wholesaler industry.

It was fitting for Race to pick up the award immediately after Bidfood’s Sillars took the Young Wholesaler Award, as the baton was passed to the sector’s future.

Bidfood also won the Gold Medal for Delivered Depot Manager of the Year in the shape of Jon Mack, top Telesales Executive in Janette Loughrey from Wakefield and the Depot Team of the Year, which went to Edinburgh.

Elsewhere, JJ Food Service won Wholesale Service to Caterers and the Gold Medal for Digital Innovation, while foodservice counterpart Brakes won the Green Wholesaler of the Year.

The full list of winners are:

Wholesale Service to Retail – Bestway

Wholesale Service to Caterers – JJ Food Service

Green Wholesaler of the Year – Brakes

Digital Innovation – JJ Food Service

Customer Support – Joyce Johnston, JW Filshill

Depot Team of the Year – Bidfood Edinburgh

Depot Team Member – Michael Ward, Caterite

Cash and Carry Manager – Jon Reed, Costco, Thurrock

Delivered Depot Manager – Jon Mack, Bidfood Scotland

Telesales Executive – Janette Loughrey, Bidfood, Wakefield

Driver of the Year – Shaun Harris, Booker, Redruth