Grocer Gold Award - JJ Food Service Winner of the Wholesaler of the Year 2009

Spanning cash and carry, delivered and food service, the six companies detailed here range considerably in size, but all 23 judges were impressed with the clear and effective strategies for growing sales, profits and margins, as well as improvements to customer service and other metrics that JJ Food Service had shown.

Contenders

Bestway
Bestway’s pre-tax profits grew 17% to £37m in the year ending June 2008, helped by the growth of its Best-in own label, which now comprises 520 lines and is worth £117m. Sales to catering customers grew to £100m. The Best- One symbol group has grown 24% over the past year and now boasts more than 600 members. Bestway has 55 depots and is on the hunt for more.

Booker 

Chief executive Charles Wilson is universally admired for his textbook turnaround of Booker. In the space of four years Booker has gone from a basket case - with sales and profits in decline – to a thriving business with £3.2bn sales and pre-tax profits up 30% to £47m (year ending March 2009).
And Wilson says there’s still more to do. The rest of the market beware!

Henderson Group
The recession has proved an opportunity for Hendersons, whose Spar, Eurospar and Vivo stores are much loved in Northern Ireland. Sales were up 12% to £455m while operating profits were up 11% (year ending December’ 08). The Group has confidently invested in advertising, using Spar’s Sorted!
Campaign, and will spend £14m on Stores of the Future this year.

JJ Food Service
Visionary entrepreneur Mustafa Kiamil has grown the business into one of the industry’s most efficient wholesalers, examining every aspect of the business with his ruthless gaze to assess how it could be run better. Hence the new IT and internet systems developed in-house and the doubling-up of delivered depots as cash & carries. Its pre-tax profit margin was 7.4% last year.

Palmer & Harvey McLane
Grocery’s biggest wholesaler is now flexing its muscles with a number of ambitions initiatives. It plans to match cash & carry prices on its deliveries, is rebranding its Mace fascia, has started a Sweet Direct specialist confectionary service to complement Snacks Direct and is also rolling out its Partnership Plus loyalty scheme. A delivered wholesaler that’s going places!

AG Parfett & Sons
Independent trading is in the blood of MD Steve Parfett. When it became clear that there was no one in his family to take over the business, he masterfully began planning to keep it independent by passing it on to its employees, a process that is more than half completed. With turnover increasing by 4% to £259m (year ending june ’08). It’s no wonder they want a stake.

JJ Food Service Ltd 2009

The Grocer Gold Award for Wholesaler Of The Year was won by JJ Food Service Ltd

 “This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication and extraordinary ability of the people who share my vision for JJ Food Service Ltd” Mustafa Kiamil.