The award was open to any UK-based cash & carry, delivered or foodservice wholesaler. In this category the judges were looking for ‘innovation, great service and strong results’. JJ Foodservice was shortlisted along with Booker, Brakes, Bidfood and Bestway.
Commenting on the win Mustafa Kiamil, chief executive of JJ Foodservice, said: “We are extremely proud of our team who have worked hard throughout the pandemic to provide a first-class service to customers. Our success is entirely down to the hard work of our team and the support of our customers and supplier partners who, together, make up the JJ family.”
The Covid-19 pandemic forced JJ Foodservice to pivot its business model to keep afloat. The north London-based wholesaler hit sales of £225m for the year to 31 December 2020, up 1.3% on the previous year.
This was largely thanks to its direct-to-consumer next-day home delivery division, JJ Home, that launched within eight hours of the first lockdown announcement. More than 30,000 customers signed up within weeks as consumers sought alternatives to the large supermarkets.