DB Awards: Retail Buying Team of the Year

With time running out to get your entries in for the 2011 Drinks Business Awards, we thought now is as good a time as any to look back at last year’s winners, starting with the Retail Buying Team of the Year category.

Majestic Wine Merchants emerged victorious against a stellar field of opposition which included retail giants Tesco and Waitrose, along with Laithwaites, Spar UK and Hangingditch Wine Merchants.

Our judges said the winning Majestic team was “a buying team that are not only respected by their suppliers but who really work as a team.”

The judges commended a number of things but particularly how well-connected they were with the trade, their culture, ethos and longevity.

The judges felt there was real cohesion within the team, which has also struck the right balance in terms of its influence in the retailer’s corporate marketing decisions.

It was felt that theirs was a small team “trying to keep its soul” and one which managed to have as much of an impact on their company as possible, creating a business that the panel felt was “genuinely buyer-led”.

Hangingditch scooped the runner-up prize, having been picked out for its ability to maintain “a really good dialogue with suppliers”, while ensuring a genuine response to consumer demand.

If you think your retail buying team has what it takes to make an impact on our judges this year, or to enter any of the other personality, marketing or business categories, click here.

Winners will be announced at a glittering ceremony during the London International Wine Fair in May.

For further details call either Hannah Lee on +44 (0)20 7803 2455 or email Hannah@thedrinksbusiness.com or call Zoltan Hojsza on +44 (0)20 7803 2424 or email Zoltan@thedrinksbusiness.com

db, 18.03.2011