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News
LWF marks 40 years with buyers awards
The London Wine Fair has launched a competition for the UK wine trade called the Wine Buyers Awards as the exhibition celebrates its 40th year in 2020.
Created to reward those UK wine buyers who shape the industry, the awards will include a category specifically for supermarket and multiple buyers.
The Supermarket & Multiple Retailer Buyer Award will be run in partnership with ourselves and judges will include Angela Mount, consultant to the wine industry, writer, presenter and formerly head of wine buying at Somerfield; Howard Winn, consultant and formerly product quality manager at Sainsbury’s; and Alan Cheesman, consultant to the global wine industry and formerly Sainsbury’s trading director for Beers Wines and Spirits.
There will be six award categories in total, the others comprising: Independent Merchant Buyer Award; Restaurant Buyer Award; Pub Buyer Award; Online Specialist Buyer Award; and the Rising Star Buyer Award, which will recognise the achievements of those 35 years and under, operating in any of the five channels. The categories will be split into awards for buyers from independent/smaller outlets and bigger chain outlets.
The London Wine Fair will also host The Wine Buyers Conference, a new initiative which will take place immediately prior to the awards, at Olympia on Tuesday 19 May. The Wine Buyers Conference will be aimed at the next generation of senior buyers and will be designed to inspire and guide those embarking on a buying role. The hour-long conference will feature segments from industry stalwarts and will be hosted by Chris Losh – who will also manage and chair the awards, having set up the Sommelier Wine Awards over a decade ago.
Those wishing to enter can do so via www.winebuyersawards.co.uk; entries open 28 November, the deadline is 20 January 2020 and the initial round of judging will take place in February 2020. The shortlist will be revealed at the London Wine Fair launch party in London in February; and the awards ceremony will take place at the London Wine Fair on Tuesday 19 May.
Commenting on the awards, Hannah Tovey, head of London Wine Fair, said: “2020 will see the fair celebrate its 40th anniversary, a milestone which we wanted to mark by recognising those wine professionals whose daily decisions actually shape the UK’s wine industry – the buyers.”
Continuing, she said, “Launching what will become an annual award is a great reason to celebrate the wine industry at large and reward those key players who excel in creating trends and adding value and innovation to the UK’s wine lists and shelves.
She concluded, “We look forward to rewarding the best supermarket and multiple retailer wine buyers and inspiring the next generation.”
The 2020 London Wine Fair will take place at Olympia from 18 to 20 May.