[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]
Support network Brakes launched its most ambitious Pride programme to coincide with the annual celebration of the LGBTQ+ community in June.
The wholesaler has introduced a network of support champions at every site across Sysco GB, including Brakes and Sysco Speciality Group, which will be delivered through the organisation’s Spectrum programme that was created to support LGBTQ+ colleagues. In addition, Brakes’ learning & development team has developed an on-demand training course to help line managers to better understand the specific needs of LGBTQ+ colleagues. Brakes has also changed its social media logos for the whole of the coming year to highlight the ongoing need
Fresh range The Co-op’s own-brand food-to-go range, available to Nisa retailers, has been relaunched with updated packaging and a new selection of wraps, subs and pasta salad pots. In a bid to make the range as sustainable as possible, the Co-op has also significantly reduced the amount of packaging on its food-togo products and removed all single-use plastic cutlery in favour of wooden ‘sporks’. Until 19 July, Nisa is running a picnic promotion in store, featuring a wide range of Co-op ready-to-eat lines on a ‘two for £3.50’ deal, as well as snacks and drinks at discounted prices. 16
July 2022
to support diversity and inclusion, both within its business and across the country as a whole. What’s more, the Aylesford depot will join the company’s head office in Ashford by painting a ‘Pride’ pedestrian crossing as a permanent reminder of the importance of recognising and embracing diversity. Alvin Engutsamy, chair of the Spectrum group at Brakes, said: “Our Pride programme will ensure that, across the business, our colleagues can access the support and information that they need. We hope that the work we do will inspire companies across the sector to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community.” As part of its Pride programme, Brakes will be fundraising for the charity AKT, which supports displaced LGBTQ+ young people, providing safe homes and a better future.
Foodservice focus
Confex recently held its first ever Foodservice Fair. “With the foodservice membership growing and also the launch of awardwinning CORE own-brand in the past two years, the buying group felt it was time to stage a foodservice focused event and it was a huge success,” explains marketing & HR director Jess Douglas. The event, at Stratford Racecourse, included presentations from Confex’s MD Tom Gittins, chairman Martin Williams and senior business manager Matt Norman, as
well as some members and suppliers. The audience heard that sales through Confex are up by 58% in the year to date and that it is predicting 200% growth over the next three years. Meanwhile, sales of the CORE brand hit £1.89 million in 2021 and are on course to rise to £4 million this year. The Foodservice Fair also incorporated a trade show, where 37 suppliers showcased their products. “The fair was extremely well received,” said Douglas.
£100,000 for Barnardo’s
Sir Anwar Pervez at the Ascot Charity Race Day.
After a two-year gap due to the pandemic, the Bestway Ascot Charity Race Day took place last month, raising about £100,000 for Barnardo’s.
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Bestway’s Race Day has raised over £2.6 million and supported 22 charities since it began in 1994. Dawood Pervez, MD of
Bestway Wholesale, commented: “This high-profile event is hosted by our Bestway family – Sir Anwar Pervez OBE H Pk, chairman of Bestway Group, and Lord Zameer Choudrey CBE SI Pk, group chief executive of Bestway Group – and supported by industry-leading FMCG suppliers. “Charity is at the core of what we do at Bestway Wholesale and our Charity Race Day cements the ongoing work to such charities as Barnardo’s by our family. It’s a great opportunity to bring colleagues from across the wholesale industry together in celebration of a great cause.”