As this unprecedented year draws to a close, we are proud to celebrate the top performing suppliers and retailers/wholesalers in the UK and Ireland as part of the 2020 Advantage Report industry benchmarking programme.
This is the 3rd year in which we are running the Advantage Awards programme. To be recognised by trading partners as a top performer is a great accolade and particularly impressive under the current circumstances.
All of us at AGUK are extremely grateful for the retailer/wholesaler and supplier support for the 2020 programmes, despite the disruption and increased workload caused by the Pandemic.
The industry has coped remarkably well throughout the Pandemic and both retailers/wholesalers and suppliers have worked together to successfully overcome these most challenging of circumstances. Communication and collaboration throughout the supply chain have been key to these achievements.
Congratulations to all the 2020 UK and Irish Top Performing Companies!

2020 Advantage Awards – UK Major Mults Channel
Retailer Programme:
- Tesco – #1 for:
- Overall Performance (all Business/Units and Categories combined)
- Bakery & Dairy Business Unit
- Beers, Wines & Spirits Business Unit
- Grocery Business Unit
- Prepared Foods Business Unit
- Produce Business Unit
- Meat, Fish & Poultry Business Unit
- Healthcare Business Unit
- In addition, Tesco has been voted as the #1 retailer for “Collaboration during a crisis situation”
- Sainsbury’s – #1 for:
- Impulse Business Unit
- Personal Care/Beauty/Baby Business Unit
- Asda – #1 for Household, Laundry, Paper & Pet Business Unit
Supplier Programme:
- SC Johnson – #1 in the “Core” Benchmark Set and Household Business Unit
- Jacobs Douwe Egberts – #1 in the Ambient Grocery Business Unit
- Warbutons – #1 in the Bakery Business Unit
- Westons Cider – #1 in the Beers, Wines & Spirits Business Unit
- Yeo Valley – #1 in the Dairy/Chilled Business Unit
- McCain Foods – #1 in the Frozen Food Business Unit
- Coca-Cola European Partners – #1 in the Impulse Business Unit
- Procter & Gamble (Seven Seas) – #1 in the OTC Business Unit
- Procter & Gamble UK – #1 in the Personal/Baby Care Business Unit
- Nestlé Purina – #1 in the Petcare Business Unit
“JDE winning the Best in Class award in Ambient Grocery is a fantastic achievement for a company that is only 5 years old. We are incredibly proud of the whole team and of the collaboration with our customers. Customer feedback is very important to us, and would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers for their support.”
Andy Adams, Jacobs Douwe Egberts
2020 Advantage Awards – UK Wholesale & Convenience Channel
Retailer/Wholesaler Programme:
- BP – #1 across all retailers and retail channels (Forecourt, High Street, Symbol and Value)
- Filshill Wholesale – #1 across all wholesalers and wholesale channels (Cash & Carry, Foodservice Wholesale, Delivered Trade and Wholesale Buying Group)
- In addition, Filshill KeyStore – #1 Fascia Group
Supplier Programme:
- Coca-Cola European Partners – #1 in the Convenience Channel (Forecourt, High Street, Symbol and Value)
- KP Snacks – #1 in the Wholesale Channel (Cash & Carry, Foodservice Wholesale, Delivered Trade and Wholesale Buying Group)
“We at KP Snacks were absolutely delighted to be awarded this Best in Class accolade by the AGS. Our Customers are our partners for growth and we strive to put them at the heart of our business on a daily basis, so to receive this level of customer satisfaction and strategic ranking is particularly pleasing. This Year has been unparalleled, challenging for everyone, reshaping how we all work and lead our lives, during these times of crisis we know our partnerships matter even more, which we are committed to delivering upon through our Customer Centric approach and Charter. We salute our Customers for their continued support and resilience. A happy snacking moment.”
Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks
2020 Advantage Awards – UK E-Commerce Channel
Supplier Programme:
- Nestlé Purina – #1 in the E-Commerce Programme
2020 Advantage Awards – Ireland Retailer & Wholesaler Programme
Supplier Programme:
- Heineken Ireland – #1 as voted by the participating retailers and wholesalers in Ireland
Learn how retailers/wholesalers anticipate suppliers to change in the post-crisis world:
- Ways of working will be more productive and efficient with remote meetings the norm
- More collaborative working with closer relationships, greater transparency and better joint problem solving
- Increased levels of communication and proactive engagement should continue
- Suppliers will be expected to be more agile and flexible, quicker to respond and react with fast decision-making
- A joint focus on the needs of the consumer, suppliers should respond to changing consumer behaviour and adapt ranges accordingly
- Suppliers should demonstrate proactive planning for future crisis situations, ensuring contingencies and action plans are in place
- As value becomes increasingly important for consumers, suppliers are expected to support customers in offering a strong value proposition and to help them remain competitive
- Good levels of availability will be expected on an ongoing basis
Learn how suppliers anticipate retailers/wholesalers to change in the post-crisis world:
- Retailers/wholesalers will be seeking to offer their customers the best value as we head into recession, suppliers will be put under pressure for investment
- More strategic focus on Online as increased levels of participation continue
- Collaborative working and engagement will continue
- Good levels of communication will be maintained, greater clarity and honesty
- Businesses will adopt new and more efficient ways of working, with more home working and remote meetings
- Renewed focus on rationalising ranges
- Changing consumer behaviour will be closely monitored, retailers/wholesalers will need to be agile in responding to consumer needs
- Closer supply chain relationships with improved focus on forecasting and availability