JJ Foodservice was named National Wholesaler of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards, which took place at the Guildhall in London last night. 

In this category, judges were looking for innovation, great service, and strong results. The award was open to any UK-based cash & carry, delivered or foodservice wholesaler. 

JJ was shortlisted along with wholesale giants Booker, Brakes, Bidfood and Bestway.  

Commenting on the win, JJ CEO, Mustafa Kiamil, said, “We are extremely proud of our team who have worked hard throughout the pandemic to provide a first-class service to customers.” 

JJ Foodservice was forced to pivot its business model to keep afloat during COVID. 

The move paid off, helping the group to survive the closure of many of its hospitality customers, while growing the business.  

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, 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.  

“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,” said Mr Kiamil.