Countdown Toasts A Challenging But Rewarding Year At 2022 Supplier Partnership Awards

24 November 2022: Countdown has announced the winners of its annual partnership awards which were held last week to recognise excellence and innovation across the food and grocery industry in Aotearoa.

After what’s been a somewhat bumpy year for the industry, with inflation and supply chain challenges continuing to bite, the awards were a chance for Countdown to toast the successes and innovation of their supply partners despite all the challenges that have been thrown their way.

Over 280 attendees from across Aotearoa virtually or physically attended the event held in Auckland on 17 November 2022.

For their ambitious and industry-leading work on sustainability, along with their exceptional sales growth in Countdown stores, Ethique were recognised as Countdown’s Small Supplier of the Year and Sustainability Partner of the Year.

Steve Mills, Countdown’s Commercial Director Packaged Goods, says “Ethique is an exceptional supply partner, and an absolute pleasure to work with - they are creative, and constantly looking for new ways to reduce their impact on the environment and to do better for the next generation.

“We admire their ethos as a business, and look forward to many more years of working together” says Steve.

Taking out the award for Fresh Supreme Supplier of the Year was AS Wilcox and Sons who stood out for their innovation and leadership.

Pieter de Wet, Countdown’s Commercial Director Fresh, says “We’ve partnered with AS Wilcox and Sons for over 40 years now and like us, they take great pride in ensuring they deliver great quality and value to our customers, which makes for a perfect recipe for a successful business relationship. The work they have done in the couple of years to diversify their crops has been very well received by customers and means we have more options on shelf than ever before.”

“It’s critical that we spend time with our supply partners in the lead up to our busiest time of the year and acknowledge the incredible work that happens every day in our industry. We want to thank all of our partners for their ongoing dedication and support of our business, and especially congratulate all of our 2022 award winners” says Pieter.

The full list of winners is below:

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