Supplier of the Year

Lion wins Supplier of the Year

IT WAS A DOUBLE CELEBRATION FOR LION AT THE 2019 AUSTRALIAN DRINKS AWARDS, WITH THE COMPANY TAKING OUT BOTH SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR AND THE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AWARD.

The winners of the Supplier category at the Awards are chosen via the annual Advantage Trade Benchmark Survey. The Drinks Association has been commissioning Advantage Australia for the past decade to conduct the annual survey, which provides members with favourability ratings and qualitative retailer feedback from the off trade, on premise, wholesale and outlets channels.

Lion accepted its two Supplier awards during a glittering ceremony held at Doltone House, Jones Bay Wharf, Sydney, on August 22.

National Sales Director Mark Powell said: “It was an absolute thrill to hear Lion’s name read out as the winner of the Supplier of the Year award. I am very proud of everyone in the business whose contributions resulted in this recognition.

“We know the landscape is changing for our customers all the time. To win the Supplier of the Year award as well as the Supply Chain Management award speaks volumes about the importance of collaborating and listening to our customer’s needs. We know we still have areas to improve in, but we are committed to lifting our performance each year.”

Steve Andrews, Advantage General Manager VIC/QLD/SA, said Lion had shown incredible consistency in the survey, being placed in the top three for this award every year for the last five years. He noted that one of Lion’s key strengths was in the important area of supply chain management.

“We know that good business relationships are at the heart of good business,” Andrews said. “These awards recognise those suppliers with best-in-class business relationships, who are notable for their collaborative planning, consistency of delivering on commitments and proactivity in looking for ways to support their retail partners’ strategies.”

Powell added that the Advantage Trade Benchmark Survey was an extremely useful tool for suppliers.

“It streamlines customer feedback in an accessible way, therefore making it easy for us to assess and action,” he said.

“At Lion, we aim to put our customers at the heart of everything we do. We have a fantastic team who is absolutely committed to achieving the best possible results for our customers – and working collaboratively with them to set them up for success.”

He said winning the award was a testament to Lion’s constant desire to improve and be the best it can be.

“We know the landscape is changing for our customers all the time,” he explained. “To win both the Supplier of the Year award, as well as the Supply Chain of the Year award speaks volumes about the importance of collaborating and listening to our customer’s needs. We know we still have areas to improve in, but we are committed to lifting our performance each year.

“Thank you to our customers for the vote of confidence.”

Powell also congratulated the drinks industry on having a cohesive approach to progress and achievement.

“The Drinks Association is a great thing for our industry,” Powell said. “The more collaborative we are, the better we become.”

Looking to the future for Lion, Powell forshadowed a year of innovation.

“It’s a really exciting time for Lion as we embark on a number of new product launches to further strengthen our beer portfolio as well as entering some new categories beyond our core as we look to meet the changing tastes and demands of drinkers,” he said.

The Supply Chain Management Award was sponsored by GS1.

“As GS1 manages the most widely used suite of global open supply chain standards we are delighted to have the opportunity to support the Supply Chain Management Award,” said Maria Palazzolo, GS1 Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer.

“Lion has won this award because they have demonstrated exceptional skill around the fundamentals of supply chain management as well as an ability to collaborate with partners. Nothing happens in supply chain without collaboration.”