Large spotlight superimposed with the word 'shine'

Past Winners

2011 award winners

Reliability, value, consistency, innovation and the willingness to be pro-active and go the extra mile. Such are the qualities of an outstanding supplier, and each of the winners of the third annual Beacon Supplier Awards proved they have what it takes to make them shine.

The winners, announced on 22nd January at a special Awards Dinner held during the Best Western Annual Conference at the Don Carlos Resort & Spa in Marbella, walked away with a crystal trophy and the knowledge that they had impressed both their end-users and judges.

The Outstanding Customer Service Award went to coffee supplier Brodies, whose customers described their commitment to service as 'way above the norm'. The Exceptional Member of Staff Award was given to Brenda Spalding of meat suppliers Vion Halls, nominated by her company for her 'fantastic contact with customers', comments which the judges noted were delivered with particular warmth. Previous winners Jean Lockey of Gilchrist & Soames and Ian Hannah of Brodies were highlighted for their consistent year on year performance.

Most Reliable Supplier Liddell was chosen for the consistency of its excellent service in the vital area of housekeeping. According to judge John Firrell, Director of the Considerate Hoteliers Association, "From my experience in the hotel world, this is no easy achievement because if anything ever goes wrong in this area, it's usually so difficult to rectify".

The Best Product category was won by linen and bespoke soft furnishing supplier Mitre Hall and Letts, who according to judge Simon Numphud, Hotel Services Manager of AA Hotel Services, 'stood out for their value for money and wide product range which had obviously made a big impression with customers.' The Green Tourism Award was handed to wine suppliers Bibendum, who were seen by the judges as setting the standards for others to follow with their innovative approach, which includes championing the use of lightweight bottles among producers in source countries, and the reduction of brown boxes.

The Beacon Award, in recognition of the supplier who has fully engaged and supported Beacon, went to Unilever, who, according to Beacon Director Chris Durant, stood out for thinking outside the box and even looking beyond supply to helping customers with menu planning. 'They invest a lot of time, and the customer is enjoying the benefits.' The judges also noted the high quality of the entry submitted by national drinks distributor Matthew Clark winners of the award in 2009. In this year's entry, they had emphasised their support for Beacon On-Line, Beacon’s online procurement system.

This year, the Beacon Supplier Awards were sponsored by Beacon’s central billing partner, Avance, part of the Parseq group.

Winners will be mentioned in the 2011 Beacon Directory and have use of the Beacon winner logo in their company materials.

Below is the full list of 2011 Beacon Supplier Award winners, as well as the highly commended suppliers:

2010 award winners.

Suppliers large and small, local and national, were the proud winners of the second annual Beacon Supplier Awards, announced at a special awards dinner on 8th February at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. The awards were designed to recognise excellence among the suppliers of beacon, the largest purchasing consortium for the independent hospitality industry, in the areas valued most by their customers.

The event was the culmination of a highly competitive process attracting hundreds of votes for suppliers from customers eager to recognise the companies they felt distinguished themselves in the key areas of Outstanding Customer Service, Most Reliable Supplier, and Exceptional Staff Member. A new award, the Award for Best Product, was included to recognise what customers used most, or found most useful and innovative.

A judging panel composed of leading hospitality industry and media figures, including Chef Brian Turner CBE, chose the winners for the Green Award, endorsed by Green Business UK, and the 2010 Beacon Award for the company most engaged and supportive of Beacon’s philosophy and brand.

Alliance, suppliers of catering equipment and non-food products, won the Most Reliable Supplier award for the second year running, with Gilchrist and Soames, purveyors of luxury toiletries, winning the highly commended prize.

Brodies, the specialist suppliers of coffee and coffee equipment, took home the prize for Outstanding Customer Service - also for the second year running -- and the company's Ian Hannah walked away with the Exceptional Staff Member Award, having been praised by customers for always going the extra mile, and a fantastic manner. It was a close contest, and the judges decided to award the highly commended prize for customer service to HHL Linen, with the company's Elaine Owen highly commended for her courtesy and product knowledge.

The Best Product Award was split between regional butchers Browns for the overall quality of their meat, and food giant Unilever, which was recognised for its Knorr puree herbs.

The Green Tourism Award went to fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers, Fresh Direct Local, with Office Depot and Cadbury sharing the highly commended prize.

The Beacon Award was scooped by national drinks distributor Matthew Clark, with independent wine merchants Bibendum and Fresh Direct highly recommended.

Commenting on the awards, Chris Durant, Director of Beacon, said, 'We are ecstatic about the quantity and quality of the award entries to our second Beacon Supplier Awards, which are clearly growing in prestige. Matthew Clark, our Beacon Award winner, has been an exceptional partner, and fantastic to collaborate with, and the services they have been providing to our customers are just growing better and bigger with time. The fact that both Alliance and Brodies scooped the same awards they did last year says something about the commitment to consistently high quality and standards among beacon suppliers. They deserve to win!'

Robert Barnard, Head of Hotel Consultancy Services at PKF, and one of the judges of the awards said, 'When judging, we were keen to pick those who showed consistency in their product and service delivery, regardless of their size or reach. I think we've chosen some exceptional companies.'

Karen Williams, Proprietor of award-winning restaurant The Mulberry Tree in Kent, another judge, said, 'I am astounded by the rich pickings we had among the entries. And the care that some suppliers gave to their entries shows that they were really quite determined to show how they’ve made a difference!'

Jon Proctor, Technical Director of Green Business UK, and another judge, commenting on the Green Tourism Award, said, 'Fresh Direct is certainly moving the customer along in terms of awareness of what they can eat and other behaviours that can help heal the environment.'

Winners will be mentioned in the 2010 Beacon Directory and have use of the Beacon winner logo in their company materials.

Below is the full list of 2010 Beacon Supplier Awards winners, as well as highly recommended suppliers:

2009 award winners.

Suppliers of coffee, catering equipment, luxury toiletries, beef and beer were among the proud winners of the first annual Beacon Supplier Awards, announced at a glittering awards dinner on 26th January at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.

The event, timed to coincide with the 2009 Best Western Members Conference, was the culmination of a highly competitive process attracting hundreds of votes for over thirty beacon suppliers from customers eager to recognise the companies they felt distinguished themselves in the key areas of Outstanding Customer Service, Most Reliable Supplier, and Exceptional Staff Member. A judging panel composed of a Beacon representative and leading industry and media figures chose the winners for the Green Award, endorsed by Green Business UK, and the 2009 Beacon Award for the company most engaged and supportive of Beacon's philosophy and brand.

Alliance, suppliers of catering equipment and non-food products, won the Most Reliable Supplier award, with Brodies, specialist suppliers of coffee and coffee equipment, taking home the prize for Outstanding Customer Service. Jean Lockey of fine toiletries supplier Gilchrist and Soames, who received generous praise from customers for her exceptional professionalism and care, walked away with the accolade for Exceptional Staff Member. The Green Tourism Award went to Brakes, and the Beacon Award was shared by brewer Scottish & Newcastle and Campbell Brothers, the Midlothian-based butchers.

Such was the quality of the entries in some categories that the judges were moved to award Highly Recommended citations. Linen suppliers Hilden, hotel amenities and equipment supplier Aslotel, textile and laundry services supplier Sunlight and suppliers of coffee Matthew Algie all scooped highly recommended honours.

Commenting on the tie for the Beacon Award, Chris Durant, Director of Beacon, said, "It was an extremely tough call. In the end, we decided that both Scottish & Newcastle and Campbell Brothers deserved to win as they shared the same deep commitment to delivering the products and values we prize at Beacon, helping us to produce very happy customers indeed!"

Simon Numphud, Hotel Services Manager at AA Hotel Services and a judge of the awards, said, "I'm impressed by the number of customer votes received and the quality of their comments. Time and again, the feedback showed that the winners had been consistent in their quality and service standards."

Lorraine Wood, Arena Director, commenting on Jean Lockey's award for Exceptional Staff Member, said, "The compliments Jean received were extremely generous. She sounds like somebody you'd like to have in your company. She must have touched lives to get that depth of commitment!"

Winners will be mentioned in the 2009 Beacon Directory and have use of the Beacon winner logo in their company materials.

The full list of 2009 beacon supplier awards winners, as well as highly recommended suppliers were:

Beacon, Consort House, Amy Johnson Way, Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4GP
T: 01904 695 588 | F: 01904 695 406 | E: info@beaconsupplierawards.co.uk