WholeStory - An FWD Podcast

Parliament is back and politics is heating up. In the latest episode of WholeStory, FWD CEO James Bielby is joined by Josh Aulak, Associate Partner at DGA, to explore the issues shaping the autumn political agenda. From Labour’s bid to regain momentum after Reform’s strong summer, to the looming autumn budget and further business rate rises that could impact wholesalers, the episode unpacks what m...

Digitise or Drift – Why Tech is No Longer Optional In our latest WholeStory episode, we’re joined by Dan Khachab, Co-founder and CEO of Choco, and Andrew Lynas, Managing Director of Lynas Foodservice, to talk about digital transformation in foodservice, and why the time to act is now. They reflect on their powerful FWD Live session, diving into real-world results, the AI revolution, and how embrac...

With the UK’s disposable vape ban coming into effect on 1 June, we’re joined by Steve McGeough, Managing Director of übbs Pouches, and Benedict Jones, Marketing Manager, to dive into what this major shift means for wholesalers, retailers, and adult consumers. Steve and Benedict share their personal journeys of quitting, and how the upcoming ban represents both a challenge and an opportunity for th...

In this episode of WholeStory, we shine a spotlight on the power of long-term partnerships with two standout guests: Chris Sanders, Sales and Marketing Director at Radnor Hills, and Tom Mathew, Commercial Director at Dunsters Farm. Dunsters Farm is a third-generation family-run business that started as a simple milk round. Now a trusted name in foodservice, especially within the education sector,...

Mark Gilham, VP for Rebate Strategy at Enable, and Clare Greensmith, Head of Finance and Data at Caterforce, join FWD's James Bielby in our all-new episode of WholeStory. Working towards one common goal, Caterforce utilises Enable's rebate management system to great effect. Clare reveals how Enable lets them stop data gathering and start looking at the analytics, providing one source of truth for...

FWD Service Provider member Orderlion and The Wholesale Group's SJB Foods join us to chat AI and efficiencies to counter the rising cost of business in our latest episode. Has our attitude to AI changed? Orderlion admits to being cautious when it first became apparent that AI is taking centre stage and going nowhere. They've adapted to make AI part of product line and now support businesses like S...

Trade between GB and NI has seen plenty of challenges since Brexit, and on our latest podcast, Michelle Charrington, from the Food Business Development Team at Invest NI, and Mark Stewart-Maunder, Commercial & Development Director at Henderson Foodservice, join James Bielby to discuss the topic in more detail. As one of the top three employers in NI, Henderson's moves 90% of products through t...

In our all new podcast episode, FWD members Mike Morgan, MD, Savona Foodservice and Ronen Givon, CEO and founder of Rekki, discuss the recent Budget and its implications for the wholesale sector. Ronen has a background in Computer Science and ran a restaurant chain, and founded Rekki in 2016 to help wholesale distributors and restaurants do more business together. Their USP is an authentic interes...

Following October's Diversity in Wholesale Conference, panel participants Adam Turner (Heineken) and Stacey Gooch (Booker) join Amanda Nutt (Corin & Co) and Lyndsey Cambridge (FWD) to further discuss Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace.  What do we mean by human sustainability, and how is it a route to commercial success? As society changes, organisations need to adapt. Booker, He...

As nominations open for the FWD Gold Medal Awards 2024,  Lyndsey Cambridge catches up with past Gold Medal winners Amanda Casey (Wholesale Star) from JW Filshill and Holly Pennington (Emerging Talent) from Parfetts.  Holly and Amanda talk discuss their roles on wholesale, how they've evolved over time and the. initiatives and new-found confidence following their award wins. 

Working together is the name of the game, as we find out when FWD Service Provider member, Infor, joins wholesale member, Reynolds Foodservice, in the latest episode of WholeStory. Hot off the back of our annual conference, there's plenty of continuity surrounding pressing topics for the sector: AI and sustainability. Infor and Reynolds explore this and more.... Listen now.

Our summer series of podcasts launches with a Diversity in Wholesale special.  Women in Wholesale 2024 mentor, Kate Carroll, from Nisa, and FWD member and Women in Wholesale attendee, Sabia Hussain from Caterlyst, speak to James Bielby about diversity and inclusion in the wholesale sector.  Kate discusses some of the inspirational support networks for employees in place at Nisa and says the sector...

In the new episode of WholeStory, Lana Bhikha from Woods Foodservice and Choco's Frank Kight and Alex Kiely join FWD's James Bielby to discuss Choco AI,  embracing change and saving 11,000 hours! 

Warehouse Management Systems are under the spotlight in the latest episode of WholeStory. Are they doing all they can for us? How have they evolved over time and that does the future hold? Find out as James Bielby, CEO FWD is joined by Mark Nolan, Information Services Business Partner for Hendersons Foodservice and Andy Pratt, Business Transformation Specialist at BCP. 

FWD CEO James is joined by Tom Gittins, CEO of Confex, and Kelly Pye, Client Services Manager at TWC, in the latest episode of WholeStory. The trio discuss price marked packs vs own brand - is there room for both in wholesale? - and the new AI voice recognition software Confex is trialling to enable smaller wholesalers to be open 24/7. 

As millions pledge to go vegan for the month of January, FWD CEO James Bielby speaks to FWD members, Martina Isella, Senior Marketing Manager at Violife Professional, and Zoe Gill, Development Chef at Sysco, to explore the benefits of a plant-based diet and new food products available. We also hear from Toni Vernelli, International Head of Policy and Communications at Veganuary, who talks about th...

FWD CEO James Bielby joins Katherine Morgan and Shauna Dubler of Dentons Global Associates to discuss the political landscape and the effect on the wholesale sector as we head into 2024. James asks the questions: when will we see a General Election? Who will be the next Conservative Party leader? How will the wholesale sector be impacted? Listen now.

In episode 2 of WholeStory, FWD CEO James Bielby speaks to Kirsty Cooper, new Commercial Director at Unitas Wholesale, and Marc Koenen, Solution Engineering Leader at Akeron.  The FWD wholesale and supplier members discuss supply chain efficiencies across the sector and reveal why wholesale is the place to be.

WholeStory is the official podcast of the FWD, representing Food & Drink Wholesale in the UK, with discussion on news and policy affecting the sector. In the first episode of our new series, FWD CEO James Bielby catches up with FWD Chairman and Bestway’s Dawood Pervez, and B2B Store MD Rob Mannion.