Booker CEO Charles Wilson

Booker CEO Charles Wilson

Booker has now won this award for seven of the last eight years. And in 2017 it faced its strongest competition ever, with a number of rivals executing impressive turnarounds and undertaking transformational change programmes of their own.

Yet as much as the judges wanted to give rivals credit, such were the achievements of Booker in 2016, they found it “impossible not to give this award to Booker”.

It wasn’t just the impressive turnaround of its Londis and Budgens symbol operations, which helped its new customers to increase sales and profits while reducing costs and wastage, said one judge.

“Every aspect of the business keeps improving year after year.” Availability was the best ever for example. “And it’s constantly trying new things.”

The Premier symbol - the UK’s biggest - goes from strength to strength, with 337 stores added in the past year, supported by successful new initiatives including fresh food and a Premier consumer app.

Booker Direct also trialled same-day delivery, and secured new contracts with Carluccio’s and Prezzo (other new contracts included 30 Motor Fuel Group forecourts and 80 Rontec sites).

Online sales increased by over 10% to £1.1bn, with all business units consolidated onto a common web platform in the past 12 months, while Booker also introduced a new search engine, one of over 70 developments to its improve its websites for retailers, caterers and SMEs.

Its also impossible to ignore its financial performance, with its £5.33bn sales and £174m profits exceeding City expectations in the toughest of markets, and despite the potential distraction of its proposed £3.7bn merger with Tesco (while reducing waste in the past year by 74%).

Two questions remain: will its proposed merger with Tesco go ahead? And will it win again in 2018? You wouldn’t bet against either based on the record of CEO Charles Wilson and his team.