One of the UK’s most treasured and distinctive buildings, the Albert Hall was chosen due to its rich history and large capacity, replacing Guildhall in the City of London, where The Grocer has hosted its blue riband awards event for the past 13 years.
“The Grocer Gold Awards has outgrown Guildhall,” explained editor in chief Adam Leyland. “For the past several years we have been constrained by its limited capacity of just 528 guests. It’s a beautiful building, which has added immeasurably to the prestige and exclusivity of the Gold Awards, and every year it’s a sellout. But it has also meant disappointing a lot of potential guests, with tickets even for award winners and other finalists extremely limited.
“With this new venue an exciting new chapter opens for the Gold Awards, in which many more guests can celebrate their success. And in a setting equally stunning and historic.”
Opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, the Albert Hall hosts hundreds of events every year, including classical, rock and pop concerts, operas, musicals and ballets, as well as sporting events and banquets. However, opportunities to host awards ceremonies were extremely limited, said Lorraine Hendle, MD of William Reed’s grocery retail and manufacturing division.
“In The Grocer’s 160th year, we want to build and grow the Gold Awards so they are bigger and better than ever,” she added. “And we are honoured to be working with the Royal Albert Hall in hosting one of only a handful of awards ceremonies that take place at this magnificent venue every year.
“We believe the Royal Albert Hall will offer a scale, prestige and history befitting the food and drink industry, and will provide the perfect backdrop for The Grocer’s annual celebration of the food and drink industry’s achievements for years to come.”
The Grocer Gold Awards has been running since 2003, and in its current form features 33 awards, including the Grocer of the Year, store manager of the year, entrepreneur of the year, supplier of the year and brand of the year. The Grocer Cup – awarded to an individual for outstanding lifetime achievement – dates back to 1923.
As befitting a celebration of the industry’s finest accomplishments, the food and drink is also of the highest calibre, with catering by Rhubarb, the premium international hospitality and event planning firm, while the wine is selected from among the gold medal winners at William Reed’s International Wine Challenge.
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