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22nd April 2022

Bidfood announces passing of commercial director Andrew Roberts

Written by: Edward Waddell
Wholesaler Bidfood announced the sad and untimely passing of their colleague and friend Andrew Roberts who passed away of natural causes over the Easter weekend.

Andrew committed nearly 30 years to the UK foodservice industry, having joined Booker Cash & Carry in 1994 where he assumed the role of buying controller before being seconded to Booker Foodservice to head up the buying team.

In 1999 when Booker Foodservice was sold to Bidvest (renamed 3663 First for Foodservice shortly after), Andrew was brought on board to start building from scratch a buying department. Alongside the directorate at the time, Andrew built and developed the commercial arm of the business to become the incredibly successful team it is today and so it wasn’t a surprise that he was promoted to director of buying within just a few years of joining 3663.

He continued to impress over the years, winning several accolades, most notably the Chairman’s award across the entire Bidvest Group in 2009. In 2015 Andrew progressed to the role of commercial director overseeing the buying, campaign and activation, studio and events functions, and in 2018 was appointed to Bidfood’s senior leadership team, where he remained until the present day.

Andrew Selley, chief executive of Bidcorp UK, said: “Fiercely loyal, incredibly kind and immensely supportive are just some of the many ways those who knew and loved Andrew described him. Andrew leaves a lasting legacy through his creation of Bidfood’s incredibly successful customer loyalty programme, Safari, as well as Legends, a sales incentive scheme supporting Bidfood’s key suppliers to drive volume and distribution.

“He was a larger than life character, well-loved and respected across the industry and amongst his peers. He will forever be famous for his compelling presentations and captivating storytelling which made the events he was involved in so enjoyable, inspiring and memorable! Andrew leaves a huge hole in our Bidfood family and we will all miss him dearly. Gone too soon, he will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Andrew.”