Waitrose buyer Tom Richardson has won the MorePeople sponsored Young Person of the Year accolade at this year’s Re:fresh awards, which took place at the London Marriott on Thursday.
Richardson has worked for Waitrose for six years and has become a specialist in the citrus and top-fruit categories. Richardson’s management of the citrus account has seen him grow market share throughout his tenure. He oversaw a 7.2 per cent growth in sales in citrus last year, defending his market share, raising it to 6.5 per cent of the market.
His performance in top fruit has been similarly impressive. He has overseen consistent growth in the category in the three years he has been top-fruit buyer, and has masterminded a growth of 29.6 per cent in that time.
Richardson got his first taste of farming growing up on his family’s 350-acre farm in East Yorkshire. He studied at Harper Adams University College and earned a BSc in agri-food production with management, during which time he completed a placement year working for Berry Gardens, then called Kentish Garden Marketing.
After leaving university, he gained more experience at various farms before moving to Waitrose. Richardson’s hands-on approach to visiting farms globally has ensured he is fully informed on the best apples and pears from around the world. He said: “I’ve always wanted to work in some part of the food industry, and was attracted to Waitrose due to its position in the market and its reputation for quality.”
The judges’ comments were as follows: “Thomas Richardson is an exceptional candidate who clearly understands the complexities of the supply chain, and his contribution to the success of the category and his suppliers has been outstanding.”
SCSMB Produce Ltd’s Giorgio Lercara was a runner up for this award.
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