Barcode Festival, the industry summer party by GroceryAid, returned this year, raising more than £750,000 for charity. The sell-out event sold over 3,800 tickets, with 75 sponsors supporting the event.
Chief executive officer of GroceryAid, Steve Barnes, commented: “After the last 18 months, it was wonderful to bring the trade together with smiles on their faces at a unique industry event. Barcode Festival is something we are really proud to deliver for the industry. We anticipate it will sell out extremely quickly for 2022.
“Not surprisingly, the demand for GroceryAid’s services has increased threefold since the pandemic began, which indicates our support is needed more than ever. The money raised by Barcode will help more colleagues in need.”
Read more: GroceryAid extends support to foodservice wholesalers
The festival featured entertainment such as headline acts Rudimental with Ella Eyre, a Demo Kitchen Stage starring celebrity chefs such as Ainsley Harriot and a variety stage showcasing British drag queen The Vivienne.
Commercial director at Campari UK, Matt Glenn, said: “Fantastic to see Barcode go from strength to strength and raise even more awareness of GroceryAid and the vital role it plays in supporting the industry and its colleagues.
“It was great to have so many of our team together, letting their hair down and having fun after such a challenging year; we can’t wait for next year”.
Head of sustainability at Tenzing, Emily Gander, added “Barcode Festival was an epic way to get back into events after a tough 18 months for the Grocery world. We were able to showcase our lockdown innovations, network with fellow brands and lock in overdue face-time with industry contacts. We can’t wait to come back next year!“
