Nigerian Breweries has reaffirmed the centrality of its distribution and logistics ecosystem to its commercial strategy, celebrating top-performing trade partners at its 2025 Distributor Awards held recently at Eko Hotel and Suites.
The event, themed “Unlocking Growth Together – aligned, focused and faster”, convened distributors, transport operators, senior executives and other stakeholders to recognise contributions to the brewer’s 2025 business performance, at a time when Nigeria’s consumer goods sector continues to face macroeconomic headwinds and shifting consumption patterns.
Nigerian Breweries Plc, widely regarded as the country’s largest brewing company and a subsidiary of Heineken N.V., used the platform to underline the importance of execution excellence across its route-to-market architecture. Awards were presented across key performance indicators including revenue growth, market execution, distribution efficiency and overall operational excellence.
MacDen Communications Limited clinched the National Revenue Champion award, emerging as the highest-performing distributor in the country for the year under review. Ensik Global Ventures and Anaebo Global Services Limited were named first and second runners-up respectively in the revenue category, reflecting strong competitive intensity within the company’s distributor network.
In the logistics segment, Cobil Logistique was recognised as Best Transporter, while AOP Logistics Ltd secured the first runner-up position. A.G. Leventis (Nigeria) PLC was named second runner-up in the transporters’ category. Several other partners were honoured across additional operational and commercial categories, underscoring the breadth of performance benchmarks embedded within the brewer’s supply chain framework.
Delivering the keynote address, Thibaut Boidin, the managing director of Nigerian Breweries, said the awards reflect the company’s conviction that sustainable growth is anchored on strong, mutually beneficial partnerships along the value chain.
According to him, the brewer’s 2025 performance was underpinned not only by brand strength and product innovation, but by the discipline and resilience of distributors and transporters who ensured nationwide product availability despite economic pressures.
“As one team and one family, we recognise that growth is never achieved in isolation. It is unlocked through trust, collaboration and a shared commitment to excellence. Tonight, we celebrate the distributors and transportation partners who have navigated challenges with us and delivered exceptional results,” Boidin said.
He added that trade partners remain critical to sustaining market leadership and accelerating innovation across Nigeria’s diverse regional markets, particularly in an operating environment characterised by currency volatility, rising logistics costs and evolving consumer preferences.
In his welcome remarks, Emmanuel Oriakhi, the company’s sales director, commended partners for demonstrating agility amid a dynamic business landscape. He noted that the awards theme reflects the company’s alignment of objectives, operational focus and speed to market.
Despite economic pressures and changing consumption trends, Oriakhi said distributors and transporters ensured strong brand visibility, consistent product availability and disciplined market execution across territories. Their performance, he stressed, enabled the company to capture growth opportunities and reinforce its competitive positioning.
Speaking after receiving the National Revenue Champion award, Dennis Okorie, managing director of MacDen Communications Limited, described the recognition as both validation and motivation.
“This recognition is both a validation of our efforts and a motivation to aim even higher,” Okorie said, pledging to deepen collaboration with the brewer and deliver stronger results in the coming year.
The ceremony culminated in the presentation of rewards to outstanding partners. Prizes included cash awards running into millions of naira, a 12-pallet truck, a Foto pickup van, fuel dispensers, industrial equipment, consumer electronics and solar inverters, in addition to premium products from the brewer’s portfolio.
Beyond the formal proceedings, the evening blended business and entertainment, with the event hosted by comedian FunnyBone and featuring musical performances by 2Face Idibia and Flavour.
