After 34 years with Booker, Steve Keil has decided to leave the business at the end of February, bringing to a close one of the longest and most influential careers within the UK wholesale and convenience sector.
During his time at Booker, Keil was widely recognised as a driving force behind the company’s Trade Shows, helping to pioneer the format and build them into the flagship events they are today.
Announcing the Keil's departure, Sheila Gallagher, Chief Commercial Officer at Booker, said, "Steve has been an integral part of our team, playing a significant role in driving sales growth through his leadership of the Tactical Trading Team.
"He now feels the time is right to pursue opportunities outside Booker, focusing on brand development projects.
"During his time in Booker, Steve was the pioneer of the Trade Shows and part of building them up to what they are today. Alongside that, he worked on the first consumer leaflets that we developed for our retail customers, setting strong foundations that we have continued to build on and develop further.
"His stewardship of our tactical plan, driving innovation and support for new suppliers in the Tesco group incubator supplier programme has made a noteworthy difference across the Group.
"I am sure you will all join me in sharing our thanks for all the support that Steve has shown the business over the years, and to wish him the best of luck with his new adventures.
"Steve will be completing a full handover with the team over the coming weeks. We will share our plans for replacing his role in due course."
A much-admired figure in the industry, Keil is a respected leader of British grocery sector and a champion of convenience retailers.
He started out in the industry as a management trainee for one the large supermarkets after leaving school at the age of 18. He showed his retailing prowess early on, working his way up to manage one of the group’s flagship superstores before moving on.
He joined Booker in 1992, starting out as a depot manager. In the six years he managed the depot he quadrupled turnover and burnished his reputation for tactical trading and driving incremental sales.
In 2022, his contribution to the sector was recognised with the prestigious Ram Solanki Lifetime Achievement Award, instituted in memory of Ramniklal Solanki CBE, founder of Asian Media Group.
The award honours individuals who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the independent retail sector.