LION has been named both the 2026 Supplier of the Year and Category Management Award winner at the Australian Drinks Awards, repeating its double win from 2025. It's the second year running LION has held both titles at once and is a strong signal of where the business sits in the eyes of its retail and wholesale trading partners.
Both awards are determined by the Advantage Engagement Program, an annual survey run by the Drinks Association's Platinum Partner, Advantage Australia, gathering feedback from retailers and wholesalers across the drinks trade.
The trade sees LION as a partner, not just a supplier
Supplier of the Year recognises excellence across the key business disciplines that make up best practice in liquor, calculated from the highest score in the Advantage Engagement Program.
Retailers consistently pointed to LION's strategic collaboration paired with strong day-to-day execution. They show proactive communication, close alignment with customer objectives through joint business planning and a willingness to adapt quickly to changing needs while staying solutions focused. Above all, LION inspired trust, with many trading partners describing it as a genuine growth partner rather than a transactional one.
One retailer's feedback captured it simply: "LION behaves like a partner rather than a supplier."
Steve Andrews, Advantage Group Managing Director – ANZ, said:
“The Supplier of the Year Award, proudly sponsored by Advantage Group, honours the suppliers who do it all: strategic collaboration, execution excellence, and the agility to stay a step ahead. It’s recognition for leading suppliers who don’t just meet expectations but proactively bring value to their trading engagements beyond their partners' expectations."
Innovation converted into real category growth
Category Management recognises the discipline that sits at the heart of the retailer–supplier relationship: customising initiatives to help retailers differentiate, optimising range and assortment, driving category growth and providing objective insight for category development.
LION stood out for combining category-led thinking with effective execution, showing strong consumer insight, proactive planning and a willingness to co-create solutions with retailers for mutual growth.
Innovation was the clear differentiator this year. LION has spent recent years building a genuine category approach, but 2026 marked a step up: good initiatives converted into measurable category growth, backed by well-supported activation and marketing plans. LION also integrated retail media, e-commerce, promotional activation and brand investment into a single, cohesive strategy that drove customer engagement, store traffic and commercial outcomes.
In presenting the Category Management Award on behalf of sponsor Shopper Intelligence, Managing Director ANZ Simon Ford said:
“Strong category management comes down to a cohesive strategy built around brand, retailer and shopper needs. This award celebrates the supplier who turns category-led thinking and innovation into growth that benefits everyone.”
An impressive night of wins for LION
The Supplier of the Year and Category Management awards were two of five award wins for LION on the night. The business also took home Best Wellbeing Initiative, Best Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative, and Best New Product Innovation in the Beer category for Stone & Wood Radler.
LION's Executive General Manager - Sales and Customer, Kerry Appathurai, said in her acceptance speech: “We talk about being a force for good and a force for growth and that's how we want to show up for consumers, for our customers, for the industry. And I think as a team we really focus on trying to set a new standard. We did that last year and this year the team raised the bar.”
“We’re trying to make LION a better partner with everything we do,” added Melinda Wienand, Director of Category, RGM and Demand when accepting the Category Management Award. “We spend every day thinking about how we can make the liquor store and the On-Premise environment better for consumers and shoppers and our customers. Thank you for the recognition, it's really great to step back and see the huge amount of progress we’ve made.”
There was a total of 16 awards handed out at the 14th Annual Australian Drinks Awards, hosted by Edwina Bartholomew. The awards recognise achievement and excellence in the drinks industry, including awards for Supplier of the Year, Most Improved Supplier of the Year, Category Management and Supply Chain Management.
The Drinks Association congratulates its Category One Member, LION, on winning the 2026 Supplier of the Year and Category Management Awards.
Advantage Group and Shopper Intelligence are Platinum Partners of the Drinks Association.
The Drinks Association would like to thank its generous sponsors for this year's event.
