GroceryAid Ball raises £700,000 to support grocery workers

This year’s GroceryAid Ball has helped raise £717,267 for the food and drink industry.

Attended by more than 1,000 guests, the black tie event took place at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on 6 March. Guests were treated to a live performance from Rag’N’Bone Man and a DJ set from Rickie and Melvin.

GroceryAid CEO Kieran Hemsworth thanked everyone who contributed, as he said the amount raised was a ”brilliant contribution that will enable us to help as many grocery workers as possible in their time of need”.

Hemsworth explained the importance of the industry charity, which supports colleagues who have fallen on hard times.

“At GroceryAid we support grocery colleagues and their families through difficult times by providing financial, emotional and practical support, helping them get back on their feet with dignity,” he said.

“We know it’s a challenging time for grocery workers, and we are experiencing an unprecedented level of demand for our services. Last year we had 78,000 incidents of support, which was a 93% growth on the previous year, mainly due to financial pressures driven by cost of living challenges. In order to help more people, we need them to know about us, and GroceryAid Day on Thursday 8 May 2025 is a fantastic opportunity to do this.”

GroceryAid president and Morrisons CEO Rami Baitiéh, added: “GroceryAid plays a vital role for our colleagues in the industry, but the truth is we are only just scratching the surface.

“There are 2.6 million people who work in grocery in the UK, and 10% are very likely to need GroceryAid services at some point in the year. Only 2% are aware of GroceryAid and the welfare offer so there is still much more to do.

“We have strong foundations to build on, and have been able to spend £6.5m on welfare in the last year, helping our industry colleagues as they go through difficult times. This is all possible in part because of the success of events such as the GroceryAid Ball, where as an industry we raised £717, 267 to support the growing needs of our colleagues.”