The Wholesale Group brought together 186 supplier partners for its Senior Supplier Briefing this week, providing exclusive updates on the group’s strong performance in its first 12 months, as well as a detailed look at strategic priorities, market developments and growth plans for the year ahead.
The only buying group operating at scale across retail and foodservice markets, The Wholesale Group launched as the home of the independent wholesaler following the merger of Confex and Fairway in January 2025. It supports 225 members, who collectively serve nearly 350,000 customers across the UK.
One year later, it has reported buying power of more than £4.5bn and represents around 14% of the UK wholesale market. By the end of 2026, The Wholesale Group expects to be the largest buying group in UK wholesale.
The Senior Supplier Briefing at Soho Hotel in London marked the company’s first 12 months with a packed agenda over identical morning and afternoon sessions, under the theme ‘United for Growth’. Each session brought together senior individuals for two panel discussions, a series of updates from The Wholesale Group’s leadership team and external insights from Food & Drink Wholesale UK and data specialists TWC.
Jess Douglas, Managing Director, People & Operations, The Wholesale Group, said: “The Senior Supplier Briefing underlined our commitment to transparency, partnership and creating long-term value across both retail and foodservice channels.
“It was a reminder not only of how we have come, but more importantly where we are going next. We have a target to reach £5bn turnover as a group and we’re aiming to get there through smarter use of data and AI, strategic member recruitment, ESG leadership and deeper collaboration with our members and supplier partners.
“Suppliers play a critical role in our collective success, and these briefings allow us to align on priorities, discuss challenges openly and explore how we can continue to grow together in a rapidly evolving wholesale landscape.”
United for Growth
Jess Douglas opened each session by celebrating 2025 wins and setting out plans for 2026, before handing over to Tom Gittins, Managing Director – Retail, for an update on the retail business. Significant growth has been achieved in retail through members’ diversification, with greater engagement as members work with more suppliers.
Coral Rose, Managing Director – Foodservice, then showed what makes the group unique with an update on the foodservice business, which has increased members by 56 per cent and achieved 30 per cent sales growth in the last 12 months.
Working collaboratively with suppliers, The Wholesale Group has ambitions to grow 15% in retail and 10% foodservice in 2026.
Other sessions included:
- A ‘State of the Nation’ panel discussion exploring the current trading environment, bringing together senior voices from wholesale and manufacturing including Coral Rose, Ruth Fawcett (CCEP), Andrew Kirby (Holland Bazaar), Keith Parmer (Millennium/CD) and Sarah Guest (Rowan International)
- A presentation from Spencer Marshall, Commercial Manager for Food & Drink Wholesale UK, who delivered an external perspective on the current policy and regulatory landscape
- A marketplace update from Tanya Pepin, Managing Director, TWC, who reminded delegates that the market is tough but there are growth opportunities for those in the right place with the right offer
- A further panel discussion on ‘The Future of Wholesale’, exploring the use of AI and data to boost productivity, with Tom Gittens, Illan Hepworth (ShopAI), Ryan Torrible (North West Tea), Toby Kramer (La Collette) and Joe Withers (Lutosa)
For more information, visit thewholesalegroup.co.uk.
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