Welcome to the February issue of Wholesale Manager. Bidcorp has started the New Year with a bang, acquiring not one but two foodservice operators. First, Bidcorp announced the acquisition of Harvest Fine Foods, an independently run foodservice supplier to more than 1,000 catering establishments across the South of England. Then Bidcorp further strengthened its portfolio of brands with the acquisition of Thomas Ridley Foodservice, an independently run foodservice supplier which services customers across a variety of sectors including healthcare, education, hospitality, hotels, restaurants and retail.
Bestway Group has announced it has agreed to acquire a total of 80,792,512 shares in Sainsbury’s, representing 3.45% of Sainsbury’s issued share capital. A statement said Bestway Group intends to hold its shares in Sainsbury’s for investment purposes and looks forward to supporting the executive management team. Bestway Group may look to make further market purchases of Sainsbury’s shares from time to time, subject to availability and price.
The UK’s largest food redistribution charity FareShare has commended the efforts of Florette in tackling food waste, acknowledging the brand as one of its Leading Food Partners of the last year. The Leading Food Partner Logo scheme celebrates businesses who, through their work with FareShare, demonstrate a commitment to tackling food waste whilst providing nutritious, healthy foods to families at risk of hunger. The support provided by companies such as Florette is vital to FareShare, with the impact of the cost-of-living crisis being felt across its network of almost 9,500 charities and community groups, that support vulnerable people across the UK.
Parfetts has announced the launch of its Birmingham depot, a brand new, state-of- the-art cash & carry, opening in the first quarter of 2023. The 100,000 sq ft depot will offer the value, margin and high levels of service that Parfetts is famous for, bringing the company’s cash & carry and free delivered service to the West Midlands and beyond. On our Who’s Who in Wholesaling page, Guy Swindell, Managing Director of Parfetts, talks to Wholesale Manager about the new depot and his other plans to grow the business.
The community of Heald Green is benefiting from a new convenience store after the opening of a SPAR in Wilmslow Road. Located in a building that formerly housed a guitar shop, the SPAR convenience store has added a new string to store owner Dr Hamid Hashemi’s business portfolio. Hamid is taking his first steps into convenience retail with the launch of the SPAR store, in association with James Hall & Co. Ltd, and is keen to support residents in Heald Green as well as nearby Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme.
Enjoy reading the issue.
George Simpson
Group Editor
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