Fresho has acquired Nation Wilcox, a leading ERP provider with more than 48 years of history serving food wholesalers across the UK. The combination creates a footprint of 400+ customers and over £2 billion in annual GMV, establishing Fresho as the market-leading technology platform for the UK food service sector.
Fresho, the global order management platform for fresh food wholesalers, has acquired Nation Wilcox, a leading provider of ERP software to food suppliers across the UK. Fresho’s platform brings together ordering, picking, invoicing and payments into a single system, using AI to automate order capture and reduce manual administration for wholesalers and food service caterers across its markets. The acquisition establishes Fresho as the market-leading technology platform for food wholesalers in the UK, with a combined customer base of more than 400 businesses and over £2 billion in annual gross merchandise value (GMV).
Founded in Birmingham in 1978 by Neil Nation, Nation Wilcox has built a 48-year track record serving primary and secondary wholesalers as well as cash and carry businesses across the UK through its ERP platform, ISSAC (Integrated Sales & Stock Accounting). The business has developed deep expertise across order management, stock control, logistics and accounting and more recently online ordering, AI and mobile apps. Particularly well established among large-scale suppliers, Nation Wilcox has built a loyal and long-standing customer base.
The acquisition is a significant part of Fresho’s broader plan to accelerate the development of its AI capabilities and drive continued product innovation across its markets. Fresho’s goal is to modernise an industry that has historically been underserved by technology, bringing much-needed consolidation to a fragmented market.
Nation Wilcox’s established presence among large primary wholesalers extends Fresho’s reach beyond its existing base of food service distributors, while the combined business now reaches customers across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2015 by Huw Birrell and James Andronis, Fresho has grown to support distributors across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and the United States. Since launching in the UK in 2020, the business has grown rapidly to support more than 250 customers in the market. The acquisition is a significant part of Fresho’s broader plan to accelerate the development of its AI capabilities and drive continued product innovation across its markets.
The acquisition agreement was signed at the Australian High Commission in London, with the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) supporting the milestone moment for an Australian-founded technology business that has built a leading position in the UK market.
Nation Wilcox will continue to operate as a standalone entity under its existing brand, with no changes to customer contracts, support arrangements or day-to-day operations. As part of this acquisition, Andrew Nation, who has led the business since 2004, will join Fresho’s board as a significant shareholder and play a key role in shaping the company’s next phase of growth.
Andrew Nation, Managing Director of Nation Wilcox, said: “Nation Wilcox has been at the heart of UK food wholesale for more than four decades, and finding the right partner for the next chapter of the business was a carefully considered decision. Fresho’s ambitions are the right fit for Nation Wilcox, and together the companies will be able to grow beyond the UK and become the premier supplier of IT systems to the food service industry worldwide. For our customers, this means access to the combined expertise of both organisations, with the continuity of the team they already know and trust.”
Jamie Foale, General Manager UK & Ireland at Fresho, said: “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the Nation Wilcox team as they join the Fresho group. Acquiring this prestigious company establishes us as the leading technology platform for food service in the UK, and combining their decades of experience with our own will help us better serve the market. We look forward to working with Andrew to continue the success of Nation Wilcox and ensure that their customers feel as supported and confident in the continued investment in the software as ever.”
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