Since forming on the first day of 2025, The Wholesale Group has become the UK’s largest delivered buying group, the UK’s largest foodservice buying group and the UK’s second largest retail buying group, representing 14% of the UK wholesale industry.
This year, the group has achieved increased group performance +6.51%, with 225 active members and 398 active suppliers.
The group aims to turn over more than £5bn by 2027 by focusing on three key areas: retail, foodservice and superior terms.
Coral Rose, MD, The Wholesale Group, tells Wholesale Manager how The Wholesale Group is performing and how the industry has changed in recent years.
Can you tell us a little of the history of your career?
I first came into food wholesaling fresh out of university in 1993, having spotted a marketing role for Watson & Philip, a wholesale food business which was relocating from Scotland to Surrey.
During that time, the business grew dramatically with new depot openings before being acquired by Brake Bros. In my role, I was given free rein and never had to ask permission to try something new. Instead, the senior leadership team asked for my ideas and told me to try them. It really was a fantastic space to be in – it was all about food and I loved the people, and it’s always a huge benefit to work in an industry you’re a consumer of.
Then in 2003, I felt that I wanted to work with suppliers and brands to get a better understanding of their challenges, so I made the decision to join RHM Foodservice. In that role, I worked with well-known brands such as McDougalls, Bisto and Sharwoods.
I did this for three years before having my third child, when I then decided to set up my own foodservice consultancy business. I thought that I could juggle having small children and working two or three days a week, but soon I found myself working five days a week with supplier and wholesale clients in the UK and abroad.
One of my clients was the Country Range Group (CRG) and in 2010, they created a job for me which would have meant relocating. As my eldest son was just about to start high school, I recognised that this would be the last time I’d be able to move without disrupting the children’s education so my husband and I took a trip to Lancashire and asked the children if they thought they could live here, they said yes, so I made the decision to join CRG.
In 2013, I became CRG managing director, where I stayed until 2022 when I was ready to explore a new challenge and joined Fairway Foodservice as managing director. At this time, I was well aware that the marketplace was changing, and it was in 2023 that I began to have conversations with Tom Gittins and Jess Douglas at Confex. These conversations continued and gathered pace, and in 2024 we announced that we were forming The Wholesale Group from 1 January 2025.
What have been the pivotal moments of your career so far?
One of my key moments was making the decision to leave full-time employment when I had my third son. It was a significant risk as my husband had been at home with the children, but I knew I wanted to do something on my terms which also meant that I could prioritise being a mum. It was a huge leap of faith, but I saw the opportunity and it felt like the right time – I’m a big believer in fate.
This also led to another key moment, which was leaving where we lived and moving up north, away from the business I’d built and away from our wider family.
Another key moment was the formation of The Wholesale Group as it’s not often you get to create something from scratch. Tom, Jess and I have all got years of experience in the sector, but without any of the negative legacy. We can do things the way we believe is right, not just because things have always been done that way. Instead, we can assess what works well and we focus entirely on what we need to do to be geared up to support our members and be doing something purely to support independent wholesale.
There is so much happening in the marketplace, it’s a really exciting time, and we are all really proud that The Wholesale Group is the home of independent wholesale businesses.
What made you want to get into wholesaling?
When we start out in our careers, we all try on different hats to see what fits best. When I finished university, I was offered a number of jobs, including one at a meatball company but at the time, I was a vegetarian so that had to be a ‘no’. As a marketing graduate, I spotted the opportunity with Watson & Philip and saw that I could develop my marketing skills and experience. When I went for my interview, I immediately liked the team, and the fact that the job was all about food so it was an easy decision to take the job.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced working in wholesale?
Joining a wholesale business as a young woman wasn’t easy. Back then, when I went to an industry event I was often one of just half a dozen women in the room. There was a lot of sexism in the workplace, and at events, this could be exacerbated with speakers who wouldn’t be able to say things now that were regarded as acceptable back then.
There was definitely an old boy’s network in the wholesale sector at the time. Men in the industry were able to network and connect with others, but this wasn’t available for women which did hinder progression. As I progressed in my career, it was still difficult, but I also became more resilient, and this fuelled my determination to succeed.
Another personal challenge came in 2020 when Covid-19 hit the UK and I had just become chairman of FWD. All of a sudden, I found myself on national TV and radio, representing the sector and ensuring wholesalers had their say at a time when our doors had to close. The combination of the pressure and rising panic from the impact of Covid plus this new role was often overwhelming and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Speaking so publicly wasn’t something I relished, but I also knew I had to do it for the sake of what the whole industry needed.
How has the wholesale industry changed in recent years?
There’s no doubt that it has become harder for independent businesses in recent years. There is so much legislation that fails to differentiate between big, national wholesalers or smaller independent wholesale businesses. From the costs of employment and business rates to the need to invest in technology in order to compete, it is harder for independent operators in this market.
What we’re seeing right now is that the biggest businesses are getting bigger but for family-run businesses, things are less easy. Sometimes the next generation doesn’t want to get involved and instead, forge their own path and for independent businesses, it is really important that they have the support of a great buying group, not just for the commercial terms it can offer but also for the resources and network.
How is The Wholesale Group performing?
Since its formation on 1 January 2025, The Wholesale Group is already established as the UK’s largest delivered buying group, the UK’s largest foodservice buying group and the UK’s second largest retail buying group, representing 14% of the UK wholesale industry.
In our first year, we are delighted to be growing ahead of the market in what is undoubtedly a challenging trading environment. During 2025, The Wholesale Group has achieved increased group performance +6.51%, with 225 active members and 398 active suppliers. Our average spend per member has also increased during this time, to +14.5%.
Our members include 124 second-generation wholesale businesses and 31% of our members have been trading for more than 50 years, which shows that they have the expertise, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to thrive in this ever-evolving landscape, delivering every product to every postcode across the UK.
How is The Wholesale Group supporting its members to evolve?
First and foremost, we support our members with commercial terms which, for a buying group, is an essential. With 400 active suppliers offering commercial terms, we know that our members have the right products at a price that’s competitive. We also have intermember trading, which means our members aren’t restricted by minimum order quantities and can access all products at all times.
We also provide them with all the added value support needed to succeed in the marketplace, such as a quality own brand, the use of tech and AI insight, full sales and marketing support and the industry expertise to identify gaps and growth opportunities.
What are your goals for what you want to achieve with The Wholesale Group?
Our plan is that we want to turn over more than £5bn by 2027 by focusing on three key areas: retail, foodservice and superior terms.
However, success isn’t just measured in commercial terms. We want to create a sense of community which connects independent wholesalers to a whole network of like-minded business owners. Running a business can be isolating, but The Wholesale Group provides members with access to a community facing similar challenges and offering solutions. This is something we will continue to build and strengthen in order to make people feel safe in asking questions such as how they’re tackling minimum drops, what software they are using, or how they have tackled a particular issue.
The more our members collaborate, the more it fuels a desire to work together and it is this incredible collaborative, supportive mindset that makes The Wholesale Group so special.
What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead in this role?
I’m really excited about the continued rebrand of our CHEF Approved own brand products next year, as well as the launch of more new products into the marketplace. This will be supported by our team taking Mabel, our branded Volkswagen ID Buzz, out on the road to take our products to members and let them experience the taste and quality for themselves.
Over the coming months, we’ll also benefit further from using Jake, our AI insight tool, which will enable us, our members and suppliers, to utilise group-wide data to make business decisions, but all overlaid with the huge experience of Tom, Jess, me and the wider team. It is a really exciting time for the Group.
What are your thoughts on the future of wholesale?
I always say that wholesale is the biggest industry that most people have never heard of, so what is essential is that it attracts great talent, and it’s not somewhere where people cut their teeth at the start of their career before moving onto the bright lights of retail. I want everyone to recognise how entrepreneurial wholesale is, and how far you can go in your career.
As an industry, we have great representation from FWD which has ensured wholesale has a seat at the table with government, particularly at a time when legislation needs to recognise the difference between wholesalers and huge retail distributors. Independent wholesalers cannot be penalised – the role these businesses play is so critical, supporting a diverse range of local businesses, from retailers to cafes, restaurants, cafes and kitchens.
Small local businesses rely on their local wholesaler because they provide what they need in a way that national wholesalers can’t, with next-day and regular deliveries, regional products and exceptional customer service.
As for the future, well, wholesale has continuously proved itself to be flexible, agile and able to adapt very quickly. Just look at the wholesale victories during the Covid-19 pandemic, how so many independent family-run businesses could seize opportunities that many of the supermarkets couldn’t. As an industry, we’re very entrepreneurial which means it can always adapt to the environment it finds itself in.
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