“The future looks bright” says TWG chair
The Wholesale Group concluded its first conference with Chairman Mark Aylwin praising the strong sense of partnership and momentum within the group
Aylwin said, “I have been involved in a number of mergers during my career and it is very impressive how The Wholesale Group has gelled so quickly – trading ahead of the market just nine months since our formation. The bond between our independent family wholesalers and our supplier base is testament to a great head office team who truly understand their customers. The future looks bright as we move towards our goal of becoming a £5 billion turnover group.”
With the theme ‘Innovate, Share, Thrive’, wholesale members and suppliers attended the conference, which took place in Tenerife in October, with more than 645 business development meetings taking place to cement plans for 2025 and 2026.
Since its formation in January, The Wholesale Group is 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,” said Coral Rose, joint managing director – foodservice. “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. We really are the home of independent wholesale.”
During the conference, the group revealed its performance to date, including:
- Increased group performance +6.51%
- 225 active members
- 398 active suppliers
- Increased average spend per member + 14.5%
Joint MDs Tom Gittins, Jess Douglas and Coral Rose also set out its plans to grow to more than £5bn by 2027, revealing it will achieve this by focusing on three key areas. In retail, to continue to collaborate with suppliers to drive spend, expand alcohol offer and launch a limited range high volume, private label offer; in foodservice, to continue to grow spend through brands and own brand, driving existing member spend; and to drive compliance and provide superior data insight for supplier partners and achieve enhanced terms for members to drive growth.
“Our first conference was a huge success,” said Jess Douglas. “From the hundreds of business meetings to the presentations, networking, social events and spectacular gala dinner, every moment reflected the spirit of teamwork, connection and collaboration that truly defines us as The Wholesale Group.”
Delegates also praised the event for its collaborative approach and the results generated from the one-to-one meetings held between members and suppliers. Gavin Simpson, national account manager, Carlsberg Britvic, said: “It was a great opportunity to connect with members and fellow suppliers, uncover new opportunities and strengthen partnerships – all in the spirit of Innovate, Share, Thrive. A well-organised event that truly showcased the best of our industry.”
Nick Hartwell, commercial manager UK & EU, Rowan International agreed: “We found it absolutely fantastic from start to finish. So many good connections, positive meetings, boatloads of opportunities and plenty more learnings about the group and associated benefits.”
The Wholesale Group also announced Dubai as the location for its 2026 conference.
Carlsberg Britvic conference Coral Rose Gavin Simpson Jess Douglas Mark Aylwin Nick Hartwell Rowan International The Wholesale Group Tom Gittins