Brakes has continued its spending spree by snapping up regional chilled wholesaler Freshfayre.

It bought the company, which turns over £23m a year, for an undisclosed sum from private equity owner RCapital, which also owns Little Chef.

Freshfayre is the fourth business it has bought in the past two years. It purchased French foodservice provider Rault in March 2008, frozen specialist Woodward Foodservice in August 2008 and O’Kane Food Service in Ireland in November 2008.

Freshfayre will retain its current management, headed by Gary Bell, who founded the Leeds-based company 23 years ago.

Brakes will use its nationwide network of depots to extend Freshfayre’s reach. Freshfayre currently has seven depots across the country, which cover about a third of the UK.

Brakes chief operating officer Ian Goldsmith said Freshfayre, which specialises in chilled and ambient foods such as sandwich fillings, prepared meat and soft drinks, would add a new dimension to the business. “Freshfayre offers van sales to customers so they can top up on the spot without pre-ordering,” he said. “It’s a slightly different model and route to market to our own. It’s a nice addition and it fits into the group as a specialist business. Its existing service to its customers, product range and brand will remain. We can use our infrastructure to help it grow.”

Goldsmith said the three previous acquisitions had all helped Brakes increase its turnover and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) and keep margins steady in the past year.

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