The newly formed Wholesale Group (TWG) launched by welcoming six new members last week.
Created out of Confex and Fairway Foodservice merging, TWG has 255 members and is the largest foodservice buying group and second-largest retail buying group in the UK.
The new members to join the group are HRH International in Lancashire; Clegg’s Chilled Foodservice in Preston; Warley Stores in the West Midlands; Peterborough-based Eagle Foods; Café Deli Wholesale in Surrey; and Tindale Distribuciones, based in Alicante, Spain.
All members were previously unaffiliated with other buying groups apart from Tindale Distribuciones, which is a former Fairway Foodservice member.
“We are delighted to welcome so many new members to the group so soon into the new year,” said joint MD Jess Douglas.
“As a group, we provide a strong, supportive, collaborative platform for growth which secures our members’ future. Our offer is tailored to meet the needs of family businesses and we provide the best of both retail and foodservice expertise and efficiency. And, at a time when every business is faced with rising costs, our members pay no membership fees and all members receive a share of the profits – it’s an incredibly compelling offer.”
The group has seen interest from unaffiliated wholesalers as well as members of other buying groups, TWG MD Tom Gittins told The Grocer last month.
“I think many see the benefits of switching sides right now. We’ve had a lot of interest from new members, and we’re open to new members that have the same ethos and way of working as our existing ones,” said Gittins.
“The move has definitely provoked and shaken up the industry, and I think it will provoke others to stand up and want to be involved in what we’re doing.”
Gittins is confident The Wholesale Group will reach the £5bn mark “pretty quickly”, and has a chance “in five years’ time to be the biggest group”, amidst further consolidation in the industry.
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