Food wholesale software provider Fresho has acquired Birmingham-based ERP specialist Nation Wilcox in a deal that creates what the company claims is the UK's largest technology platform serving food wholesalers.
The acquisition brings together two established suppliers of software to the foodservice and wholesale sectors, creating a combined customer base of more than 400 businesses and processing over £2 billion in annual gross merchandise value (GMV) across the UK.
Founded in Australia in 2015, Fresho provides an order management platform that combines ordering, picking, invoicing and payments, using artificial intelligence to automate order capture and reduce administration for wholesalers and foodservice operators. The company entered the UK market in 2020 and has since grown to support more than 250 customers.
Nation Wilcox, founded in Birmingham in 1978, has spent nearly five decades supplying ERP software to primary and secondary wholesalers and cash-and-carry operators through its ISSAC (Integrated Sales & Stock Accounting) platform. The business has developed expertise across stock control, logistics, accounting, online ordering and AI-powered tools, particularly among larger wholesale operators.
Fresho said the acquisition would strengthen its position in the UK market by expanding its reach beyond foodservice distributors into the primary wholesale sector, while accelerating the development of new AI capabilities and product innovation.
Jamie Foale, general manager for UK and Ireland at Fresho, said: "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."
The combined business will serve customers across the UK and Ireland, although Nation Wilcox will continue to operate as a standalone company under its existing brand. Fresho said there would be no changes to customer contracts, support arrangements or day-to-day operations.
As part of the deal, Nation Wilcox managing director Andrew Nation will join Fresho's board as a significant shareholder.
Nation said the partnership would provide opportunities to expand internationally while maintaining continuity for existing customers.
"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," he said.
"Together the companies will be able to grow beyond the UK and become the premier supplier of IT systems to the foodservice industry worldwide."
The acquisition forms part of Fresho's strategy to modernise the wholesale food sector through increased use of automation and AI, while bringing greater consolidation to what it describes as a fragmented technology market.
The agreement was signed at the Australian High Commission in London, with support from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), highlighting the growing commercial links between Australia and the UK following the implementation of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.