Employee-owned wholesaler Parfetts is leading the industry, according to the latest Lumina Symbol Wholesale Index 2025.
The annual benchmarking study, conducted between May and July 2025, highlights Parfetts’ Go Local fascia as a standout performer across multiple categories and supports its reputation as one of the UK’s most successful and trusted wholesalers.
Parfetts earned the highest customer satisfaction rating among retailers, measured by Net Promoter Score, the industry standard for gauging satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
The company also achieved top marks for business support, communication, customer service, product quality, range and availability, pricing and promotions, and overall shopping experience, outperforming many national competitors.
Guy Swindell, joint managing director of Parfetts, said, “Being recognised by retailers themselves in the Lumina study is hugely rewarding. It reflects the dedication of our teams and the strength of the partnerships we’ve built with customers.
"Employee ownership gives us a unique edge, and it ensures every colleague is invested in the long-term success of our retailers and our business.”
Parfetts’ continued growth is closely tied to its successful employee ownership model. As an employee-owned business, every member of the team is empowered to deliver value at every level, from depot to delivery.
The structure has enabled Parfetts to invest consistently in service improvements, infrastructure, and retailer support, driving a national growth strategy that is seeing expansion across its depot network, delivered service, and the fast-growing Go Local symbol group.
Noel Robinson, joint managing director of Parfetts, added, “We’ve worked hard to significantly grow the Go Local fascia in recent years and continue to evolve our offer in response to the needs of independent retailers.
"With top-tier performance in both service and value, we are well-positioned to build on our national momentum while staying true to our core principles of partnership, support and shared success.”
The Lumina Index results come as Parfetts prepares to launch its ninth UK depot and its first in the South of England.
Based in Southampton, the 113.000 sq ft depot marks the first new cash and carry facility in the region in 25 years and will create over 100 jobs, providing a major boost to the local economy and delivering a fresh level of service and support to independent retailers across the South Coast and Greater London.
Parfetts was established as a family business in 1980, a majority was sold to an Employee Trust Board in 2008, and the company became fully employee-owned in October 2018.
A desire to build a sustainable company based on sound governance and engaged employees was at the heart of the decision to move to employee ownership.