Derby-based wholesaler SOS Wholesale, one of the UK’s largest discount delivered wholesalers, has entered into administration.
SOS Wholesale operated from a 70,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution centre in Derby, with a sales office in Barnsley. Founded in 1996, it supplied a range of 4,500 lines to customers in the UK, and also exported worldwide.
In the year to October 31 2024, the company reported turnover of £42.7 million, down from £49.5 million a year earlier, but post-tax profits increased from £7.9 million to approximately £8.7 million.
However, the company had been impacted by rising input costs and changing consumer spending habits over recent months, putting its cashflow and profitability under pressure and resulting in the business being unable to meet its financial obligations as they fell due.
In the face of this situation, the directors took the decision to place the company into administration, with Interpath Advisory’s Rick Harrison and Howard Smith appointed as joint administrators on Sept 8.
Upon their appointment, the majority of the company’s 100 staff have been made redundant, with the senior leadership, sales and telesales teams joining The Soft Drinks Company after SOS Wholesale filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators.
The business has now ceased trading, with a small number of staff retained to assist the joint administrators, who are exploring options including a potential sale process for the company’s business and assets.
SOS Wholesale’s managing director Vipin Patara and members of her senior management team, along with the full sales and telesales teams, have joined The Soft Drinks Company (TSDC), a delivered wholesaler in Sheffield that offers a 2,000-strong range of confectionery, drinks, snacks and groceries.
Patara has been appointed managing director of The Soft Drinks Company, having served as a director since September 2023. Patara has more than 30 years of experience in the UK food and grocery wholesale sector, including over a decade leading SOS Wholesale.
The strengthened team positions The Soft Drinks Company as ‘one of the UK’s most dynamic, debt-free, and well-capitalised wholesalers, with revenues expected to grow to £40 million in the near term’.
According to the wholesaler, customers and suppliers alike will benefit from uninterrupted service, an expanded product offering, and greater operational resilience.
Vipin Patara, managing director of The Soft Drinks Company, commented: “What matters most to me is making sure our valued customers continue to receive improved levels of service and care without disruption.
"The stability, capital strength, and platform we have at TSDC mean we can not only maintain continuity but also grow with our customers and suppliers in the years ahead.”
Rick Harrison and Howard Smith from Interpath were appointed joint administrators to SOS Wholesale Ltd on 8 September 2025. Interpath commented, “With cashflow and profitability under pressure, the business was unable to meet its financial obligations as they fell due, and so the directors took the difficult decision to place the business into administration.”