Founder of recently collapsed wholesale company SOS Wholesale on Monday (Oct 6) announced that leading Aston-based wholesaler Dairyfresh Ltd has acquired the SOS Wholesale IP rights, calling the moment as "new chapter built on integrity".
Making the announcement on social media, Mark Beckett, who founded SOS Wholesale in 1996 along with his father, stated that with the recent acquisition, "SOS legacy now has a new and fitting home".
Beckett wrote, "Today, I’m genuinely pleased to share something uplifting, proof that integrity and hard work can rise again and share some positive news.
"SOS Wholesale, the business that Dad, Steven, and I built from nothing back in 1996 is beginning its revival. Thanks to Dairyfresh Ltd, an established family-run FMCG wholesaler based in Aston, Birmingham, the SOS legacy now has a new and fitting home.
"Dairyfresh shares the same values we always believed in: people first, fairness in trade, and honesty in business.
"Over the past few weeks, Dairyfresh has acquired the SOS Wholesale IP rights and rehired seven former SOS sales and warehouse staff, with more to follow.
"Dairyfresh has begun re-establishing the Barnsley sales office with the invaluable support of Lesley Dale, my former Commercial Director and colleague since almost day one and started reconnecting with former customers and suppliers to restore the trust and service SOS was known for.
"The new SOS Wholesale will once again focus on reliability, value, and relationships, the things that truly matter in wholesale."
The announcement comes almost two weeks after Beckett took to LinkedIn to openly slam the former management team of SOS Wholesale for the collapse of a "profitable business".
In a strongly worded LinkedIn post, Beckett alleged that management decisions in recent weeks undermined efforts to rescue or sell the business.
He wrote in a LinkedIn post last week, "In the past 10 days the entire management team resigned, effectively preventing any chance of selling the business to maximise value.
"Was this a deliberate act to move them to their sister company, The Soft Drinks Company (TSDC)? This business was purchased with funds taken from SOS Wholesale in breach of the SPA. It is now proudly promoted as 'debt free'.”
"'Competitive market conditions' and 'upfront payment terms' are cited, but the truth is the business grew in year one. It was only when loan repayments and lack of investment throttled cash flow that things spiralled.
"If you want your car to run, you put fuel in it. If you want your business to succeed, you invest in it. They did neither."
Beckett further raised concerns over wiped CCTV hard drives, shredded documents, and the loss of long-standing supplier relationships as staff shifted across to TSDC.
"What hurts most is not just the collapse of a profitable business but how it has been handled – the broken promises, the hollow pledges, the lack of accountability," he wrote.
The Derby-based company, which supplied consumer goods to convenience, discount, independent, major multiple and garden centre retailers, fell into administration last month.
The company had struggled with rising input costs and shifting consumer habits that squeezed profitability and cash flow. Interpath Advisory was appointed as administrator.
While about 100 employees have reportedly been made redundant, the collapsed wholesaler's MD Vipin Patara recently joined SOS Wholesale's sister company TSDC as its new MD. She has been serving as director of the company since 2023.