The Wholesale Group concluded its first conference on a celebratory note, with incoming Chairman Mark Aylwin delivering a closing speech at the gala dinner.
Reflecting on the progress made since its formation earlier this year, Aylwin praised the strong sense of partnership and momentum within the group, saying:
“I have been involved in a number of mergers during my career and it is very impressive how The Wholesale Group has gelled so quickly – trading ahead of the market just nine months since our formation.
“The bond between our independent family wholesalers and our supplier base is testament to a great head office team who truly understand their customers. The future looks bright as we move towards our goal of becoming a £5 billion turnover group.”
Aylwin’s remarks captured the collaborative spirit that defined the conference, highlighting the group’s collective strength and ambition as it continues to grow its market presence.
With the theme ‘Innovate, Share, Thrive’, wholesale members and suppliers attended the conference, which took place in Tenerife earlier this month, and took part in more than 645 business development meetings to cement plans for collaborative working for the rest of 2025 and 2026.
Delegates also heard from Joint Managing Directors Tom Gittins, Jess Douglas and Coral Rose, who shared the group’s progress to date.
The Wholesale Group is now established as the UK’s largest delivered buying group, the UK’s largest foodservice buying group and the UK’s second largest retail buying group, representing 14% of the UK wholesale industry.
“In our first year, we are delighted to be growing ahead of the market in what is undoubtedly a challenging trading environment,” said Coral Rose.
“With buying power worth more than £4.42bn, our membership is going from strength to strength. Our members include 124 second-generation wholesale businesses, and 31% of our members have been trading for more than 50 years, which shows that they have the expertise, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to thrive in this ever-evolving landscape, delivering every product to every postcode across the UK. We really are the home of independent wholesale.”
During 2025, The Wholesale Group has achieved:
Increased group performance +6.51%
225 active members
398 active suppliers
Increased average spend per member + 14.5%
The Wholesale Group members provide more than 27,000 local jobs.
During the conference, the group set out its plans to grow to more than £5bn by 2027, revealing it will achieve this by focussing on three key areas, retail, foodservice and superior terms.
Retail: the group will continue to collaborate with suppliers to drive spend, expand alcohol offer and launch a limited range high volume, private label offer.
Foodservice: the group will continue to grow spend through brands and own brand, driving existing member spend.
Superior terms: the group will drive compliance and provide superior data insight for supplier partners and achieve enhanced terms for members to drive growth.
“Our first conference was a huge success,” said Jess Douglas. “From the hundreds of business meetings that took place to the presentations, networking, social events and spectacular gala dinner, every moment reflected the spirit of teamwork, connection and collaboration that truly defines us as The Wholesale Group.”
Delegates also praised the event for its collaborative approach and the results generated from the one-to-one meetings held between members and suppliers. Gavin Simpson, National Account Manager, Carlsberg Britvic said: “It was a great opportunity to connect with members and fellow suppliers, uncover new opportunities and strengthen partnerships – all in the spirit of ‘Innovate, Share, Thrive’. A well-organised event that truly showcased the best of our industry.”
Nick Hartwell, Commercial Manager UK & EU, Rowan International agreed: “We found it absolutely fantastic from start to finish. So many good connections, positive meetings, boatloads of opportunities and plenty more learnings about the group and associated benefits.”
At the conference, The Wholesale Group announced Dubai as the location for 2026.