Kitwave acquires WestCountry Food Holdings

Kitwave Group has acquired WestCountry Food Holdings, a specialist fresh produce wholesaler, for £29 million.

Established in 1856, WestCountry has depots in Falmouth, St Austell and Newton Abbot. The wholesaler serves both foodservice and retail customers in the South West of England, and in the year to 1 January 2022 it had a turnover of £29.7 million and profit before tax of £3.9 million.

The WestCountry business will be incorporated into Kitwave’s existing foodservice division which currently comprises the trading operations of HB Clark & Co, David Miller Frozen Foods and MJ Baker Foodservice.

Commenting on the acquisition, Paul Young, chief executive officer of Kitwave, said: “The acquisition of WestCountry enables us to expand our product range to include high-quality fresh produce and complements our existing foodservice offering in the South West, following the acquisition of MJ Baker earlier in 2022.   

“We are delighted to welcome the WestCountry team to Kitwave and look forward to successfully integrating the business into the group’s foodservice division and further extending our nationwide reach.

“The group continues to trade well and, despite wider macroeconomic pressures, the directors believe the outlook remains positive.”