Stockport wholesaler plans national expansion

Employee-owned Stockport wholesaler, Parfetts, has acquired its ninth depot, to strengthen its national footprint and expanding to the South of England.

The new 113,000 sq ft depot in Southampton will enable the business to deliver across the South Coast and into Greater London while also serving cash & carry depot customers from across the region. The move will create over 100 new jobs and support the expansion of the symbol groups, which include Go Local, Go Local Extra, The Local, and Shop & Go.

The depot will launch later this year and provide independent retailers across the South with access to a wide range of regular promotions, from weekly manager’s specials to Big Ticket promotions and quarterly showcases. Regular three-weekly promotions cover a vast array of products, plus EDLP lines offer increased value and margin across key products in any promotional period.

Commenting on the development, Guy Swindell, joint managing director of Parfetts, said:

“The launch of our ninth depot underlines our commitment to serving a national customer base. We are determined to bring our employee-owned model to as many retailers as possible to ensure they can benefit from the industry-leading support we offer.

“We are on track to reach £1bn turnover and 2,000 symbol group retailers. Our relentless focus on supporting retailer margins has accelerated our growth over the last few years.”

In the last financial year (2023-2024), the Stockport wholesaler saw an 8% increase in turnover to £696 million. It saw record investments in its own label range, which now has over 200 lines designed to offer industry-leading margins.

The wholesaler also invested in a digital agency to support the development of its digital platforms to create a best-in-class experience for retailers. The enhanced digital offering is designed to simplify ordering and provide the data retailers need to support margins.

Noel Robinson, joint managing director of Parfetts, said:

“We continue to invest in our offer with an award-winning symbol group, a rapidly expanding own-label offering, and a value proposition designed to support retailer margins. As an employee-owned business, Parfetts can reinvest in the business and support customers. We remain focused on keeping things simple for our retailers, with our symbol group offering a flexible package tailored to store location, size, current turnover, and growth potential. We are excited to launch the new depot later this year.”