On the 1st January 2025, Thomsons Foodservice joined The Wholesale Group, which is the largest foodservice buying group and second-largest retail buying group in the United Kingdom. With over 50 years’ experience and a buying power of over £4.53 billion – The Wholesale Group offers the ultimate partner for any forward-thinking independent wholesaler. This group united the best of two leading wholesale buying groups Fairway Foodservice, our old buying group, and Confex to create a new and exciting buying group.
Fairway Foodservice was established in 1984 and we joined in 2014. Joining this group afforded us great success, however we look forward to the future and exciting opportunities that will come as part of The Wholesale Group for both ourselves and our customers. The wholesale landscape is changing and therefore it’s crucial we change with it. We now have access to over 300 official suppliers over a broad spectrum of products and popular brands, resulting in us now being able to offer our customers a wider range of products at a more competitive price than any other trading group.
The Wholesale Group is the buying group for the future, established to champion independent wholesalers and support their sustainable growth. It is the only buying group in the United Kingdom that combines unrivalled retail and foodservice expertise, Central Distribution efficiency, and member-focused innovation.
We look forward to working closely with the directors of The Wholesale Group and can’t wait to see all the things we can achieve together while also being able to see the benefits it brings for our customers.