Blakemore Wholesale, the cash & carry division of AF Blakemore, and a leading member of the Landmark buying group, has announced that it has acquired BA Cash &
Carry, another Landmark member, with two depots in South Wales.
Boosts Blakemore sales by £130m
BA Cash & Carry (recently ranked 29 in the Grocer 'big 30' wholesalers) was
originally founded in 1973, and has itself been an influential member of the
Landmark group, and an active participant in key initiatives such as the
Lifestyle Express symbol group. BA's
sales were £130m in its last reported year (to February 2013), though falling
1.8% from 2012. The two depots, located in Cardiff and Swansea now
increase Blakemore Wholesale's cash & carry estate to 14, boosting its position
as the UK's third most numerous 'trade' cash & carry operator after Booker
(172 depots) and Bestway (62 depots) and giving it an estimated total turnover
of £340m.
Offers a ready fit
Blakemore Wholesale has an established record of acquiring other members
within the Landmark Group, having purchased the Lowries business last year and
before that, Tyne Tees Cash & Carry in 2008. The common membership of
Landmark naturally provides a clear alignment of BA with Blakemore which would
require little integration work in terms of ranging, private label and even
marketing, and thus should create little, if any, discontinuity in the operation of
the BA depots. The location of the depots also complements Blakemore's
distribution enhancing its existing presence at Newport in South Wales.
Mixed retail and catering focus
The BA Cash & Carry business, like Blakemore, also has a mixed customer base,
with a primary focus on independent retailers and their needs, supplemented with
a secondary group amongst caterers in the fast food and takeaway segments.
Within its catchments BA has a particular strong representation of Chinese
foodservice operators. Like Blakemore has developed online ordering and a customer delivery service, alongside the traditional 'collect' model of trading.
Landmark at Wholesaling 2014
Hear from managing director Martin Williams and other senior Landmark
colleagues at IGD's Wholesaling 2014 conference, 11 September, to catch up with
developments as the group continues to evolve and innovate ....
