Lomond acquires Clarks Speciality Foods

Acquisition by the Glasgow-based wholesaler Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co will see it hit record turnover of £55m in 2025 and enable further expansion

“We have wanted to expand our presence in the high-end hotel and restaurant sector for some time and Clarks is the perfect acquisition to enable us to do this in an impactful and meaningful way,” said Sam Henderson, managing director, Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co.

“Clarks stock and distribute some of the finest foods available to the very top tier of Scotland’s thriving hotel and restaurant trade. They have long been a specialist in the sector and we recognise the team’s expertise and passion for delivering exceptional customer service, which aligns with our own. We look forward to working with them and driving the business forward.

“With our highly efficient warehouse and distribution network and our diverse range of foodservice products, we feel we can enhance the service and availability to Clarks’ existing customer base. We will also be able to offer our existing Lomond customers the fantastic range of quality products that Clarks is so well known for. Not only will this acquisition bolster our turnover, but it will also create a strong foundation for further growth in the years to come as we work towards our ambition to hit £90m turnover by 2028.”

INVESTMENT

The acquisition comes hot on the heels of the wholesaler’s significant investment to expand its Port Dundas headquarters to meet rising customer demand. This has doubled the storage capacity at the 36,000 square feet warehouse and the business can now store up to 4,000 pallets. This investment also supports Lomond’s long-established and award-winning sustainability objectives.

“We have added roof space for solar panels which will increase our renewable energy capacity by 30%,” said Barbara Henderson. “We have also added electric charging points for our fleet of electric cars which takes us closer to our net zero goal. We are also halfway through our accreditation to become B-Corp accredited, which is a real priority for us as a business.”

Now in its 28th year, Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co was founded by husband and wife team Sam and Barbara Henderson. The couple focused initially on servicing the lunchtime market but in recent years have diversified into wider foodservice and out-of-home sectors, with a significant focus on supporting a sustainable, local supply chain in Scotland.

The wholesaler, a member of Unitas Wholesale, is now a key player in the food wholesale sector, supplying education, the convenience food-to-go channel and hospitality venues such as cafes, hotels and restaurants across the UK.

Lomond also has its own £5m bakery, Cake, which supplies circa 65 wholesalers across the UK which distribute to major retailers such as Tesco and Dunelm, including their coffee shops.

TRADE SHOWS

The wholesaler also hosts annual food innovation trade shows such as Taste at Lomond, but for 2025, Lomond is taking this one step further by partnering with ScotHot, Scotland’s premier showcase for food, drink, hospitality, retail and tourism buyers.

The event, which takes place at SEC Glasgow on 26-27 February 2025, will see Lomond host the B2B element of the event, showcasing products to more than 2,000 visitors across the two days. This will include Clarks’ speciality foods alongside a wider foodservice and hospitality products and Scottish regional produce.

acquisition Barbara Henderson Clarks Speciality Foods events Lomond: The Wholesale Co Sam Henderson Unitas Wholesale