Parfetts moves south for national expansion
The employee-owned wholesaler has secured its ninth depot in Southampton which will open later this year, creating more than 100 jobs
The Stockport-based Unitas Wholesale member will open a new 113,000 sq ft depot that will enable it to deliver across the south coast and into Greater London while also serving cash and carry depot customers from across the region.
The move will support the expansion of the wholesaler’s symbol groups, which include Go Local, Go Local Extra, The Local and Shop & Go.
“The launch of our ninth depot underlines our commitment to serving a national customer base,” said Guy Swindell, joint managing director. “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), Parfetts saw an 8% increase in turnover to £696m. It saw record investments in its own label range, which now has more than 200 lines designed to offer industry-leading 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.”
Unitas Wholesale managing director John Kinney congratulated Parfetts on the news: “Unitas member Parfetts’ second new depot in three years demonstrates the incredible strength of their retail cash & carry and delivery model. Retailers love to visit the new generation of state-of-the art depots like Parfetts Birmingham. They are perfect showrooms for suppliers’ innovative and ingenious merchandising displays and Parfetts is leading the way.
“We are delighted that one of our biggest members is expanding into national coverage with its excellent Go Local proposition. We look forward to supporting the whole Parfetts team as they bring their fantastic independent wholesale and symbol model to thousands more retailers in the south of England.”
Parfetts’ current depots are in Aintree, Anfield, Birmingham, Halifax, Middlesbrough, Sheffield, Somercotes and Stockport.
depot expansion Guy Swindell John Kinney Noel Robinson Parfetts symbol groups Unitas Wholesale
