UK firm AF Blakemore, which operates 290 Spar stores across the UK, as well as supplying product to more than 1,000, is considering selling its wholesale arm, according to reports.
The Daily Telegraph reported that AF Blakemore is considering selling the wholesale sicde of the business to Bestway, the UK's fifth-largest wholesaler, with the latter company looking to bolster its business ahead of the forthcoming Tesco-Booker merger.
According to the paper, Martin Race, Bestway's managing director, has already described the Tesco-Booker deal as being "painful" for the rest of the convenience sector.
Family-owned AF Blakemore made £1.3 billion worth of sales last year, generating £7.6 million in profits.
Should AF Blakemore sell the wholesale operation, it is likely to significantly impact the Spar UK business, the paper suggests, with ownership of Spar split across four regional distributors in the UK.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
