JJ Food Service has attributed a 5.1% hike in sales to depot openings.

New depots in Manchester and Basingstoke helped the wholesaler grow turnover by £6.6m to £134.4m in the year to 31 March, according to accounts posted at Companies House.

Its Enfield, Doncaster and Aston depots had also increased turnover during the period, while JJ's sixth depot, which opened in Sidcup, Kent, at the end of the financial year, had boosted the cash & carry side of the business, said business operations manager Mushtaque Ahmed.

"People in the south wouldn't travel to Enfield for C&C but now we have a lot of local customers collecting goods," he said.

"It has relieved a lot of pressure on our Enfield HQ and greatly reduced our mileage as the southern part of the country is now served from there."

JJ's operating costs grew ahead of sales, at 9.4%, and its post-tax profits were down £2.7m to £3.6m. "This was done on purpose and is in line with our expectations," said Ahmed. "Our customers were suffering so last summer we took the decision to discount our products."

The accounts also revealed JJ spent £3.4m promoting its online ordering system in the last financial year. Online orders now account for 40% of turnover.