Southwestern foodservice wholesaler L&F Jones has reported a £51,713 loss for the year to 4 March against a pre-tax profit of £90,481 the year before.

Turnover for the group, which includes retail shops and a hotel as well as the wholesale business, fell 3.2% to £16.2m, according to its latest set of accounts.

Director Richard Jones maintained that the group's performance had been "strong" given the "difficult trading conditions". He added that the acquisition of Paul Loader Traditional Family Butcher for £260,542 last July had really improved its offer. "This business has shown promising signs in its first eight months of trade within the group," he said.

The company said it planned to continue working with suppliers through Landmark Wholesale to grow its presence in the competitive wholesale and retail food markets.