Innovation, technology and talent are the bedrocks of modern wholesale. And investing in these areas is a key goal many wholesalers have on their checklists in 2026. However, this is a sector feeling the squeeze.

As our Big 30 Wholesaler ranking shows, while overall profits and profit margins are up – reflecting the continued recovery in hospitality, inflation-driven menu pricing and consolidation, several large wholesalers are in negative profit growth, including LWC (–52%), Henderson Wholesale (–38%), JJ Foodservice (–23.8%), Holdsworth (–38.7%) and Lioncroft (–115%).