united wholesale grocers Amaan Ramzan and Waqas Badar

Source: United Wholesale Grocers

United Wholesale Grocers MD Amaan Ramzan (l) and trading director Waqas Badar

Glasgow-based United Wholesale Grocers has grown its turnover by almost a fifth.

The Unitas member said sales for the year ending December 2018 were up 19% to £148m, helped by the acquisition of the former Blakemore Wholesale depot in Gateshead in June 2018.

The wholesaler said sales at its two Glasgow depots were also strong, with like-for-like sales increasing by £9.4m. Pre-tax profits jumped by 122.2% from £0.9m to £2m.

“Opening our new Gateshead depot has obviously played an integral part in the overall growth of the business, although both Glasgow depots have performed strongly too,” said United Wholesale Grocers MD Amaan Ramzan.

“In the past year we have invested heavily in our depot and our team, and we will continue to do so as we plan for the future.”

He added: “The industry is extremely competitive and we continue to keep our core prices at market-leading levels to provide the best possible margin for our customers. We focus on actively engaging with our customers to fully understand their needs and this is leading to excellent sales.”