Palmer and Harvey

Palmer and Harvey plc (also known as P&H, formerly Palmer & Harvey McLane plc) was a UK-based wholesaler that serviced the multiples and convenience sectors.

Headquartered in Hove, East Sussex, and privately owned, it was the UK's largest delivered wholesaler, and the 5th largest private company in the UK.[1] It had an integrated national distribution network across 14 sites in the UK. The company was founded in 1925 as a traditional confectionery and tobacco wholesaler. Palmer and Harvey has been the UK's largest wholesaler working with a diverse range of 90,000 retailers.

On 28 November 2017, Palmer and Harvey fell into administration, with the immediate loss of 2,500 jobs, due in part to low profit margins and problems with working capital. A small number of staff were temporarily retained to assist in the orderly closure of the business.[1][2]

Business divisions

Palmer and Harvey had four business platforms:

Company timeline

1925 – Palmer and Harvey is founded by Archie Stone, who buys two wholesale businesses from a Mr Palmer and a Mr Harvey in North London and merges them into one.

1959 – Sir Don Gosling becomes a director after he marries Shauna Ingram, a member of the family which owns Palmer & Harvey.

1988 – Sir Don Gosling quits after his divorce, but returns after a management buyout.[10]

1994 – P&H acquires McLane, the UK offshoot of the US business.

1995 – Mojo Cash & Carry and frozen food distributor Snowking Foods are acquired by P&H. Warehouse and fleet size are both increased.

1998 – Pro Retail, P&H's annual trade show, is launched and P&H acquires Winerite, a BWS wholesaler in Yorkshire running 650 BWS product lines.

1998 – P&H launches Your Store.

1999 – P&H sign a long term distribution contract with TM Retail Group and Snowking Foods is merged with the ambient arm of P&H business, supported by a 190000 sqft multi-temperature depot in Coventry.

1999 – P&H sells the Select and Save brand name to Larnheath Ltd and acquires Booker Wholesale Foods from Booker plc. The symbol group Mace is included in this sale, giving P&H greater exposure in England and Wales.

2000 – P&H purchases YP Electronics, acquires Snacksdirect from KP McVities and acquires supplier status to 85 Esso forecourts.

2001 – P&H acquires a 200000 sqft depot in Crawley, begins supplying to Sainsbury's petrol filling stations and secures a long term distribution with Shell UK Ltd to supply core and noncore food ranges.

2002 P&H undergoes a second management buyout.

2005 – P&H acquires the franchise for the Mace symbol group in Scotland from Somerfield, previously operated by Aberness Foods.

2006 – P&H wins the supply contract for the CTN chain Northcliffe Retail (supplying 66 company-owned stores and 250 retail partner stores) worth £75m a year; Chris Etherington is appointed as Chief Executive, joining P&H from motor parts wholesaler Unipart Automotive.

2007 – P&H acquires West Country delivered wholesaler T&A Symonds, a member of the Key Lekkerland Group.

2008 – P&H acquires Leeds-based delivered wholesaler WH & HM Young, a member of the Key Lekkerland Group, and launches its new Partnership Plus initiative to provide a tailored business growth package to independent and symbol group retailers.

2008 – P&H reaches £4bn in turnover; a third management buyout is completed, led by current chief executive Chris Etherington. The deal, valuing the business at £330m, offers 50% of its shares to management and employees.

2009 – P&H Launches Sweetdirect, a direct-to-store van sales operation selling products from Perfetti Van Melle, Tangerine Confectionery, Weetabix (until July 2012), Kelloggs Cereal Bars (from July 2012), Reckitt Benkiser Medicines, Lindt, Bon Bon Buddies and a variety of UK chocolate products.

2010 – P&H announces record sales of £4.2bn, with profit falling by 50% to £227,000.[11]

2011 – P&H release Fuel Deserts, a research paper that looks into the state of the UK's forecourt industry.[12]

2012 – P&H acquires the Walkers Van sales operation.[13]

August 2017 – Imperial Tobacco and JTI attempt to come to an agreement with P&H over the terms of a "rescue deal" to secure the company's future.

October 2017 – P&H entered into talks with the Carlyle Group for the company's equity to be taken over by Carlyle.

28 November 2017 – Palmer and Harvey goes into administration, with the loss of 2,500 jobs, due to problems with working capital, high debt and a low profit margin, having earned in 2016 only £618,000 on sales of £2.5bn.[1][2]

type	Private Employee Owned
area served	United Kingdom
key people	Tony Reed (chief executive officer) Martyn Ward (managing director – wholesale) Mark Leonard (group operations director) Jon Moxon (group finance director)
industry	Wholesale Distribution Retail
num employees	3,400
subsid	Mace
foundation	1925
defunct	2017
location city	P&H House, 106–112 Davigdor Road, Hove, East Sussex
location country	England
profit	£34 million
homepage	www.palmerharvey.co.uk

Business divisions

Palmer and Harvey Wholesale and Distribution

Palmer and Harvey Retail Services

Palmer and Harvey Direct Ltd

Company history

Company timeline

External links

References