Wholesaler Kitwave forecasts £250m turnover after buying Eden Farm

A spokeswoman said the acquisition’s operations and national geography are a good fit for Kitwave. Eden’s product offerings will broaden Kitwave’s range considerably, and increase its customer base to over 22,000, she added.

Group turnover is expected to near £250m this year.

Kitwave was first established in the North of England in 1987 as an acquisition vehicle set up to purchase the small confectionery wholesale business, M&M Value.

The business further expanded by acquiring Turner & Wrights in Bolton, FW Bishop & Son in Bradford and Westone Wholesale.

NVM Private Equity backed Kitwave in 2011 with £7.5m of investment to support its acquisition strategy.

The group has since acquired Anderson Wholesale, Automatic Retailing in Cramlington, Teatime Tasties in Huddersfield and now Eden Farm.

Eden Farm, based in Peterlee, is a 50-year-old family-run business originally set up with one minivan delivering its home-grown produce of mushrooms, tomatoes and leeks to customers. It has since grown into a five-depot operation with a national delivery network. It now distributes top brands of frozen food and ice cream across the North, Midlands and Scotland.