Boughey Distribution is a leading consolidator of ambient grocery products to UK customers with over 1,300,000ft2 of warehousing and significant distribution assets.
165k
Pallets stored
847
People
151
Trucks
391
Trailers
Our Food locations
Review of the year
Food delivered a strong performance reflecting higher storage volumes and increased throughput. The business secured new contracted volumes from both existing and new customers which filled the current warehouse network and supports the building of a pipeline for future growth. The business benefitted throughout the year from a lower relative cost base as a result of the restructuring programme completed in June 2025.
During the year the Group has focused on developing the business as a scalable growth platform through a range of business improvement initiatives and strengthening of capability throughout the organisation. This has included the efficiency improvement and standardisation of processes, investment in the commercial, warehouse and transport teams, and commencing the implementation of a new transport management system and a customer portal.
Revenue increased by 5.1% to £90.6 million (2025: £86.2 million). Storage utilisation overall was at an average of 165,000 pallets representing 90.4% of total capacity (2025: 156,000 pallets). Total throughput was 4.0% higher than prior year. At the year end storage utilisation was 174,000 pallets leading to the use of offsite third party storage which creates short-term inefficiency, but enables the customer pipeline for future growth.
Headline operating profit was £5.1 million (2025: £4.3 million).
Demand for our customers’ products continues to be strong and the outlook for most product categories handled by the business is resilient. The business operates in a competitive supply chain and needs to continually demonstrate the value and service that it provides to grocery manufacturers and importers. We are a leading specialist in consolidating ambient grocery products in the UK, with high service levels and a consistent operating performance being the key components of the customer proposition. This is resulting in strong demand for our service and provides an opportunity to grow market share.
The Group estimates that the UK demand for ambient grocery consolidation is more than £1.5 billion with the Food business having a market share of approximately 4.4%. The Board believes that there is significant scope to grow the business and meet additional customer demand through expanding its warehouse network to a national footprint, diversifying from Food’s traditional base in the North-West of England. This would enable the business to materially grow its customer base and realise significant transport synergy benefits.
In tandem with the activity to make the business scalable, the Group has started to explore the opportunities for developing this national network which may include a combination of targeted acquisitions, securing additional warehouse facilities and strategic partnerships, all supported by contracted customer relationships. Overall, the strategy we have identified to grow the Food business represents an exciting opportunity to take advantage of NWF’s expertise in a highly fragmented and expanding market.
