Fresho makes second UK acquisition within a month

Fresho, an order management platform for caterers and fresh food wholesalers, has acquired its second rival in a month by buying out Freshmetrics for an undisclosed sum.

This follows a deal to purchase Nation Wilcox finalised towards the beginning of June.

Birmingham-based Freshmetrics is a software provider specialising in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and order management for fresh produce and food service distributors across the UK. It serves businesses across Birmingham, London, Glasgow and Liverpool, including fresh produce wholesaler Smith & Brock.

Together the two deals bring Fresho’s total UK customer base to more than 500 businesses and £2.5b in annual gross merchandise value (GMV).

Freshmetrics will continue to operate as a standalone entity, with no changes to customer contracts, support arrangements or day-to-day operations. Founders and directors Gordon Wilcox and Jon Shakespeare will remain with the business.

The firm helps food distribution businesses manage inventory, reduce waste, handle route planning and streamline warehouse and distribution operations – capabilities that Fresho believes are complementary to its order-to-payment platform.

The acquisition accelerates Fresho’s plan to modernise an industry that has historically been underserved by technology, bringing consolidation to a fragmented market.

Freshmetrics customers will gain immediate access to Fresho’s AI-powered order capture tool, OrderPilot, which converts incoming orders into ready-to-pick sales orders. Further integration – including payments and additional workflow tools – is planned over time.

Freshmetrics’ Wilcox said: "Joining Fresho is an exciting moment for Freshmetrics and for our customers. This is the right home for our business and our team – together we can go further and faster than we could independently, and our customers will have access to a platform and a roadmap that will make a real difference to how they operate."

Jamie Foale, general manager UK and Ireland at Fresho, added: "We are delighted to welcome Freshmetrics to the Fresho group. This acquisition strengthens our position as the leading technology platform for food wholesalers in the UK, and brings together complementary operational expertise with a modern, AI-driven platform. Together we can serve wholesalers of all sizes across the market – and keep investing in the tools that will help them improve how they run their businesses.”

Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2015 by Huw Birrell and James Andronis, Fresho has grown to support distributors across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and the United States. Since launching in the UK in 2020, the business now supports more than 250 customers in the market.