JJ Foodservice to open new Midlands branch

Food and drink wholesaler JJ Foodservice has announced plans to open a new branch in the Midlands next year, as part of a five-year expansion strategy which includes eight new branches and its first overseas branch in the Netherlands.

The sales transaction for the 35,000 sq ft premises should be finalised in the next couple of weeks, when JJ will confirm the exact location. It will bring a capacity of 3,500 pallet online for the wholesaler.

Speaking at the JJ Connect conference at Convene in London’s Bishopsgate, chief operating officer Kaan Hendekli said: “We’re close to securing our new location for 2026 and we’re on the lookout for more.”

To further support its growth ambitions, JJ is investing around £3m in a 25,000 sq ft multi-temperature facility at its Enfield headquarters, boosting capacity across frozen, chilled and ambient ranges.

This investment is intended to help the wholesaler grow its product range to 5,000 SKUs by next year. This year its portfolio has risen 27% on the previous year to 3,800 SKUs.

“We’re not just expanding our network – we’re expanding what we can offer customers,” said Hendekli. “This new space will help us serve caterers with more choice, while maintaining the same great service customers expect.”

Digital performance remains strong for the group, with a record 79% of orders now placed online. Growth has been driven by JJ’s nationwide kiosk rollout, alongside increased use of its app, website and electronic data interchange (EDI) channels.

JJ Foodservice currently has 12 UK sites, in Aston, Basingstoke, Bristol, Dagenham, Doncaster, Leeds, Leicester, Enfield, Manchester, Newcastle, Sidcup and Wimbledon.

Last year the wholesaler acquired London-based Gatelands Supplies as part of its expansion plans to supply Asian restaurants.