Bain Capital and Fresh Direct announce new fresh food company

Fresh Direct and Bain Capital, the owners of Brakes, are delighted to announce a new company that will bring together three of Bain Capital's fresh food businesses - M&J Seafood, Pauleys and Wild Harvest - with Fresh Direct.

The new company will be jointly owned by Bain Capital and Nigel Harris. Current Fresh Direct owners, Nigel and Colin Harris will continue to take an active role in the future success of the company which will create an ‘all-in-one' fresh food destination for chefs and caterers.

The new company and management team will be led by David Burns (pictured), the current managing director of Fresh Direct, who will become CEO of the new company, which will also operate under the Fresh Direct name, with M&J, Pauleys and Wild Harvest also retaining their brand names.

Fresh Direct was first established as a family business, when John Harris, Nigel and Colin's father, established local greengrocer ‘H&H Fruiterers', with then-business partner Bill Hawkins, nearly 50 years ago.

John Harris commented: "I'm incredibly proud of our family business! We've come such a long way since we started out in 1966 and I think that this new venture is exactly the right deal for Fresh Direct, our staff and our customers to take us into the next chapter of our story."

Ken McMeikan, Brakes Group CEO, commented: "I am delighted to be entering into this joint venture with Fresh Direct; because of the significant opportunities this will create for customers in what is the fastest growing part of the foodservices market."