Distribution Giants

FE&S’s annual proprietary research results in the listing of the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers by sales volume.

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2018 Distribution Giants

Sales among the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers totaled $9.637 billion in 2017, up 11.37 percent from $8.653 billion in 2016, according to FE&S’ 2018 Distribution Giants study. Sixty-five percent of the top 100 dealers reported increased sales, down 16 percent from last year. And 27 percent reported a decline in sales, which is 12 percent more compared to last year.

The composition of this year’s list of the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers by sales volume looks fundamentally different from 2017 due to rampant consolidation. In a segment known for moving rather slowly, the dealer community saw roughly 20 merger or acquisition transactions in the 13-month period spanning February 2017 to March 2018. A variety of factors continue to fuel this segment’s merger mania, none so prominent as the presence of private equity firms.

For example, when Edward Don & Co. (3) sold a stake of the company to private investment firm Vestar Capital Partners last spring, the company announced its intention to grow via acquisition. And the Woodridge, Ill.-based dealer did just that by acquiring two 2017 top 100 dealers: Atlanta Fixture and Smith and Greene.

In addition, TriMark USA (1) continued to grow via acquisition when it purchased Chef’s Toys (21) in March. This deal further solidified TriMark’s presence in southern California by supplementing its design capabilities and adding a retail element to its business in the region. This came shortly after private investment firm Centerbridge Partners purchased TriMark from Warburg Pincus. For all intents and purposes, TriMark sparked this spate of mergers and acquisitions when the dealer announced its intent to purchase Hockenbergs in February 2017.

Another company active on the acquisition trail in 2017 was Singer Equipment Co. (6). Following through on its vision to provide contiguous service down the Atlantic coast, the Elverson, Pa.-based dealer bought two Maryland dealers in the past year: Ashland Equipment (45) and Facilities Services Inc. Ashland expands Singer’s presence in the Maryland, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and Virginia markets through the dealer’s contract work with healthcare, higher education, K-12, business and industry, and restaurant operators. Facilities Services specialized in commercial foodservice equipment, engineering, custom stainless fabrication, logistics, and project fulfillment for the hospitality and lodging industries. Its scope of work included supporting major remodeling, renovation and new construction projects.

It was not just the top 10 dealers who had fun swimming in the merger and acquisition pool, though. Also dipping their toes into the consolidation waters were Great Lakes (27), which acquired Kessenich’s; BHS (28), which acquired H. Weiss; Globe, which acquired E&A; B&G (55), which acquired certain assets of Eastern Baker’s Supply and Penn Jersey Paper Co. (60), which earlier this spring bought DePalo & Sons (89).

As a result, this year’s study list includes six new companies: Tundra Restaurant Supply (23), Zesco (68), Classic Restaurant Supply (71), Bezac Equipment Company (79), Castino Restaurant Equipment & Supply Inc. (99) and Richway LLC, which does business as Market Source (100). This year’s list also welcomes back two companies: Associated Food Equipment and Supplies Inc. (76) and F.G. Schaeffer Co. (97). Finally, the list includes merged company BJ Beltram Holdings (26), the result of Trivest Partners merging B&J Food Service Equipment and Beltram Foodservice Group in June 2017.

There’s little doubt the dealer community continues to fuel its insatiable appetite for topline growth through acquisitions like the ones described above. But dealers are not alone in this.

In terms of dollar growth, TriMark USA led all dealers at $263 million. TriMark’s figures do not include Chef’s Toys’ sales for 2017, which were an estimated $83.1 million in 2017. In addition, Clark Associates grew by $229 million. In sharp contrast to its dealer brethren, all of Clark’s growth appears to be organic as the company did not report any acquisitions in 2017.

Due to all of the consolidation, dealers with more than $100 million in annual revenues account for 17 percent of the top 100, down 2 percent from last year. Mid-sized dealers, those with annual revenues of $99 million to $20 million, account for 51 percent of the top 100, up from 24 percent last year. Dealers with less than $20 million in annual revenues account for 32 percent of the top 100 dealers.

Taking a closer look at sales by market segment, the top 100 dealers report 77 percent of their 2017 sales came from commercial foodservice operators, with the other 23 percent coming from noncommercial operators. This is relatively consistent with last year’s results.

With respect to commercial operators, the top 100 dealers report 36 percent of their sales come from restaurant chains, down 12 percent from last year. Conversely, sales to independent restaurants grew to account for 64 percent of dealers’ sales to commercial operators.

The average revenue per salesperson was $2.2 million in 2017, up from $1.6 million in 2016. The average revenue per employee increased slightly to $578,489 in 2017 from $562,256 in 2016.

We hope that you find the information useful and if you have any suggestions about how to improve the study do not hesitate to contact us.

2017 Rank COMPANY (‘16 Rank) ANNUAL ES SALES 2017 (in millions) ANNUAL ES SALES 2016 (in millions) # of Salespeople (inside & outside) BUYING GROUP
1 TriMark USA Inc., S. Attleboro, Mass. (1) H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% $1,776.00 $1,513.00 800 ABC, NexGen, SMA
2 Clark Associates Inc., Lancaster, Pa. (2) H35%, L17%, SW19%, T5%, P/D16%, J6%, F2% $1,135.62 $906.00 186 CPG
3 Edward Don & Co., Woodridge, Ill. (3) H26%, L4%, SW23%, T24%, P/D15%, J6%, F2% $988.00 $848.85 351 NEXGEN
4 Wasserstrom Co., Columbus, Ohio (4) H35%, L10%, SW25%, T23%, P/D3%, J3%, F1% $697.00 $652.00 315 NexGen
5 Boelter, Waukesha, Wis. (5) H45%, L1%, SW8%, T25%, P/D18%, J1%, F2% $355.00 $355.00 202 ABC, NexGen
6 Singer Equipment Co., Elverson, Pa. (6) H60%, L4%, SW9%, T8%, P/D14%, J4%, F1% $325.10 $293.92 113 ABC, NexGen, SMA
7 Bargreen Ellingson Inc., Tacoma, Wash. (7) H39%, L7%, SW30%, T12%, P/D7%, J2%, F3% $272.00 $255.00 208 ABC, NexGen
8 Stafford-Smith Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. (10) H90%, L10% $201.23 $160.98 65 CPG, ISE, XYZ
9 Hubert Co., Harrison, Ohio (9) $187.20* $176.00* n/a ABC, IFED
10 Supplies on the Fly, Kennesaw, Ga. (13) H30%, L8%, SW25%, T28%, P/D4%,J4%, F1% $146.00 $122.00 27 SEFA
11 Johnson-Lancaster & Associates Inc., Clearwater, Fla. (15) H58%, L24%, SW9%, T2%, J2%, F5% $133.00 $115.50 43 SEFA
12 Mission Restaurant Supply Company, San Antonio, Texas (11) H79%, L4%, SW10%, T2%, P/D12%, J1%, F3% $132.27 $132.47 77 CPG, XYZ
13 Central Restaurant Products, Indianapolis (12) H59%, L14%, SW11%, T5%, J3%, F8% $132.00 $131.00 58 ABC, IFED
14 KaTom Restaurant Supply Inc., Kodak, Tenn. (19) H30%, L30%, SW10%, T20%, J5%, F5% $131.55 $100.44 38 ABC, IFED
15 Duray/J.F. Duncan Industries, Downey, Calif. (14) H95%, L5% $129.00 $121.00 20 CPG
16 Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, San Antonio (16) H27%, L15%, SW30%, T14%, P/D2%, J4%, F8% $124.60 $114.64 184 ABC, IFED
17 C&T Design & Equipment Co., Indianapolis (17) H80%, L15%, SW3%, F2% $109.50 $108.50 52 SEFA
18 Action Sales, Monterey Park, Calif. (21) H40%, L20%, SW25%, T10%, J3%, F2% $92.44 $90.30 60 SEFA
19 Hotel & Restaurant Supply, Meridian, Miss. (22) H40%, L20%, SW20%, T10%, J5%, F5% $88.91 $85.33 60 ABC, NexGen
20 The Sam Tell Companies, Farmingdale, N.Y. (20) H28%, L6%, SW24%, T26%, P/D9%, J4%, F3% $83.89 $76.63** 62 ABC, IFED
21 Chefs’ Toys, Fountain Valley, Calif. (24) H27%, L18%, SW33%, T12%, J8%, F2% $83.10* $79.12* n/a ABC, IFED
22 Concept Services Inc., Austin, Texas (23) $81.52* $81.20* n/a CPG
23 Tundra Restaurant Supply, Boulder, Colo. (--) H26%, L9%, SW38%, T2%, P/D3%, J4%, F18% $79.24 $69.02 21 Pride
24 East Bay Restaurant Supply Inc., Oakland, Calif. (26) $75.72* $73.72* n/a CPG
25 Aydelott Equipment, Centerville, Ohio (27) H30%, SW35%, F35% $73.00 $63.00 13
26 BJ Beltram Holdings, Tampa, Fla. (--) H46%, L14%, SW23%, T6%, P/D1%, J3%, F3% $70.26 $68.13 48 NAFED
27 Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co., Detroit (31) H80%, L15%, SW5% $68.00 $54.80 10 SEFA
28 BHS Foodservice Solutions (Formerly Buffalo Hotel Supply), Amherst, N.Y. (48) H56%, L5%, SW18%, T10%, J1%, F10% $65.00 $33.00 18 ABC, IFED
29 Culinary Depot, Monsey, N.Y. (30) H44%, L20%, SW18%, T8%, J5%, F5% $64.00 $55.00 30 SEFA
30 Mobile Fixture & Equipment Co., Mobile, Ala. (29) H50%, L10%, SW20%, T10%, P/D3%, J2%, F5% $60.75 $56.10 43 CPG, XYZ
31 Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc., Agawam, Mass. (32) H54%, L15%, SW15%, T8%, P/D4%, J2%, F2% $52.70 $48.30 35 ABC, IFED
32 Myers Restaurant Supply, Santa Rosa, Calif. (33) H56%, L13%, SW15%, T10%, J1%, F5% $48.45 $47.20 33 SEFA
33 General Hotel and Restaurant Supply, Miami (34) $43.75* $43.80* n/a ABC, IFED
34 Kirby Restaurant Supply, Longview, Texas (39) H52%, L5%, SW5%, T2%, J35%, F1% $41.00 $40.30 35 SEFA
35 Arizona Restaurant Supply, Tucson, Ariz. (37) $40.30* $41.00* n/a SEFA
36 Fortier Inc., Conway, Ark. (36) H50%, L40%, SW10% $40.00 $36.00** 14 NAFED
37 Alliance Paper & Foodservice, Franklin Park, Ill. (35) H15%, L7%, SW6%, T2%, P/D60%, J9%, F1% $39.00 $43.00 13 Pride, SMA
37 EVI, Glenelg, Md.(40) H90%, L10% $39.00 $39.40 16 SEFA
39 Ford Hotel Supply Co. Inc., St. Louis (44) $36.80* $36.06* n/a ABC, IFED
40 Best Restaurant Equipment & Design Inc., Columbus, Ohio (41) $36.00* $38.88* n/a SEFA
41 State Restaurant Equipment Co., Las Vegas (47) H10%, L5%, SW24%, T60%, J1% $35.85 $33.26 14 SEFA
42 Douglas Equipment, Bluefield, W.V.(62) H70%, L17%, SW7%, T2%, J1%, F3% $35.17 $24.60 21 IFED
43 W. West Equipment & Furnishings Co., Denver (43) H90%, L10% $33.67 $38.36 14 SEFA
44 Birmingham Restaurant Supply Inc. (BRESCO), Birmingham, Ala. (50) H70%, L10%, SW15%, T4%, F1% $33.41 $31.80 15 ABC, IFED
45 ACityDiscount, Norcross, Ga. (49) H51%, L29%, SW9%, T4%, J1%, F6% $32.83 $32.69 17 NAFED
46 Avanti Restaurant Solutions, Costa Mesa, Calif. (58) H70%, L20%, F10% $30.94 $25.90 2 SEFA
47 Dykes Foodservice Solutions Inc., Huntsville, Ala. (52) H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F10% $30.90 $30.50 22 ABC, IFED
48 Kamran & Co. Inc., Santa Barbara, Calif. (54) $30.10* $29.33* n/a PRIDE
49 Boston Showcase Co., Newton Highlands, Mass. (56) H45%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, J5%, F5% $29.00 $28.00 9 Pride
50 Alack Refrigeration Co., Hammond, La. (55) $28.50* $28.50 34 CPG, XYZ
51 Calico Industries Inc., Anapolis Junction, Md. (42) $28.00* $38.78* n/a
52 Manning Bros. Food Service Equip. Co. Inc., Athens, Ga. (51) H50%, L20%, SW20%, T3%, P/D2%, J5% $28.00 $31.00 12 SEFA
53 Curtis Restaurant Equipment Inc., Springfield, Ore. (46) H60%, L18%, SW10%, T5%, J2%, F5% $27.89 $34.64 21 ABC, IFED
54 Amundsen Commercial Kitchens, Oklahoma City (59) H80%, L15%, SW4%, F1% $27.83 $25.28 n/a NAFED
55 B&G Restaurant Supply Inc., Pittsfield, Mass. (66) H60%, L10%, SW10%, T12%, P/D1%, J1%, F6% $27.65 $22.70 17 SEFA
56 Thompson & Little, Fayetteville, N.C. (71) H62%, L12%, SW11%, T9%, J2%, F4% $26.05 $21.15 16 SEFA
57 Rapids Wholesale Equipment, Marion, Iowa (53) H69%, L14%, SW9%, T5%, F3% $25.25 $29.60 27 CPG
58 United Restaurant Equipment Company, Raleigh, N.C. (63) H35%, L10%, SW25%, T10%, P/D5%, J10%, F5% $25.02 $24.35 18 CPG, XYZ
59 Restaurant and Store Equipment Co., Salt Lake City (60) $24.90* $24.90* n/a ABC, IFED
60 Penn Jersey Paper Co., Philadelphia (72) H5%, L2%, SW4%, T2%, P/D56%, J30%, F1% $22.93 $20.59** 74 SEFA, Network
61 Culinex, Fargo, N.D. (65) H71%, SW21.7%, P/D0.3%, J1.7%, F5.3% $22.56 $23.49 15 SEFA
62 Restaurant Equipment World, Orlando, Fla. (73) H60%, L15%, SW5%, T5%, P/D5%, J5%, F5% $21.85 $20.20 32 SEFA
63 Burkett Restaurant Equipment, Perryburg, Ohio (61) H70%, L21.6%, SW6%, T0.5%, J1.6%, F0.3% $21.39 $24.62 9 CPG/XYZ
64 Oswalt Restaurant Supply, Oklahoma City (76) H72%, L13%, SW9%, T4%, J1%, F1% $21.33 $18.40 13 SEFA
65 Cook’s Direct, Warrenville, Ill. (68) H43%, L11%, SW25%, T16%, P/D3%, J2% $21.03 $22.09 5 SEFA
66 The Warehouse Store Fixture Company, Waterbury, Conn. (70) H50%, L25%, SW10%, T10%, F5% $20.90 $21.30 5 CPG, XYZ
67 Trendco Supply Inc., Batavia, Ohio (67) H42%, L8%, SW8%, P/D19%, J18%, F4% $20.68 $22.65 19 EXCELL
68 Zesco, Indianapolis (--) $20.00* $20.00* n/a
69 Horizon Equipment, Eagan, Minn. (88) H62%, L21%, SW12%, J1%, F4% $19.89 $16.02 9 SEFA
70 International Restaurant Distributors, Apoka, Fla. (69) H65%, L10%, SW11%, T2%, F12% $19.87 $21.92 8 NAFED
71 Classic Restaurant Supply, Hartford, Conn. (--) $19.75* $19.75* n/a
72 Bintz Restaurant Supply, Salt Lake City (75) H48%, L10%, SW20%, T5%, J7%, F10% $19.32 $18.74 15 SEFA
73 Alto-Hartley Inc., Alexandria, Va. (85) H75%, L13%, SW10%, T1%, F1% $18.92 $16.46 9 NAFED
74 Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design, Huron, Ohio (77) H92%, L6%, F2% $18.91 $18.13 8 SEFA
75 L&M Foodservice, Bullhead City, Ariz. (74) H15%, L5%, SW5%, T10%, P/D40%, J21%, F4% $18.88 $19.86 13 AFFLINK, Pride
76 Associated Food Equipment and Supplies Inc., Gulfport, Miss. (--) H60%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, F5% $18.80 $15.40 16 SEFA
77 Serv-U, Champaign, Ill. (91) $18.70* $15.00* n/a SEFA
78 Jean’s Restaurant Supply, Corpus Christi, Texas (81) H50%, L10%, SW25%, T5%, J5%, F5% $18.00 $17.00 n/a SEFA
79 Bezac Equipment Company, Youngstown, Ohio (--) H48%, L20%, SW20%, T1%, J1%, F10% $17.94 $15.32 6 Pride
80 Bar Boy Products Co. Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y. (80) H35%, L10%, SW30%, T12%, P/D5%, J3%, F5% $17.15 $17.25 22 NAFED, United Group
81 E. Friedman Associates, Brooklyn, N.Y. (81) H80%, L10%, SW5%, T4%, J1% $17.00 $17.00 6 NAFED
81 Gold Star Products, Oak Park, Mich. (83) H35%, L5%, SW25%, T20%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% $17.00 $16.50 14 Pride
83 Dean Supply Co., Cleveland, Ohio (87) H4%, L3%, SW15%, T17%, P/D47%, J14% $16.70 $16.10 11 SEFA, TUG
84 Curtis Restaurant Supply, Tulsa, Okla. (84) H50%, L19%, SW21%, T6%, J3%, F1% $16.60 $16.49 11 NAFED
85 Budget Restaurant Supply, Houston (92) H45%, L10%, SW13%, T10%, P/D2%, J10%, F10% $15.50 $14.70 8 SEFA
86 Economy Restaurant Equipment & Supply Co., San Marcos, Calif. (89) H44%, L28%, SW10%, F18% $15.30 $15.20 11 SEFA
87 Atlas Restaurant Supply, South Bend, Ind. (86) H15%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, P/D25%, J10%, F5% $14.76 $16.15 24 NAFED
88 Lace Foodservice Corporation, Miami (79) H70%, L6%, SW4%, T2%, P/D16%, J1%, F1% $14.75 $17.88 6 NAFED
89 DePaulo & Sons, Baltimore, Md. (96) H15%, L10%, SW15%, T15%, P/D30%, J5%, F10% $14.73 $13.96 12 SEFA
90 Harbour Food Service Equipment Inc., Chelsea, Mass. (93) $14.65* $14.65 n/a ABC
91 United Restaurant Supply, Colorado Springs, Colo. (100) H40%, L20%, SW15%, T10%, P/D10%, J5% $14.50 $12.50 9 PRIDE
92 Curran-Taylor Inc., Canonsburg, Pa. (95) H70%, L9%, SW18%, T2%, F1% $14.09 $14.36 16 Pride
93 FRS Inc, Charleston, S.C. (98) $12.89* $12.89 n/a NAFED
94 NOLA Restaurant Supply & Design, Alexandria, La. (97) $12.50* $13.50 n/a ISE, SEFA
95 Ballentine Equipment Company, Greenville, S.C. (90) H25%, L20%, SW20%, T10%, P/D 5%, J10%, F10% $12.15 $15.10 10 NAFED
96 Lonestar Restaurant Supply, Austin, Texas (78) H35%, L20%, SW25%, T18%, F2% $12.00 $18.00 20
97 F.G. Schaefer Co., (--) Cincinnati H65%, L5%, SW20%, T5%, F5% $11.97 $10.81 6 NAFED
98 Hotel Supply Warehouse, Deerfield Beach, Fla. (99) H50%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F5% $11.42 $12.65 9 Pride
99 Castino Restaurant Equipment & Supply Inc., Rohnert Park, Calif. (--) $10.72 $11.63 11 Pride
100 RichWay LLC dba. Market Source, Oklahoma City (--) H55%, L20%, SW15%, T5%, F5% $10.00 $8.00 7 Pirde