Brake Bros
Private Limited Company | |
Industry | Non-specialised wholesale food, etc |
Headquarters | Ashford, Kent, United Kingdom |
Area served | UK, Ireland, France, Sweden |
Key people | Kennedy McMeikan (CEO) [1] |
Owner | Sysco |
Website |
www |
Brakes (also Brake Bros Ltd) is a distribution company supplying food, drink and other products mainly to the catering (or 'foodservice') industry in the UK, Ireland, France and Sweden through more than 70 distribution centers.[2] It provides delivered wholesale and contract logistical services.[3][4][5] The company was created in 1958 and headquartered in Ashford, United Kingdom. Brake Bros Limited has been a subsidiary of Sysco Corporation since July 5, 2016 when the latter bought it for $3.1bn.[1][6]
Brakes Group
The Brakes Group comprises a family of specialist businesses, made up of many divisions:
- Brakes
- M&J Seafood
- Country Choice (Including Bake & Bite)
- Pauleys
- Prime Meats
- Brakes Catering Equipment
- Wild Harvest
- Creative Foods - Ready Meals Manufacturer
- Brakes Logistics
- Brake France
- Menigo Sweden
- Woodward Foodservice
- Brakes Foodservice Ltd
In addition to the Head Office in Enterprise Park, Ashford, and the Group Head Office in Covent Garden, London, the group has offices and distribution depots around the UK and France, including separate head offices for each division.
List of Brakes depots around the UK
- Aylesford
- Harlow
- Premier Park
- Reading
- Grantham
- Tamworth
- Coventry
- Bristol
- Warrington
- Eastleigh
- Bodmin
- Bridgend
- Corby
Company history
2007 | Bain Capital acquired Brakes from Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. |
2005 | Brakes becomes partner in Nectar For Business a loyalty card for businesses |
2004 | Brakes opens its Food Innovation Centre in London Covent Garden - a first in foodservice the FIC is a place where Brakes presents its food and works on menu development to customers and is used for industry events. Brakes launches Prime Meats its specialist meat division offering complete transparency and traceability for the caterer. |
2002 | Major rebranding took place. To project a strong, cohesive force within the food service industry, the business became known as Brakes. The company's major shareholders (the Brake family) decided to sell their shareholding and the business was subsequently sold to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, an American investment company. |
2001 | Major acquisitions in France, including buying group, Carigel. |
1999 | Purchase of Cearns & Brown (an ambient supplier subsequently merged with Watson & Philip) and M&J Seafood (specialist seafood suppliers). |
1998 | Acquisition of Watson & Philip Foodservice (ambient & chilled grocery products). |
1995 | Purchase of Puritan Maid (contract distribution). |
1992 | The beginning of a prolonged period of growth and development. Acquisition of Country Choice (bakery). |
1991 | The company was looking outside of its traditional frozen food market with a view to further expansion. Accordingly, the name was changed once again. Brake Bros Foodservice Ltd came into being on 12 March. |
1986 | To ensure sufficient investment to allow for continued growth, the company was floated on the stock exchange. |
1977 | The name of the company was changed to Brake Bros (Frozen Foods) Ltd on 1 July, to reflect the new direction. |
1974 | Poultry processing ceased as the decision was taken to expand the frozen food side of the business. |
1969 | With frozen food becoming more popular, the next logical step was to produce their own ready meals. The cooked food factory opened at Lenham producing multi-portion meals, mainly aimed at the pub market, as well as meat products such as burgers. |
1963 | Believing the freezing of food to be the way forward, the brothers began to distribute frozen foods alongside the main business of selling poultry. |
1961 | Brake Bros (Poultry Packers) Ltd was incorporated on 30 October. The business carried out poultry processing and packing, specialising in delivering poultry to caterers in Kent and London. |
1958 | Business established by William, Frank and Peter Brake supplying poultry to caterers. The brothers all had catering training and, being sons of licensees, had attended the LVS (Licensed Victuallers Society) School. |
Acquisitions
UK Acquisitions since flotation in November 1986
Woodward Foodservice Ltd | September | 2008 |
Peters Food services Ltd | November | 2004 |
W Pauley & Co Limited | October | 2002 |
Seafoodirect | August | 2002 |
Scotia Campbell Marine Limited | October | 2001 |
Bertello | July | 2001 |
Roach Frozen Foods | March | 2001 |
Cearns & Brown Limited | July | 2000 |
M&J Seafoods (Wholesale) Ltd | March | 2000 |
Bayliss & Sons | August | 1999 |
Watson & Philip Foodservice | October | 1998 |
G R Tanner Co (Tanner Frozen Foods) | July | 1997 |
Dairyfresh Desserts Limited | March | 1997 |
Puritan Maid Limited | November | 1995 |
P&B Fine Foods | October | 1995 |
Woods Frozen Foods | March | 1995 |
Runnymede Frozen Foods | July | 1994 |
Jesse Robinson (Nottingham) Limited | February | 1994 |
Country Choice Foods Group limited | May | 1993 |
Bentley's Frozen Foods Limited | April | 1993 |
Feathers Fresh 'n' Frozen Foods Limited | March | 1993 |
Deben Valley Foods | June | 1992 |
Anderson's Frozen Foods Limited | May | 1992 |
Double A Foods | April | 1992 |
Peterson's Food Co | March | 1992 |
First Frozen Foods | March | 1992 |
Everfresh Frozen Foods Limited | November | 1991 |
London Larder Limited | September | 1991 |
Peter Hooper Frozen Foods Limited | June | 1991 |
Midfish Limited | March | 1991 |
Rossfrost | November | 1990 |
Peter Shaw Products | September | 1990 |
Caterfrost | June | 1990 |
Elmdale Foods Limited | May | 1990 |
Spring Valley Foods Limited | December | 1989 |
S H Wickett & Son Limited | October | 1989 |
VJG Foods | April | 1989 |
Cardigan Frozen Foods | February | 1988 |
Scotia Frozen Foods Limited | November | 1987 |
France Acquisitions since flotation in November 1986
Rault | March | 2008 |
Bertello | July | 2001 |
Valette SA | May | 2001 |
DISPAS (depot of trappes) | May | 2001 |
Szymczak Nadreau SA | December | 2000 |
Ingagel | December | 2000 |
Voladis | November | 2000 |
KING GEL | June | 1999 |
Figel | January | 1999 |
DISPAS (depot of trappes) | January | 1999 |
DISPAS (depot of Sete) | May | 1998 |
DRV SA (Vermes) | July | 1996 |
Frigosud SA | August | 1995 |
Odial SA | August | 1995 |
Dorcier SA | April | 1993 |
Picardie Volailles SA | February | 1993 |
Cogehalles SA | February | 1992 |
Anjou Surgelation SA | February | 1992 |
References
- 1 2 "Company Overview of Brake Bros Limited". Bloomberg. 2 June 2017.
- ↑ "BRAKE BROS LIMITED Competition". Hoovers. 2017.
- ↑ Aldrik, Philip. "Brake Brothers sold to US investment firm". telegraph.com.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "brakesgroup". brakesgroup.com. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "Brake Bros". simmons-simmons.com. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- ↑ "Brakes sold to US company Sysco in $3.1bn deal". The Guardian. 22 February 2016.