Hunt's Food Group targets 5% annual sales growth on 10,000-line range

Hunt's Food Group, a fifth-generation family wholesaler supplying more than 6,000 businesses across southern England, south Wales and the Midlands, has set a target of 5% annual sales growth sustained over the next five to ten years. Chief executive Thomas Hunt set out the plan in an interview at the company's Dorset base with Paul Hill.

The business, which started in 1912 with a small dairy herd at Blackmarsh Farm in Sherborne under Ernest Hunt, now employs more than 650 people and stocks more than 10,000 products. Its range spans fresh, chilled and frozen foods, everyday cupboard essentials and beverages, mixing household brands with exclusive own-brand lines. Hunt described the company as "a genuine one-stop partner" for its customers.

What does the growth plan rest on?

Not geography. Hunt said the business has no plans to expand its footprint, relying instead on higher service levels, own-brand penetration and cross-selling newer categories — fresh fruit and vegetables, non-food and artisan cheeses — into the existing customer base. Customer sectors include education, healthcare, hospitality, retail and leisure.

The south-east of England is the one area singled out for future growth. The plan also requires continued investment in vehicles and warehousing, an expansion of the Thorner's farm-to-fork brand, and further Hunt's Food Halls, the company's retail arm.

Two efficiency measures already executed show where the margin logic sits. Last year Hunt's bought a commercial vehicle workshop — an approved MAN dealership (MAN is a truck manufacturer) — to bring fleet maintenance in house, which Hunt said cut costs and improved efficiency. Next year the company will introduce end-to-end scanning to raise operational service levels, alongside wider adoption of technology and AI in internal systems to trim the cost base and sharpen price points for customers.

Where is the pressure on margins?

Wage inflation over the previous five years has driven large increases in labour costs, Hunt said, alongside significant rises in overheads such as fuel, vehicles and refrigeration. The stated aim is to absorb as much of the rising cost base as possible rather than pass it to customers. Mitigation rests on three levers: technology and AI adoption, more efficient vehicle routing, and the in-house workshop purchase.

Sustainability and accreditation as commercial positioning

Hunt's is the second food wholesaler in the UK to hold B Corp Certification (an independent standard for social and environmental performance). It is also a Sunday Times Top 100 employer with Living Wage, Living Hours and Disability Confident accreditations. The company has donated more than £1m to charity over the past four years and reports colleague retention at an all-time high.

Environmental initiatives listed by Hunt include:

• solar panels on all buildings;
• elimination of food waste through work with the Devon and Cornwall Food Action Group, local food banks, and the company canteen and retail outlets;
• tree planting and rewilding projects;
• a fleet running on biodiesel;
• own dairy and beef herds used to minimise ecological footprint while maximising produce quality.

Workforce pipeline

Hunt said the company's gender balance, evidenced in its gender pay gap report, has developed organically and is monitored regularly by HR, with significant recent improvement in operational roles such as warehousing and transport. Recruitment measures include partnerships with local schools, career fairs, holiday work experience, apprenticeships and a promote-from-within culture. A driver's academy takes drivers' mates and van drivers through HGV qualifications and CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) training.

Asked about the new prime minister, Hunt declined to take a position: "We can't alter or influence the political landscape, and time will tell how successful Andy Burnham will be. Our hope is he supports our customer base and hospitality as it plays a vital role in society."

What does this change for independent foodservice distribution in southern Britain? A consolidated one-stop wholesaler holding price through cost inflation, vertical integration in fleet maintenance and farming, and AI-led efficiency — a template for how family-owned regional distributors intend to defend share against national players without expanding their map.