http://www.cateringinsight.com / FEBRUARY 2018 / C AT E R I N G INSIGHT 23SPECIAL REPORT / KITC H E N HOUSE REVE NUENET PROFITS
We couldn’t complete this report
without mentioning the biggest
catering equipment reseller in the
country, Nisbets. While we haven’t
included the Bristol-based giant in the
definition of a ‘kitchen house’ for the
purposes of this list, there’s no doubt
that it leads the way in terms of pure
catering equipment sales revenue.
Its trading results for the year
ended 31 December 2016 showed
that turnover was up by over 25%,
with £321.1m posted for that year,
compared to £255.4m for the 12
months prior. Profits before tax of
£34.1m also represent a 7% increase
from 2015’s £26m.
The catering equipment supply
giant believes its acquisitions of
four businesses; Mitre Linen, Space
Catering, Bradshaw Microwave and
Rowlett Rutland, have helped to drive
its successes.
When investigating other major
web-based dealers for this feature,
Alliance Online was another top
performer. As it also deals with a large
amount of catering consumables
and doesn’t focus on design and
outfit (though it has some provision),
again, we couldn’t include it in the
main list, but it definitely deserves an
honourable mention.
Alliance’s 2016 revenue was a huge
£113.8m, representing a 15% growth
from 2015’s figure of £99.1m. Likewise,
operating profit grew nearly 10%from year to year, from £7.3m to £8m.
Another notable online firm
making waves is Ulverston-based
Cater-Kwik. Its 2016 financial report
shows that it turned over £13.8m,
which matched 2015’s total too. On
the operating profits side of things
however, the figures slightly reduced,
from £564,619 to £536,852, marking
an almost 5 % fall.21
Nisbets’ wide
selection of
equipment brands
is one reason for its
runaway success.0816322440482010 2011 2012 2012-1317.4201429.4201534.5201642.0Turnover (£m)
04008001,6001,2002,0002,4002010 2011 2012 2012-13567
20141,610201539820161,810Operating Profit (£’000)*
And so, drumroll please, our top kitchen house performer for this year
is the Airedale Group, coming in with a £42m turnover in the 12 months
until 31 December 2016. The group perhaps has a slight advantage
over the rest of the pack, as consolidated results include those from
Airedale Catering Equipment, fabricator Caterform and SCCUK, the
Weymouth-based dealer Airedale acquired in 2014. But the latest
revenue represents nearly 18% growth on 2015’s figure of £34.5m. Profit
before taxation has performed a 180° switch, with 2016’s result standing
at £1.6m profit compared to a loss of £118,000 the year before.
Likewise operating profit increased from a dip of £398,000 in 2015 to
a massive £1.8m the following year. During the year, the group achieved
growth of 20% benefiting from its national service network. However,
gross profit margin figures slipped slightly from 26% to 24%. The firm
feels that Ebitda is a more relevant measure for the business than bottom
line profits though, and for the group overall this was over £3m in 2016.
Nevertheless, you will see that there are no figures here prior to
- This is because the full group was only incorporated that year.
Furthermore, the original accounting period changed in 2012, so the 2012-
13 results encompass figures from 30 October 2012 to 31 December 2013.
For the Airedale Catering Equipment division individually, the latest
financial report was similarly healthy. A turnover of £28.7m for year
ending 31 December 2016 marked a 28% increase on 2015’s £22.3m
figures. Profit before taxation was up from £1.1m in 2015 to £2.5m last
year, and the gross profit margin also grew from 24% to 25%. The
division had higher payroll costs during the year (£570,000 more
than the prior year) and had a higher orderbook and sales pipeline at
31 December 2016 than at 31 December 2015. - Airedale Group
2016 Vital Statistics
Turnover: £42.0m (+18%)
Operating profit: £1.8m (354%)
Financial year end: 31 December
*Figures not publicly available prior to 2012