Food wholesaler Thomas Ridley sees 18% growth

New service initiatives and increased investment in technology have driven year-on-year growth of 18% for foodservice wholesaler Thomas Ridley.

Its redeveloped website introduced a ‘quick order’ system. Customers can also create their own bespoke menus so reordering specific ingredients is more convenient. Orders can also be added by uploading a spreadsheet.

The changes have also simplified allergen controls, allowing businesses to cut a particular ingredient from an order.

Darren Osborn, the ecommerce director at Thomas Ridley Foodservice, said: “As a foodservice wholesaler, our motivation is always around how we can make business simpler for our customers by making it easy for them to do business with us."

The business reported that it has achieved a zero-landfill status by taking back all cardboard and plastic packaging from customer orders and sending it to recycling centres. Over the last year it has recycled 100 tons of cardboard and 20 tons of plastic.

In April it launched the Thomas Ridley Development Kitchen to provide innovative training facilities for customer and industry personnel. The kitchen features overhead cameras and presentation screens. It has provided menu development, training and dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) recipes for care catering operators across different sectors.

Thomas Ridley distribution centre is just outside of Bury St Edmunds. It is currently halfway through a five-year plan to hit a £100m turnover.