METRO acquires foodservice specialist Caterite

METRO has today acquired the British foodservice specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice. Caterite supplies over 2,000 HoReCa customers in the premium and broad catering sectors with a mix of local and international food products, complemented by value-added products from its own processing. With Caterite’s focus on the tourist-oriented Lake District and surrounding regions, the acquisition helps METRO expand its FSD activities in northern Britain and accelerate nationwide expansion.

(Düsseldorf/Cockermuth) Guillaume Deruyter, board member of METRO AG responsible for the FSD business, states: “We are very pleased to welcome the successful foodservice specialist Caterite as another member of our international FSD family. The employees and management bring not only a strong local presence but also high expertise in the supply business, and we warmly welcome them! METRO sees the acquisition as an opportunity to grow in the attractive British HoReCa market and create synergies with Classic Fine Foods UK. This brings us closer to our strategic goal of gradually increasing the share of delivery in total sales.”

Delivery with 70 multi-temperature trucks

Caterite serves its customers through its main brands Caterite and Grapevine. The company offers a wide range of fresh and frozen foods, value-added products (Caterite brand), and beverages (Grapevine brand), with a focus on fresh products and meat. Key customer segments include hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafés, which are supplied from three locations using 70 multi-temperature trucks. 60% of sales are processed through the company’s webshop, which offers a high level of personalized customer service.

Within METRO, Caterite will complement the activities of the FSD specialist Classic Fine Foods UK, which serves premium customers mainly in the Greater London area, the southwest, and central Britain, creating cross-company synergy potentials. Caterite will initially continue to operate under the established brands and in its existing form but will seek collaboration with CFF UK in areas such as product range, procurement, knowledge transfer, and logistics.

Various FSD specialists acquired

In recent years, METRO has acquired and successfully integrated various FSD specialists. In 2015, METRO acquired the Classic Fine Foods Group, a foodservice specialist with a presence in Asia, the Middle East, and the UK. In 2016, METRO expanded its FSD portfolio with the acquisition of Rungis Express (now R Express), a specialized FSD company focused on the DACH region. In 2017, METRO acquired Pro à Pro, a leading FSD provider in the French market with a focus on institutional customers. In October 2020, METRO acquired the Aviludo Group, the second-largest food supplier in Portugal with over 13,500 HoReCa customers. At the end of 2020, METRO acquired Davigel Spain (later renamed Pro a Pro Spain), a Spanish FSD company with a strong presence in the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. In September 2021, METRO acquired C&C Wholesale Markets GmbH (AGM) in Austria, including the delivery business. Finally, in May 2023, METRO acquired the FSD specialist Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk (JHB), the leading Swedish delivery specialist for meat, fish, and seafood with over 4,000 HoReCa customers in the metropolitan areas of Sweden and Finland.

Photo: © METRO