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Former UK retail wholesaler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palmer and Harvey plc (also known as P&H, formerly Palmer & Harvey McLane plc) was a UK-based wholesaler that serviced the multiples and convenience sectors.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2013) |
| |
| Company type | Private Employee Owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | P&H House, 106–112 Davigdor Road, Hove, East Sussex , England |
Area served | United Kingdom |
Key people |
|
| £34 million [when?] [citation needed] | |
Number of employees | 3,400 [citation needed] |
| Subsidiaries | Mace |
| Website | www |
Headquartered in Hove, East Sussex, and privately owned, it was the UK's largest delivered wholesaler, and the 5th largest private company in the UK.[1] It has an integrated national distribution network across 14 sites in the UK. The company was founded in 1925 as a traditional confectionery and tobacco wholesaler. Palmer and Harvey has been the UK's largest wholesaler working with a diverse range of 90,000 retailers.
On 28 November 2017, Palmer and Harvey fell into administration, with the immediate loss of 2,500 jobs, due in part to low profit margins and problems with working capital. A small number of staff were temporarily retained to assist in the orderly closure of the business.[1][2]
Palmer and Harvey had four business platforms: Distribution, Multiple Retail, Independent Retail and Wholesale. Each is aimed at the needs of a broad client base, supplying customers with a range of produce from fresh sandwiches to shoelaces.[3]
Palmer and Harvey Wholesale and Distribution was the UK's largest wholesale distributor, supplying ambient, grocery, chilled and frozen foods, health and home products to a diverse range of retail outlets, including supermarkets, multiple forecourts and convenience store operators. Palmer and Harvey's customer base included Costcutter, Esso, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, Welcome Break, Moto and the grocery multiples Tesco and Sainsbury's. The company had grown significantly in 1968 with the purchase of part of the loss making wholesaling business of Cavenham Foods.[4][5]
The loss of the partnership distribution contract for convenience chain McColl's (MMRG) to Morrisons in 2017 brought about the collapse of the Palmer & Harvey into Administration.[6]
Palmer and Harvey owns WS Retail, a symbol group that operates under the Central Stores banner. The group is based in Ringwood, Hampshire.
Palmer and Harvey Direct Ltd offers more than 50,000 smaller retailers an opportunity to buy from a range of products through the direct-to-door van delivery services P&H Snacksdirect, P&H Sweetdirect and P&H Direct.
Palmer and Harvey underwent management buy outs in 2002 and 2008, the latter led by Chief Executive Chris Etherington in a deal which valued the business at £330m. The equity of Palmer and Harvey is held by current and former employees. Since 2008 almost £77 million was paid to senior employees before the company collapsed with debts of £65 million. Chris Etherington has faced calls to repay a £3.4 million loan he received from the company that would only normally be repayable if he sold his (now worthless) shares in the business. The failed company has a pension fund with a deficit of £80 million. The Sunday Times quoted PricewaterhouseCoopers as saying: “In line with their statutory responsibilities, the administrators will investigate the circumstances leading to the failure of the business in due course.”[7][8][9]
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