Sales among the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers totaled $10.296 billion in 2018, up 7.82 percent from $9.549 billion in 2017, according to FE&S’ 2019 Distribution Giants study. Sixty-nine percent of the top 100 dealers reported increased sales, up 4 percent from last year. And 22 percent reported a decline in sales, which is 5 percent less compared to last year.
Consolidation continues to have an impact on the list of the top 100 dealers by sales volume. From January 2018 to January 2019, seven dealers were acquired by other dealers. Some of the more recent deals include Great Lakes’ purchase of H-Mak, Innovative Foodservice Group (formerly known as BJ Beltram) bought Louis Wohl & Sons and JES Restaurant Equipment, while Singer Equipment Co. added EVI into its portfolio of divisions.
As a result, this year’s study list includes 7 new companies: Supreme Fixture Co. Inc. (49), Gradys (58), Kitchen Equipment & Supply Co. (77), Commercial Kitchen Supply (79), Deacon Foodservice Solutions (91), Elite Restaurant Equipment (96) and Consolidated Food Equipment Distributors (98).
The active consolidation among the dealer community remains reflective of the overall industry. For example, since January, tabletop manufacturer Oneida sold its foodservice business to Crown Brands and Cornerstone Group purchased Astra Manufacturing; rep group Miller & Stryker Associates merged with Culinary Equipment Group; and foodservice consulting firm Real Food was acquired by golf course management company Troon.
A variety of factors continue to drive merger and acquisition activity across all channels of the foodservice industry, not the least of which is the presence of private equity and its insatiable appetite for topline growth. Other factors include a lack of a succession plan and the desire by dealers to remain relevant in the eyes of customers and manufacturers by increasing the scale of their businesses.
Top Dealers
In terms of dollar growth, Clark Associates led all dealers at $240 million, which is $11 million more than it grew between 2016 and 2017. In addition, TriMark USA saw its sales increase by $194 million, which was down from last year’s growth of $263 million. It’s interesting to note that the dollar growth alone of Clark Associates and TriMark USA would make the companies the industry’s eight and ninth largest dealers respectively.
Dealers with more than $100 million in annual revenues account for 18 percent of the top 100, up 1 percent from last year. Mid-sized dealers, those with annual revenues of $99 million to $20 million, account for 52 percent of the top 100, up 1 percent from last year. Dealers with less than $20 million in annual revenues account for 30 percent of the top 100 dealers.
Market Segment Analysis
By market segment, the top 100 dealers report 75 percent of their 2018 sales came from commercial foodservice operators, with the other 25 percent coming from noncommercial operators. This is relatively consistent with last year’s results.
With respect to commercial operators, the top 100 dealers report 35 percent of their sales come from restaurant chains, similar to last year. Conversely, sales to independent restaurants were 65 percent of dealers’ sales to commercial operators.
The average revenue per salesperson was $2.3 million in 2018, up from $2.2 million in 2017. The average revenue per employee decreased slightly to $575,090 in 2018 from $578,489 in 2017.
| 2018 Rank | COMPANY (‘17 Rank) | ANNUAL ES SALES 2018 (in millions) | ANNUAL ES SALES 2017 (in millions) | # of Salespeople (inside & outside) | BUYING GROUP |
| 1 | TriMark USA Inc., S. Attleboro, Mass. (1) H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% | $1,970.00 | $1,776.00 | 900 | ABC, NexGen, SMA |
| 2 | Clark Associates Inc., Lancaster, Pa. (2)H33%, L11%, SW22%, T7%, P/D17%, J6%, F4% | $1,376.18 | $1,135.62 | 218 | CPG |
| 3 | Edward Don & Co., Woodridge, Ill. (3) H26%, L4%, SW23%, T24%, P/D15%, J6%, F2% | $1,027.00 | $988.00 | 351 | NexGen |
| 4 | Wasserstrom Co., Columbus, Ohio (4) H30%, L10%, SW30%, T23%, P/D3%, J3%, F1% | $673.00 | $697.00 | 335 | NexGen |
| 5 | Singer Equipment Co., Elverson, Pa. (6) H61%, L5%, SW9%, T8%, P/D12%, J4%, F1% | $387.03 | $325.10 | 123 | ABC, NexGen, SMA |
| 6 | Boelter, Waukesha, Wis. (5) | $355.00* | $355.00 | 202 | ABC, NexGen |
| 7 | Bargreen Ellingson Inc., Tacoma, Wash. (7) H35%, L7%, SW31%, T13%, P/D9%, J2%, F3% | $274.00 | $272.00 | 213 | ABC, NexGen |
| 8 | Stafford-Smith Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. (8) H90%, L10% | $220.34 | $201.23 | 78 | CPG, ISE, XYZ |
| 9 | Hubert Co., Harrison, Ohio (9) | $187.70* | $187.21* | n/a | ABC, IFED |
| 10 | Supplies on the Fly, Kennesaw, Ga. (10) H32%, L15%, SW17%, T25%, P/D5%,J4%, F2% | $169.50 | $146.00 | 37 | SEFA |
| 11 | KaTom Restaurant Supply Inc., Kodak, Tenn. (14) H30%, L30%, SW10%, T20%, J5%, F5% | $158.46 | $131.55 | 44 | ABC, IFED |
| 12 | Johnson-Lancaster & Associates Inc., Clearwater, Fla. (11) H58%, L24%, SW9%, T2%, J2%, F5% | $149.50 | $133.00 | 75 | SEFA |
| 13 | Central Restaurant Products, Indianapolis (13) H60%, L15%, SW11%, T4%, J3%, F7% | $137.00 | $132.00 | 58 | ABC, IFED |
| 14 | Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, San Antonio, Texas (16) H27%, L15%, SW30%, T14%, P/D2%, J4%, F8% | $130.24 | $124.60 | 184 | ABC, IFED |
| 15 | Mission Restaurant Supply Company, San Antonio, Texas (12) H79%, L4%, SW10%, T3%, P/D1%, J1%, F2% | $128.01 | $132.27 | 86 | CPG, XYZ |
| 16 | Duray/J.F. Duncan Industries, Downey, Calif. (15) H95%, L5% | $115.00 | $129.00 | 20 | CPG |
| 17 | C&T Design & Equipment Co., Indianapolis, Ind. (17) H80%, L15%, SW3%, F2% | $107.20 | $109.50 | 53 | SEFA |
| 18 | Innovative Foodservice Group, Tampa, Fla. (26) H47%, L15%, SW25%, T6%, P/D1%, J1%, F5% | $101.10 | $70.26 | 82 | ABC, IFED |
| 19 | Hotel & Restaurant Supply, Meridian, Miss. (19) H40%, L20%, SW20%, T10%, J5%, F5% | $94.07 | $88.91 | 35 | ABC, NexGen |
| 20 | Action Sales, Monterey Park, Calif. (18) H40%, L20%, SW25%, T10%, J3%, F2% | $93.57 | $92.44 | 60 | SEFA |
| 21 | The Sam Tell Companies, Farmingdale, N.Y. (20) H28%, L6%, SW24%, T26%, P/D9%, J4%, F3% | $88.28 | $83.89 | 62 | ABC, IFED |
| 22 | Concept Services Inc., Austin, Texas (22) | $85.60* | $81.52* | n/a | CPG |
| 23 | East Bay Rest. Supply Inc., Oakland, Calif. (24) | $79.50* | $75.72* | n/a | CPG |
| 24 | Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co., Southfield, Mich. (27) H70%, L10%, SW10%, T5%, P/D5% | $79.00 | $68.00 | 12 | SEFA |
| 25 | Tundra Restaurant Supply, Boulder, Colo. (23) H22%, L6%, SW42%, T2%, P/D6%, J2%, F20% | $77.92 | $79.24 | 16 | PRIDE |
| 26 | Aydelott Equipment, Centerville, Ohio (25) H30%, SW35%, F35% | $70.00 | $73.00 | 14 | |
| 26 | Culinary Depot, Monsey, N.Y. (29) H44%, L20%, SW18%, T8%, J5%, F5% | $70.00 | $64.00 | 30 | SEFA |
| 28 | BHS Foodservice Solutions (Formerly Buffalo Hotel Supply), Amherst, N.Y. (28) | $68.25* | $65.00 | 18 | ABC, IFED |
| 29 | Mobile Fixture & Equipment Co., Mobile, Ala. (30) H50%, L10%, SW20%, T10%, P/D3%, J2%, F5% | $63.60 | $60.75 | 43 | CPG, XYZ |
| 30 | Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc., Agawam, Mass. (31) H54%, L15%, SW15%, T8%, P/D4%, J2%, F2% | $57.30 | $52.70 | 40 | ABC, IFED |
| 31 | Myers Restaurant Supply, Santa Rosa, Calif. (32) H56%, L13%, SW15%, T10%, J1%, F5% | $49.10 | $48.45 | 33 | SEFA |
| 32 | Fortier Inc., Conway, Ark. (36) H50%, L40%, SW10% | $45.00 | $40.00 | 14 | NAFED |
| 33 | General Hotel and Restaurant Supply, Miami (33) | $43.75* | $43.75* | n/a | ABC, IFED |
| 34 | Arizona Restaurant Supply, Tucson, Ariz. (35) | $42.32* | $40.30* | n/a | SEFA |
| 35 | Kirby Restaurant Supply, Longview, Texas (34) H52%, L5%, SW5%, T2%, J35%, F1% | $42.00 | $41.00 | 35 | SEFA |
| 36 | State Restaurant Equipment Co., Las Vegas (41) H10%, L5%, SW24%, T60%, J1% | $41.02 | $35.85 | 14 | SEFA |
| 37 | Alliance Paper & Foodservice, Franklin Park, Ill. (37) | $39.00* | $39.00 | 13 | PRIDE, SMA |
| 38 | Ford Hotel Supply Co. Inc., St. Louis, Mo. (39) | $36.80* | $36.80* | n/a | ABC, IFED |
| 39 | Avanti Restaurant Solutions, Costa Mesa, Calif. (46) H70%, L20%, F10% | $36.61 | $30.94 | 3 | SEFA |
| 40 | Best Restaurant Equipment & Design Inc., Columbus, Ohio (40) | $36.00* | $36.00* | n/a | SEFA |
| 41 | Zesco, Indianapolis (68) | $35.00* | $35.00*** | n/a | |
| 42 | Douglas Equipment, Bluefield, W.V.(42) H67%, L20%, SW7%, T2%, J1%, F3% | $33.88 | $35.17 | 24 | ABC, IFED |
| 43 | Dykes Foodservice Solutions, Inc., Huntsville, Ala. (47) H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F10% | $33.80 | $30.90 | 22 | ABC, IFED |
| 44 | Thompson & Little, Fayetteville, N.C. (56) H62%, L12%, SW11%, T9%, J2%, F4% | $33.63 | $26.05 | 16 | SEFA |
| 45 | Amundsen Commercial Kitchens, Oklahoma City, Okla. (54) H75%, L20%, SW4%, F1% | $33.13 | $27.83 | 10 | IFED |
| 46 | Birmingham Restaurant Supply Inc. (BRESCO), Birmingham, Ala. (44) H70%, L9%, SW16%, T3%, J1% F1% | $33.07 | $33.41 | 15 | ABC, IFED |
| 47 | B&G Restaurant Supply, Inc., Pittsfield, Mass. (55) H60%, L10%, SW10%, T12%, P/D1%, J1%, F6% | $31.70 | $27.65 | 19 | SEFA |
| 48 | Kamran & Co. Inc., Santa Barbara, Calif. (48) | $31.61* | $30.10* | n/a | PRIDE |
| 49 | Boston Showcase Co., Newton Highlands, Mass. (49) H45%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, J5%, F5% | $30.00 | $29.00 | 9 | PRIDE |
| 49 | Supreme Fixture Co. Inc., Little Rock, Ark. (--) H85%, L9%, SW5%, T1% | $30.00 | $26.00 | 9 | PRIDE |
| 51 | Alack Refrigeration Co., Hammond, La. (50) | $29.93* | $28.50* | 34 | CPG, XYZ |
| 52 | Curtis Restaurant Equipment Inc., Springfield, Ore. (53) H60%, L18%, SW10%, T5%, J2%, F5% | $29.90 | $27.89 | 21 | ABC, IFED |
| 53 | ACityDiscount, Norcross, Ga. (45) H51%, L29%, SW9%, T4%, J1%, F6% | $29.38 | $32.83 | 17 | NAFED |
| 54 | W. West Equipment & Furnishings Co., Denver (43) H90%, L10% | $29.25 | $33.67 | 14 | SEFA |
| 55 | The Warehouse Store Fixture Company, Waterbury, Conn. (66) H50%, L25%, SW10%, T10%, F5% | $27.84 | $20.90 | 5 | CPG, XYZ |
| 56 | Rapids Wholesale Equipment, Marion, Iowa (57) H70%, L14%, SW8%, T5%, F3% | $27.68 | $25.25 | 29 | CPG |
| 57 | Burkett Restaurant Equipment, Perryburg, Ohio (63) H75.3%, L17%, SW6.4%, T0.5%, J0.3%, F0.5% | $27.58 | $21.39 | 12 | CPG, XYZ |
| 58 | Gradys, Pueblo, Colo. (--) H45%, L20%, SW25%, T10% | $26.50 | $16.60 | 6 | SEFA |
| 59 | United Restaurant Equipment Company, Raleigh, N.C. (58) H35%, L10%, SW25%, T10%, P/D5%, J10%, F5% | $25.63 | $25.02 | 19 | CPG, XYZ |
| 60 | Manning Bros. Food Service Equip. Co. Inc., Athens, Ga. (52) H50%, L20%, SW20%, T3%, P/D2%, J5% | $25.00 | $28.00 | 17 | SEFA |
| 61 | Restaurant and Store Equipment Co., Salt Lake City, Utah (59) | $24.90* | $24.90* | n/a | ABC, IFED |
| 61 | Restaurant Equipment World, Orlando, Fla. (62) H60%, L15%, SW5%, T5%, P/D5%, J5%, F5% | $24.90 | $21.85 | 33 | SEFA |
| 63 | Cook’s Direct, Warrenville, Ill. (65) H48%, L10%, SW25%, T12%, P/D3%, J2% | $23.36 | $21.03 | 11 | SEFA |
| 64 | Culinex, Fargo, N.D. (61) H71%, SW21.7%, P/D0.3%, J1.7%, F5.3% | $22.51 | $22.56 | 12 | SEFA |
| 65 | Alto-Hartley Inc., Alexandria, Va. (73) H70%, L15%, SW10%, T3%, J1%, F1% | $21.50 | $18.92 | 12 | NAFED |
| 66 | Oswalt Restaurant Supply, Oklahoma City (64) H74%, L14%, SW7%, T3%, J1%, F1% | $21.05 | $21.33 | 14 | SEFA |
| 67 | Jean’s Restaurant Supply, Corpus Christi, Texas (78) H50%, L10%, SW25%, T5%, J5%, F5% | $21.00 | $18.00 | n/a | SEFA |
| 68 | International Restaurant Distributors, Apoka, Fla. (70) H70%, L7%, SW11%, T2%, F10% | $20.98 | $19.87 | 8 | NAFED |
| 69 | Bezac Equipment Company, Youngstown, Ohio (79) H48%, L20%, SW20%, T1%, J1%, F10% | $20.80 | $17.94 | 6 | PRIDE |
| 70 | Horizon Equipment, Eagan, Minn. (69) H62%, L21%, SW12%, J1%, F4% | $20.46 | $19.89 | 9 | SEFA |
| 71 | Bintz Restaurant Supply, Salt Lake City, Utah (72) H48%, L10%, SW20%, T5%, J7%, F10% | $20.41 | $19.32 | 15 | SEFA |
| 72 | Associated Food Equipment and Supplies Inc., Gulfport, Miss. (76) H60%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, F5% | $18.22 | $18.80 | 24 | SEFA |
| 73 | Trendco Supply Inc., Batavia, Ohio (67) H44%, L10%, SW8%, P/D18%, J14%, F5% | $18.11 | $20.68 | 20 | EXCELL |
| 74 | Classic Restaurant Supply, Hartford, Conn. (71) | $18.00* | $19.75* | n/a | |
| 75 | Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design, Huron, Ohio (74) H92%, L6%, F2% | $17.84 | $18.91 | 8 | SEFA |
| 76 | L&M Foodservice, Bullhead City, Ariz. (75) H15%, L5%, SW5%, T10%, P/D40%, J21%, F4% | $17.80 | $18.88 | 13 | AFFLINK, PRIDE |
| 77 | Kitchen Equipment & Supply Company (KESCO), Pensacola, Fla. (--) H55%, L15%, SW25%, F5% | $17.50 | $15.85 | 22 | SEFA |
| 77 | Lace Foodservice Corporation, Miami (88) H70%, L6%, SW4%, T2%, P/D16%, J1%, F1% | $17.50 | $14.75 | 6 | NAFED |
| 79 | Commercial Kitchen Supply, Centerville, Utah (--) H70%, L20%, SW5%, F5% | $17.31 | $15.79 | n/a | PRIDE |
| 80 | E. Friedman Associates, Brooklyn, N.Y. (81) H80%, L10%, SW5%, T4%, J1% | $17.20 | $17.00 | 6 | NAFED |
| 81 | Bar Boy Products Co. Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y. (80) H35%, L10%, SW30%, T12%, P/D5%, J3%, F5% | $17.18 | $17.15 | 27 | NAFED, |
| 82 | Dean Supply Co., Cleveland, Ohio (83) H4%, L3%, SW15%, T17%, P/D47%, J14% | $17.02 | $16.70 | 11 | PRIDE, TUG |
| 83 | Gold Star Products, Oak Park, Mich. (81) H35%, L5%, SW25%, T20%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% | $17.00 | $17.00 | 14 | SEFA |
| 84 | Curtis Restaurant Supply, Tulsa, Okla. (84) H52%, L17%, SW21%, T6%, P/D1%, J3% | $16.73 | $16.60 | 11 | NAFED |
| 85 | Harbour Food Service Equipment Inc., Chelsea, Mass. (90) H55%, L11%, SW10%, T16%, J5%, F3% | $16.71 | $14.73** | 8 | SEFA |
| 86 | Budget Restaurant Supply, Houston (85) H45%, L10%, SW13%, T10%, P/D2%, J10%, F10% | $16.10 | $15.50 | 8 | SEFA |
| 86 | Economy Restaurant Equipment & Supply Co., San Marcos, Calif. (86) H44%, L28%, SW10%, F18% | $16.10 | $15.30 | 11 | SEFA |
| 88 | Atlas Restaurant Supply, South Bend, Ind. (87) H15%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, P/D25%, J10%, F5% | $15.01 | $14.76 | 24 | NAFED |
| 89 | Serv-U, Champaign, Ill. (77) | $15.00 | $18.70 | n/a | SEFA |
| 90 | Curran-Taylor Inc., Canonsburg, Pa. (92) H72%, L7%, SW19%, T1%, F1% | $14.72 | $14.09 | 15 | PRIDE |
| 91 | Deacon Foodservice Solutions LLC, Charlotte, N.C. (--) H80%, L5%, SW10%, F5% | $14.48 | $11.50 | 6 | SEFA |
| 92 | United Restaurant Supply, Colorado Springs, Colo. (91) H60%, SW30%, P/D5%, J5% | $14.07 | $14.30** | 8 | PRIDE |
| 93 | NOLA Restaurant Supply & Design, Alexandria, La. (94) | $13.13* | $12.50* | n/a | ISE |
| 94 | Ballentine Equipment Company, Greenville, S.C. (95) H25%, L20%, SW20%, T10%, P/D 5%, J10%, F10% | $12.76* | $12.15 | 10 | NAFED |
| 95 | F.G. Schaefer Co., Cincinnati (97) | $12.57* | $11.97 | 6 | NAFED |
| 96 | Elite Restaurant Equipment, Newark, N.J. (--) H70%, L20%, SW4%, T1%, J1%, F4% | $12.00 | $10.80 | 5 | |
| 97 | FRS Inc., Charleston, S.C. (93) H49%, L12%, SW23%, T7%, P/D1%, J4%, F4% | $11.98 | $12.62** | 25 | NAFED |
| 98 | Consolidated Food Equipment Distributors, Akron, Ohio (--) H85%, L10%, F5% | $11.80 | $11.30 | 16 | PRIDE |
| 99 | Castino Restaurant Equipment & Supply Inc., Rohnert Park, Calif. (99) | $10.72* | $10.72 | 11 | PRIDE |
| 100 | Hotel Supply Warehouse, Deerfield Beach, Fla. (98) H50%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F5% | $10.33 | $11.42 | 9 |
PRIDE |
*FE&S estimate **Revised 2017 sales number H = Heavy Equipment L = Light Equipment SM = Smallwares T = Tabletop P/D = Paper and Disposables J = Jan/San F = Furnishings
