Distribution Giants

FE&S’s annual proprietary research results in the listing of the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers by sales volume.

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2020 Distribution Giants

Sales among the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers totaled $11.06 billion in 2019, up 7.9 percent from 2018’s total of $10.25 billion, according to FE&S’ 2020 Distribution Giants study. This year, sales increased for 70 percent of the dealers within the top 100, while 26 percent reported a decline in sales. Four percent of dealers reported no change in sales.

2020 distribution GiantsCloser examination of the reported sales figures provides a slightly more telling look at how the top 100 foodservice equipment and supplies dealers fared in 2019. For example, 19 of the top 100 dealers reported sales that were essentially flat, meaning their revenues were the same as the previous year or increased or decreased by roughly 1 percent to 2 percent.

Top Dealers

In terms of dollar growth, Clark Associates led all dealers with an increase of $218 million. This marks the second consecutive year Clark Associates has led the top 100 in sales growth as measured by dollars. To provide some context, Clark Associates’ increase alone would make it the ninth largest foodservice equipment and supplies dealer in the country.

Charts for Biggest Movers by Dollar Volume, Biggest Movers by Percentage of Sales Increase and Annual Sales for Distribution GiantsIt’s also worth noting that TriMark USA became the first foodservice equipment and supplies dealer to break the $2 billion mark in terms of annual revenue thanks to $130 million in sales growth in 2019. Interestingly, during a January 2020 presentation at the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry (MAFSI) Conference outside of San Diego, then TriMark CEO Jerry Hyman said the Massachusetts-based dealer averages $8 million in sales daily or $40 million per workweek. Hyman also feels the dealer community remains ripe for consolidation, one of several factors that have fueled TriMark’s growth in recent years. In fact, between 2007 and 2018 TriMark made 10 acquisitions.

Consolidation did impact the list of the top 100 dealers by sales volume in the 2020 study, just not as big as in previous years. This year only two purchases affected the top 100: Edward Don & Co.’s acquisition of Myers Restaurant Supply and Johnson-Lancaster and Associates’ purchase of Bezac. This is five fewer deals than last year.

One key factor driving the continued success of TriMark, Clark Associates and other fast-growing members of the top 100 dealers is an omni channel approach, meaning having the ability to serve a diverse collection of customers in the manner of their choice. “Successful dealers will play in all channels,” Hyman told the MAFSI audience, “have an e-commerce presence and serve all operator channels. The mix will be important.”

Dealers with more than $100 million in annual revenues account for 18 percent of the top 100, the same as last year. Midsized dealers, those with annual revenues of $99 million to $20 million, account for 52 percent of the top 100. 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 76 percent of their 2019 sales came from commercial foodservice operators, up 1 percent from last year. Dealers report the remaining 24 percent of their sales come from noncommercial operators.

With respect to commercial operators, the top 100 dealers report 36 percent of their sales come from restaurant chains, up 1 percent from last year. Conversely, sales to independent restaurants were 64 percent of dealers’ sales to commercial operators.

The average revenue per salesperson was $2.34 million in 2019, a slight uptick from the 2018 average of $2.3 million and in line with 2017 levels. The average revenue per employee increased to $674,030, up significantly from $575,090 in 2018 and $578,489 in 2017.

2019 Rank COMPANY (‘18 Rank) ANNUAL ES SALES 2019 (in millions) ANNUAL ES SALES 2018 (in millions) # of Salespeople (inside & outside) BUYING GROUP
1 TriMark USA Inc., Mansfield, Mass. (1) H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% $2,100.00 $1,970.00 900 ABC, NexGen, Network
2 Clark Associates Inc., Lancaster, Pa. (2) H32%, L12%, SW20%, T7%, P/D18%, J7%, F4% $1,594.20 $1,376.18 269 CPG
3 Edward Don & Co., Woodridge, Ill. (3) H26%, L4%, SW23%, T24%, P/D15%, J6%, F2% $1,125.60 $1,027.00 351 NexGen
4 Wasserstrom Co., Columbus, Ohio (4) H30%, L10%, SW30%, T23%, P/D3%, J3%, F1% $702.00 $673.00 335 NexGen
5 Singer Equipment Co., Elverson, Pa. (5) H65%, L5%, SW8%, T7%, P/D11%, J3%, F1% $446.29 $385.35** 137 ABC, NexGen, Network
6 Boelter, Waukesha, Wis. (6) H53%, L1%, SW9%, T18%, P/D16%, J1%, F2% $341.00 $335.00** 202 ABC, NexGen
7 Bargreen Ellingson Inc., Tacoma, Wash. (7) H33%, L9%, SW27%, T16%, P/D10%, J2%, F3% $285.00 $274.00 223 ABC, NexGen
8 Stafford-Smith Inc., Kalamazoo, Mich. (8) H90%, L10% $241.23 $220.34 83 CPG, ISE, XYZ
9 Hubert Co., Harrison, Ohio (9) $200.84* $187.7* n/a ABC, IFED
10 KaTom Restaurant Supply Inc., Kodak, Tenn. (11) H30%, L30%, SW10%, T20%, J5%, F5% $200.03 $158.46 48 ABC, IFED
11 Supplies on the Fly, Kennesaw, Ga. (10) H33%, L16%, SW15%, T24%, P/D6%,J4%, F2% $194.50 $169.50 47 SEFA
12 Johnson-Lancaster and Associates Inc., Clearwater, Fla. (12)H58%, L24%, SW9%, T2%, J2%, F5% $189.50 $149.50 89 SEFA
13 Central Restaurant Products, Indianapolis (13) H63%, L14%, SW11%, T4%, J3%, F5% $139.00 $137.00 58 ABC, IFED
14 Mission Restaurant Supply Company, San Antonio (15)H79%, L4%, SW10%, T3%, P/D1%, J1%, F2% $131.03 $128.01 79 CPG, XYZ
15 Duray/J.F. Duncan Industries, Downey, Calif. (16) H95%, L5% $131.00 $115.00 20 CPG
16 Ace Mart Restaurant Supply, San Antonio (14) H27%, L15%, SW30%, T14%, P/D2%, J4%, F8% $128.67 $130.24 184 ABC, IFED
17 Innovative Foodservice Group, Tampa, Fla. (18) H47%, L15%, SW25%, T6%, P/D1%, J1%, F5% $110.00 $101.10 82 ABC, IFED
18 C&T Design & Equipment Co., Indianapolis (17) H80%, L15%, SW3%, F2% $107.50 $107.20 54 SEFA
19 Action Sales, Monterey Park, Calif. (20) H64%, L17%, SW16%, T2%, J0.5%, F0.5% $96.22 $93.57 57 SEFA
20 Concept Services Inc., Austin, Texas (22) $91.59* $85.60* n/a CPG
21 Hotel & Restaurant Supply, Meridian, Miss. (19) H60%, L14%, SW15%, T5%, P/D1%, J2%, F3% $87.18 $94.07 42 ABC, NexGen
22 The Sam Tell Companies, Farmingdale, N.Y. (21) H28%, L6%, SW24%, T26%, P/D9%, J4%, F3% $85.66 $88.28 62 ABC, IFED
23 East Bay Rest. Supply Inc., Oakland, Calif. (23)  $85.07* $79.50* n/a CPG
24 Culinary Depot, Monsey, N.Y. (26) H44%, L20%, SW18%, T8%, J5%, F5% $80.00 $70.00 34 SEFA
25 Great Lakes Hotel Supply Co., Southfield, Mich. (24)H70%, L10%, SW10%, T5%, P/D5% $80.00 $79.00 12 SEFA
26 Tundra Restaurant Supply, Boulder, Colo. (25) H22%, L6%, SW42%, T2%, P/D6%, J2%, F20% $76.22 $77.92 16 PRIDE
27 BHS Foodservice Solutions (Formerly Buffalo Hotel Supply), Amherst, N.Y. (28)  $73.03* $68.25* n/a ABC, IFED
28 Mobile Fixture & Equipment Co., Mobile, Ala. (29) H58%, L15%, SW12%, T10%, F5% $67.73 $63.60 43 CPG, XYZ
29 Aydelott Equipment, Centerville, Ohio (26) H30%, SW35%, F35% $67.50 $70.00 14  
30 Arizona Restaurant Supply, Tucson, Ariz. (34) H73%, L10%, SW12%, T3%, F2% $63.00 $58.00** 28 SEFA
31 Kittredge Equipment Co. Inc., Agawam, Mass. (30) H54%, L15%, SW15%, T8%, P/D4%, J2%, F2% $53.55 $57.30 40 ABC, IFED
32 General Hotel and Restaurant Supply, Miami (33) $46.81* $43.75* n/a ABC, IFED
33 Fortier Inc., Conway, Ark. (32) H50%, L40%, SW10% $45.00 $45.00 14 NAFED
34 Kirby Restaurant Supply, Longview, Texas (35)  $44.94* $42.00 n/a SEFA
35 Douglas Equipment, Bluefield, W.V.(42) H67%, L22%, SW8%, T2%, F1% $43.31 $33.88 24 ABC, IFED
36 Alliance Paper & Foodservice, Franklin Park, Ill. (37)  $41.73* $39.00* n/a PRIDE, SMA
37 Amundsen Commercial Kitchens, Oklahoma City (45 H72%, L23%, SW4%, F1% $40.28 $33.13 9 IFED
38 Ford Hotel Supply Co. Inc., St. Louis (38) $39.50* $36.80* n/a ABC, IFED
39 W. West Equipment & Furnishings Co., Denver (54) H90%, L10% $37.82 $29.25 14 SEFA
40 Zesco, Indianapolis (41) $37.45* $35.00* n/a  
41 Best Restaurant Equipment & Design Inc., Columbus, Ohio (40)  $37.00 $36.00* n/a SEFA
42 State Restaurant Equipment Co., Las Vegas (36) H10%, L5%, SW24%, T60%, J1% $34.69 $41.02 13 SEFA
43 The Warehouse Store Fixture Company, Waterbury, Conn. (55) H50%, L25%, SW10%, T10%, F5% $34.65 $27.84 13 CPG, XYZ
44 Supreme Fixture Co. Inc., Little Rock, Ark. (49) H85%, L9%, SW5%, T1% $34.00 $30.00 9 SEFA
45 Kamran & Co. Inc., Santa Barbara, Calif. (48) $33.82* $31.61* n/a PRIDE
46 Birmingham Restaurant Supply Inc.(BRESCO), Birmingham, Ala. (46) H70%, L9%, SW15%, T3%, P/D1%, J1% F1% $33.37 $33.07 15 ABC, IFED
47 Avanti Restaurant Solutions, Costa Mesa, Calif. (39) H70%, L20%, F10% $33.06 $36.61 4 SEFA
48 B&G Restaurant Supply Inc. Pittsfield, Mass. (47) H60%, L10%, SW10%, T12%, P/D1%, J1%, F6% $32.17 $31.70 20 SEFA
49 Alack Refrigeration Co., Hammond, La. (51)  $32.00* $29.93* n/a CPG, XYZ
50 L&M Foodservice, Bullhead City, Ariz. (76)  H15%, L5%, SW5%, T10%, P/D40%, J21%, F4% $32.00 $17.80 29 AFFLINK, PRIDE
51 ACityDiscount, Norcross, Ga. (53)  $31.43* $29.38 n/a NAFED
52 Dykes Foodservice Solutions Inc., Huntsville, Ala. (43)H50%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F10% $31.30 $33.80 22 ABC, IFED
53 Penn Jersey Paper Company (dbs PJP), Philadelphia (--) H52%, L15%, SW17%, T13%, F3% $30.57 $29.33 80 SEFA
54 Thompson & Little, Fayetteville, N.C. (44) H62%, L12%, SW11%, T9%, J2%, F4% $30.24 $33.63 16 SEFA
55 Rapids Wholesale Equipment, Marion, Iowa (56) H70%, L18%, SW5%, T4%, F3% $30.22 $27.68 31 CPG
56 Boston Showcase Co., Newton Highlands, Mass. (49) H45%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, J5%, F5% $30.00 $30.00 9 SEFA
57 Curtis Restaurant Equipment Inc., Springfield, Ore. (52) H60%, L18%, SW10%, T5%, J2%, F5% $28.93 $29.90 21 ABC, IFED
58 Cook’s Direct, Warrenville, Ill. (63) H48%, L10%, SW28%, T10%, P/D2%, J2% $28.85 $23.36 10 SEFA
59 Burkett Restaurant Equipment, Perryburg, Ohio (57) H68%, L17.9%, SW11.4%, T0.8%, PD0.1, J0.6%, F1.2% $28.45 $27.58 13 CPG, XYZ
60 Restaurant and Store Equipment Co., Salt Lake City (61) $26.64* $24.90* n/a ABC, IFED
61 Gradys, Pueblo, Colo. (58) H45%, L20%, SW25%, T10% $26.20 $26.50 6 SEFA
62 Restaurant Equipment World, Orlando, Fla. (61) H60%, L15%, SW5%, T5%, P/D5%, J5%, F5% $25.22 $24.90 33 SEFA
63 Jean’s Restaurant Supply, Corpus Christi, Texas (67) H50%, L10%, SW25%, T5%, J5%, F5% $23.00 $21.00 26 SEFA
64 Manning Bros. Food Service Equip. Co. Inc., Athens, Ga. (60) H50%, L20%, SW20%, T3%, P/D2%, J5% $23.00 $25.00 17 SEFA
65 United Restaurant Equipment Company, Raleigh, N.C. (59) H35%, L10%, SW25%, T10%, P/D5%, J10%, F5% $22.72 $25.63 19 CPG, XYZ
66 Culinex, Fargo, N.D. (64) H71.5%, SW23.7%, P/D0.34%, J1.5%, F2.61% $22.53 $22.51 12 SEFA
67 Oswalt Restaurant Supply, Oklahoma City (66) H76%, L13%, SW5%, T4%, J1%, F1% $21.67 $21.05 14 SEFA
68 International Restaurant Distributors, Apoka, Fla. (68)H70%, L7%, SW11%, T2%, F10% $21.61 $20.98 8 NAFED
69 Associated Food Equipment and Supplies Inc., Gulfport, Miss. (72) H60%, L10%, SW15%, T10%, F5% $21.38 $18.22 27 SEFA
70 Alto-Hartley Inc., Alexandria, Va. (65) H70%, L15%, SW10%, T3%, J1%,  F1% $20.00 $21.50 12 NAFED
71 Classic Restaurant Supply, Hartford, Conn. (74) $19.26* $18.00* n/a  
72 Commercial Kitchen Supply, Centerville, Utah (79) H70%, L20%, SW5%, F5% $18.86 $17.31 n/a PRIDE
73 Breckenridge Kitchen Equipment & Design, Huron, Ohio (75) H92%, L6%, F2% $18.84 $17.84 8 SEFA
74 Kitchen Equipment & Supply Company (KESCO), Pensacola, Fla. (77) H55%, L15%, SW25%, F5% $18.38 $17.50 22 SEFA
75 Harbour Food Service Equipment Inc., Chelsea, Mass. (85)H55%, L11%, SW10%, T16%, J5%, F3% $18.00 $16.71 8 SEFA
76 Gold Star Products, Oak Park, Mich. (83) H35%, L5%, SW25%, T20%, P/D10%, J3%, F2% $17.80 $17.00 14 SEFA
77 Economy Restaurant Equipment & Supply Co., San Marcos, Calif. (86)  $17.23* $16.10 n/a SEFA
78 E. Friedman Associates, Brooklyn, N.Y. (80)  $17.20* $17.20 n/a NAFED
79 Trendco Supply Inc., Batavia, Ohio (73) H45%, L11%, SW7%, T1%, P/D16%, J14%, F6% $16.94 $18.11 18 EXCELL
80 Bar Boy Products Co. Inc., Farmingdale, N.Y. (81) H35%, L10%, SW30%, T12%, P/D5%, J3%, F5% $16.88 $17.18 19 NAFED, United Group
81 Dean Supply Co., Cleveland (82) H5%, L3%, SW15%, T17%, P/D46%, J14% $16.10 $16.50** 13 PRIDE, TUG
82 Bintz Restaurant Supply, Salt Lake City (71) H48%, L10%, SW20%, T5%, J7%, F10% $15.38 $20.41 15 SEFA
83 Deacon Foodservice Solutions LLC, Charlotte, N.C. (91) H80%, L5%, SW10%, F5% $15.34 $14.48 6 PRIDE
84 Budget Restaurant Supply, Houston (86) H45%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J10%, F5% $15.10 $16.10 8 SEFA
85 Serv-U, Champaign, Ill. (89) $15.00 $15.00 n/a SEFA
86 Curran-Taylor Inc., Canonsburg, Pa. (90) H74%, L8%, SW16%, T1%, F1% $14.98 $14.72 15 PRIDE
87 United Restaurant Supply, Colorado Springs, Colo. (92) H60%, SW30%, P/D5%, J5% $14.50 $14.07 8 SEFA
88 Atlas Restaurant Supply, South Bend, Ind. (88) H15%, L15%, SW15%, T15%, P/D25%, J10%, F5% $14.43 $15.01 24 NAFED
89 NOLA Restaurant Supply & Design, Alexandria, La. (93) H75%, L20%, F5% $14.20 $13.13 4 ISE, NAFED
90 Curtis Restaurant Supply, Tulsa, Okla. (84) H54%, L13%, SW21%, T6%, P/D1%, J3%, F2% $13.40 $16.73 11 NAFED
91 Hotel Supply Warehouse, Deerfield Beach, Fla. (100) H50%, L15%, SW15%, T10%, J5%, F5% $13.34 $10.33 9 PRIDE
92 Lace Foodservice Corporation, Miami (77) H74%, L4%, SW5%, T1%, P/D14%, J1%, F1% $13.20 $17.50 6 NAFED
93 Horizon Equipment, Eagan, Minn. (70) H59%, L25%, SW11%, J1%, F4% $13.10 $20.46 9 SEFA
94 Castino Restaurant Equipment & Supply Inc., Rohnert Park, Calif. (99) H44%, L17%, SW30%, T5%, P/D0.2%, J3.5%, F0.3% $12.48 $11.26** 8 PRIDE
95 Consolidated Food Equipment Distributors. Akron, Ohio (98)H85%, L10%, F5% $11.98 $11.80 16  
96 FRS Inc., Charleston, S.C. (97) H58%, L10%, SW15%, T7%, P/D1%, J5%, F4% $11.95 $11.98 23 NAFED  
97 Elite Restaurant Equipment, Newark, N.J. (96) H70%, L20%, SW4%, T1%, J1%, F4% $11.90 $12.00 5  
98 Buller Fixture/CWD, Omaha, Neb. (--) H70%, L9%, SW10%, T7%, F4% $11.20 $10.50 8 SEFA
99 USA Equipment Direct, Atlanta (--) H25%, L55% SW10%, T10% $10.29 $6.21 7 PRIDE
100 DEI Foodservice Equipment & Design, Hollywood, Fla.  (--) H70%, L25%, F5% $9.60 $8.80 11 PRIDE

*FE&S estimate **Revised 2019 sales number H = Heavy Equipment L = Light Equipment SM = Smallwares T = Tabletop P/D = Paper and Disposables J = Jan/San F = Furnishings