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.
Closer 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.
It’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
