Düsseldorf, 28th August 2024 - METRO is acquiring UK-based food service delivery specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice. With Caterite’s regional focus on the tourist-rich Lake District and adjacent regions, the acquisition helps METRO expand its FSD activities to the northern parts of the UK, thereby accelerating the nationwide expansion. 

Caterite supplies to over 2,000 HoReCa customers in the premium and masstige segments, offering a mix of locally and internationally sourced food, complemented with value-added products from its own processing and production facilities. Within METRO, Caterite will complement activities of FSD specialist Classic Fine Foods UK, which supplies premium customers primarily in the greater London area, South West and central parts of the UK, creating cross selling opportunities across companies. 

Caterite will initially continue to operate under the established brands and in its existing form, seeking synergetic collaboration with Classic Fine Foods UK in areas such as assortment, sourcing, knowledge transfer and logistic network. 

Caterite serves its customers through its main brands Caterite and Grapevine. Offering a wide range of fresh and frozen food, groceries, value-added products (Caterite brand) as well as beverages (Grapevine brand), the company’s clear emphasis is on fresh produce and meat. Key customer segments include hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés, which are supplied from 3 sites with a fleet of 70 multi-temperature trucks. 

Dr Steffen Greubel, CEO of METRO, explains: "We are delighted to welcome the successful food service specialist Caterite as another member of our international FSD family. In addition to their strong local roots, the employees and management also bring a high level of expertise in the delivery business, and we warmly welcome them! METRO sees the acquisition as an opportunity to grow in the attractive UK HoReCa market and to create synergies with Classic Fine Foods UK. This brings us closer to our strategic goal of successively expanding the share of delivery in total sales." 

METRO has acquired and successfully integrated various FSD specialists in recent years. In 2015, METRO acquired Classic Fine Foods Group, a food service specialist with presence across Asia, Middle East and UK. In 2016, METRO extended its FSD portfolio with the acquisition of Rungis Express, a specialist FSD company with focus on the DACH region. In October 2020, METRO acquired Aviludo Group, the second-largest food delivery company in Portugal with more than 13,500 HoReCa customers. At the end of 2020, METRO acquired Davigel Spain, a Spanish FSD company with a strong presence in the Balearic and Canary Islands. In September 2021, C&C Abholgroßmärkte GmbH (AGM) followed in Austria, including the delivery business. In May 2023, METRO acquired FSD specialist Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk (JHB), the leading Swedish delivery specialist for meat, fish and seafood with more than 4,000 HoReCa customers in the metropolitan regions of Sweden and Finland.

“An exciting and reflective time for the teams at Caterite and Grapevine.

Having traded as an independently owned family business for over 50 years, the time has come for us to join something new…

Over the years we have had multiple expressions of interest in our unique business and have always professionally declined any advances. However, on this occasion we believe we have found our perfect partner.

METRO are an elite global foodservice powerhouse. Their philosophy, product range and objectives are almost identical to our own; fresh products, ingredients and innovative tech solutions, we have so many synergies. With £25bn global annual sales, distinct sourcing capabilities and a history of successfully acquiring and integrating a number of foodservice specialists in recent years, we feel we have an exciting future ahead.

The industry landscape is changing, and demand for investment to continue driving our business forward has never been greater. We have ambitious plans to expand our services across the UK through collaboration with Classic Fine Foods UK and to enhance our distribution centre in the Lake District, and we now have greater financial backing and expertise to enable us to do that.

To Keith Graham, our founder and driver of the business from its origin to the present day, all of us at CFWS would like to wish you and Sue a healthy and happy retirement. No one is more deserving.

To our customers and suppliers, thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to keeping you informed with some of our exciting updates in the weeks ahead…”

Lorcan Byrne – Managing Director at Caterite Food & Wineservice Ltd

“Exciting times ahead for Classic Fine Foods UK. Few weeks after our company has achieved B Corp Certification, joining a global network of businesses committed to social and environmental impact and our move in our new, purpose-built warehouse in Park Royal, London, we’re very glad to welcome Caterite part of the METRO family. 

I would like to give a warm welcome to the entire team of Caterite Food & Wineservice Ltd Grapevine within our foodservice delivery cluster METRO AG. 

Caterite is a great addition to the METRO family. With a strong focus on local assortment, value-added services and high-quality fresh food, Caterite will allow us to strengthen our positioning as the leading distributor of fine food ingredients in the UK.”

Olivier Batel – Managing Director at Classic Fine Foods UK Ltd