Booker Group

What Booker Group does

Booker Group plc is the United Kingdom's largest food wholesale operator, supplying branded and private-label groceries, fresh and frozen foods, alcohol, and beverages to independent retailers, caterers, and licensed trade customers. Operating from Wellingborough and employing over 10,000 people, Booker runs a multi-channel wholesale platform serving bars, restaurants, pubs, and convenience retailers across the UK. Its core technology and pricing models are not publicly disclosed; revenue is generated through bulk transactional wholesale sales to trade customers.

Since 2017, Booker has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tesco PLC, the UK's largest grocer with 28.5% market share and £66,588m FY 2025/26 revenue. The integration provides Booker with parent-level procurement leverage, logistics scale, and category breadth. In June 2024, Booker acquired Venus Wine & Spirits Merchants, a family-run merchant with over 2,000 drinks SKUs and three distribution centres, expanding its premium on-trade portfolio. The business has a historical M&A track record, including the 2010 acquisitions of Ritter Courivaud and Classic Drinks, supporting a build-and-buy expansion model within the wholesale channel.

Name

Booker Group

Legal name

Booker Group

Website

https://bookergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1834

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Booker Group is the UK's largest food wholesale operator, supplying groceries, beverages, and supplies to bars, restaurants, pubs, and convenience retailers as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tesco PLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Wholesale Distribution

NAICS

Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244), Other Grocery and Related Products Merchant Wholesalers (42449), Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers (424810)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Retailer & Small-Store Supply (C-Store, Mini-Mart, Independent Retail) (CRAEAEAD)

Keywords

• Food wholesale distribution
• Hospitality supply
• On-trade beverages
• Convenience retail wholesale
• Cash and carry

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellingborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Distribution: Booker operates as a wholesale supplier to the UK hospitality sector, distributing food, groceries, and beverages including wines, spirits, beers, and soft drinks to bars, restaurants, pubs, and convenience retailers. Revenue is generated through bulk sales to trade customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Booker Group is the UK's largest food wholesale operator, distributing branded and private-label groceries, fresh and frozen foods, alcohol, and beverages to independent retailers, caterers, pubs, restaurants, and convenience stores. The company operates as Tesco PLC's wholesale division, supplementing its broad product range with acquired on-trade brands such as Venus Wine & Spirits Merchants to supply over 2,000 premium drinks products to UK venues.

Product overview

Booker Group is a UK-based wholesale division of Tesco, operating as a multi-channel wholesaler serving independent retailers, caterers, pubs, restaurants, and convenience stores. The company offers a broad product portfolio spanning groceries, fresh foods, frozen foods, alcohol, and beverages. The core Booker wholesale offering is complemented by acquired brands such as Venus Wine & Spirits Merchants, which was integrated into Booker's operations in June 2024 to expand the company's premium alcohol range and on-trade portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food and Grocery Wholesale Supply

Quantifiable outcome

• Expansion of on-trade portfolio with over 2,000 premium drinks products

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Venus Wine & Spirits MerchantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 June 2024Tesco wholesaler Booker acquired Venus Wine & Spirits Merchants to expand its premium alcohol range. Venus is a family-run company with a large selection of beverages. The company will continue operating under its current brand with its 140 employees integrated into Booker. The acquisition supports Booker's growth strategy following Tesco's purchase of Booker in 2017.
• Venus Wine & Spirits MerchantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2024Booker acquired family-run Venus Wine & Spirits Merchants to expand its on-trade portfolio. Venus supplies over 2,000 drinks to venues across the UK and operates three distribution centres. Venus will continue operating under its existing brand, and its 140 employees will join Booker. Neil Jewsbury, who led the Booker-Tesco integration, becomes managing director of Booker's wines and spirits division to enhance market presence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makro-self-service-wholesalers-ltd-
• Xx.com/BookerWholesale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Booker Group