Catering Appliance Superstore

What Catering Appliance Superstore does

Catering Appliance Superstore (legally JJ Martin (Catering Appliance Superstore) Ltd, England and Wales, registered company number 8292604) is a UK-based online retailer of commercial catering equipment, founded in 2010 and headquartered at Mintsfeet Industrial Estate, Kendal, Cumbria. It sells a broad multi-brand catalog of professional kitchen and hospitality equipment — cooking equipment, refrigeration and ice machines, laundry and cleaning equipment, kitchenware, chef's knives, cutlery, crockery, glassware, tableware, bar supplies, hotel supplies, workwear, furniture, lighting, and disposables — targeted at commercial food-service operators and institutional buyers across the United Kingdom. Customers span restaurants, cafes, pubs, takeaways, educational institutions, public sector bodies (NHS, schools, local authorities), corporate purchasers, village halls, mobile caterers, guest houses, charities, clubs, and the transport sector.

The platform runs on a self-service e-commerce storefront at catering-appliance.com, supplemented by native iOS and Android applications, a Click & Collect option from the Kendal warehouse, and a phone-based sales channel with technical guidance. Product depth covers hundreds of brands including premium OEMs such as Rational (iCombi, iVario, iHexagon), Lincat (including the Air0 commercial air fryer), Winterhalter, Hobart, Adande, Falcon, and Foster alongside value-tier ranges from Polar, Buffalo, and Panasonic. Complementary service assets include a searchable User Manuals Library covering most products sold, the Rational Live cooking-demonstration and training program across the UK and Ireland, and procurement aids such as Fast Order entry and a Quotes request flow for larger or bespoke requirements.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time product sales at margin, with prices displayed both inclusive and exclusive of VAT and ranging from sub-£10 disposables to more than £5,000 of premium equipment such as the Ice-O-Matic CIM0835FA modular ice machine. The company broadens its addressable market via Lease to Buy on orders over £500 ex VAT (12–60 months) and Buy Now Pay Later through iwoca Pay and PayPal Pay Later (3- or 12-month spreading), and serves public sector buyers on 30-day credit accounts. The go-to-market motion is predominantly self-service with inside-sales support for complex enquiries, supported by social and email channels (X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, newsletter). The company is privately held by JJ Martin with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, regulatory actions, or executive hires in the available record.

Name

Catering Appliance Superstore

Legal name

JJ Martin (Catering Appliance Superstore) Ltd

Website

https://catering-appliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catering Appliance Superstore is a UK-based e-commerce retailer of multi-brand commercial catering equipment serving restaurants, cafes, pubs, takeaways, educational institutions, public sector organizations, and hospitality businesses through its Kendal, Cumbria warehouse and online storefront.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Catering Equipment Retail

NAICS

Electronics and Appliance Retailers (44921), Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial/Prosumer Appliance Retail (Light Commercial, Prosumer Kitchen/Laundry) (CRACACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refrigeration & Freezer Retail (Refrigerators, Freezers, Wine/Beverage Coolers) (CRACACAB)

Keywords

• Commercial catering equipment
• Commercial refrigeration
• Commercial kitchen supplies
• Foodservice equipment retail
• Catering disposables

Headquarters

HQ city

Kendal

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: One-time sales of commercial catering equipment including kitchen equipment, refrigeration, laundry, kitchenware, crockery, furniture, and disposables. Revenue generated from margin on product sales across hundreds of brands.
2. Lease to Buy Financing: Partnered with financing providers to offer lease purchase options on orders over £500 ex VAT, generating referral/finance income from equipment leasing arrangements spanning 12-60 months.
3. Buy Now Pay Later: Provides iwocapay and PayPal pay-later options, enabling customers to spread costs over 3 or 12 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Catering Appliance Superstore is a UK-based e-commerce retailer selling commercial catering equipment from hundreds of brands across categories including kitchen equipment, refrigeration and ice machines, laundry and cleaning, kitchenware and chefs knives, cutlery/crockery/glassware, tableware and bar supplies, hotel supplies, clothing and footwear, furniture and lighting, and disposables. The company serves trade customers, the general public, and governmental organisations with self-service online purchasing, click and collect from its Kendal warehouse, and financing options including lease to buy and buy now pay later.

Product overview

Catering Appliance Superstore is a UK-based B2C and B2B e-commerce retailer offering a comprehensive range of commercial catering equipment across multiple product categories. The platform operates as a multi-brand marketplace selling kitchen equipment, refrigeration, laundry/cleaning, kitchenware, tableware, furniture, and disposable products. Key product lines include Rational combi ovens (iCombi, iVario) for intelligent cooking, Lincat commercial cooking equipment including the innovative Air0 zero-oil air fryer, Polar refrigeration for cooling needs, Winterhalter dishwashers, and Ice-O-Matic ice machines. The company provides complementary services including lease-to-buy financing options (12-60 months), buy now pay later through PayPal and iwocapay, click and collect from their Kendal warehouse, and a library of downloadable user manuals. Equipment is targeted at sector-specific customers including bakeries, cafes, pubs, restaurants, takeaways, education facilities, public sectors, and village halls. Rational Live events offer free cooking demonstrations and training for their Rational appliance products across the UK and Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kitchen Equipment

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.50/5 Feefo customer review rating

Segments8 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 and minor.

• RATIONAL UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRATIONAL Live events partnership offering free cooking demonstrations, training sessions, and product experiences for customers. Events include Academy RATIONAL training, Expert Kitchen exchanges, and live demonstrations of iCombi, iHexagon, and iVario products across UK and Ireland.
• iwoca PayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBuy now pay later financing provider offering £50 discount codes for first purchases. Spreads cost over 3 or 12 months with interest-free options.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brakes Group: Major UK foodservice wholesaler and broad-line distributor (owned by Sysco) supplying both food products and catering equipment to hospitality operators. Overlaps with CAS on equipment supply to restaurants, pubs, and public sector accounts but operates at far greater scale and breadth.
• Bidfood: UK foodservice distributor (part of Bidcorp) supplying both food and non-food catering items, including some equipment categories, to public sector and hospitality customers. Overlaps with CAS on procurement relationships with education, NHS, and hospitality operators but operates at much larger scale.
• Bunzl: Global distribution group with a sizeable UK Catering & Hospitality division distributing tableware, disposables, and equipment. Competes in adjacent wholesale-like channels and has materially larger scale, capital base, and category breadth than CAS.

Direct peers

• Nisbets: UK's largest multi-channel commercial catering equipment retailer offering kitchen equipment, refrigeration, tableware, and disposables across hundreds of brands. Closest direct competitor to Catering Appliance Superstore in product assortment, target customer base (restaurants, pubs, takeaways, education, public sector), and PLG-style e-commerce GTM.
• Caterkwik: UK e-commerce retailer of commercial catering equipment, refrigeration, and tableware. Mirrors CAS's e-commerce-led, multi-brand, hospitality-vertical targeting model with a similar assortment of kitchen, refrigeration, and consumable categories.
• Alliance Online: UK online distributor serving hospitality and janitorial customers with catering equipment, cleaning supplies, and disposables. Competitor in the same e-commerce retail niche covering kitchen equipment, tableware, and consumables for restaurants and pubs.
• Lockhart Catering Equipment: UK specialist commercial catering equipment distributor carrying many of the same premium brands (Rational, Lincat, Hobart). Direct peer competing for the same restaurant, quick-service, and hospitality operator customers with comparable multi-brand catalog and B2B e-commerce model.
• Host Catering: UK commercial catering equipment retailer offering cooking, refrigeration, and warewashing products to restaurants and hospitality operators. Direct peer with overlapping brand portfolio and target segments.

Emerging players

• Williams Refrigeration: UK-based commercial refrigeration manufacturer increasingly selling direct to end customers. Adjacent competitor in commercial refrigeration, where CAS relies on third-party refrigeration brands; Williams's direct-retail build-out could compress CAS's share in the refrigeration category.
• Prochef / Edincare Catering Equipment: UK independent commercial catering equipment retailer offering installation and supply services to restaurants and hospitality operators. Niche peer with overlapping product range but a service-and-installation-led model rather than pure e-commerce self-serve.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cateringapp
• Facebookfacebook.com/cateringappliancesuperstore
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catering-appliance-superstore
• Instagraminstagram.com/catappliance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Catering Appliance Superstore