What Dee Bee Wholesale does

Dee Bee Wholesale, trading under the legal entity D.B. Ramsden & Co. Ltd., is a UK regional delivered grocery and drinks wholesaler headquartered in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, with a secondary Cash & Carry depot in Hull. Founded in the 1970s and family-run for over 50 years, the company operates a hybrid distribution model combining Cash & Carry walk-in depots with a delivered wholesale service to retail and on-trade customers across the East Midlands and Yorkshire. Its product portfolio spans thousands of SKUs across wholesale grocery, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, confectionery, crisps, tobacco, toiletries, chilled products, catering supplies, non-food and pet products, electronic cigarettes, and point-of-sale materials, supplemented by own-label, core range, value range, and promotional lines.

The company runs a B2B e-commerce platform at deebee.co.uk with a registered-trader account model, a dedicated mobile ordering app (Dee Bee Ordering App), and a telesales operation (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM). Delivered wholesale operates within UK mainland only, with orders received by 11:30 AM qualifying for next-day delivery on scheduled routes. Minimum order thresholds are £750 ex VAT for retail customers and £400 ex VAT for on-trade, with sub-minimum orders incurring a £30 + VAT delivery charge. Payment is via Direct Debit with 7-day terms and a £100 + VAT charge on returned Direct Debits.

Dee Bee Wholesale generates revenue primarily through wholesale product margin between purchase and resale prices to its independent retailer, on-trade, forecourt, and catering customer base, with an additional rebate scheme. It holds Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) certification and has earned GroceryAid Silver and Bronze awards. In 2024, Dee Bee was acquired by Bestway, a UK wholesale and retail conglomerate, with the Ramsden family remaining involved in operational management.

Name

Dee Bee Wholesale

Legal name

D.B. Ramsden & Co. Ltd.

Website

https://www.deebee.co.uk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Dee Bee Wholesale is a UK regional family-run delivered grocery and drinks wholesaler (legal entity D.B. Ramsden & Co. Ltd.), headquartered in Grimsby with a secondary depot in Hull, serving independent retailers, on-trade venues, forecourts, and caterers across the East Midlands and Yorkshire. Acquired by Bestway in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale product margin: Dee Bee Wholesale generates revenue through the margin between wholesale purchase prices and retail selling prices to independent retailers, convenience stores, forecourts, and on-trade businesses. The company also offers a rebate scheme as referenced on their website.
2. Payment processing and credit terms: Customers paying by Direct Debit receive 7-day payment terms. Returned Direct Debits incur a £100 + VAT charge. The company retains ownership of goods until full payment is received.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Dee Bee Wholesale is a B2B grocery and drinks wholesaler supplying independent retailers, convenience stores, forecourts, on-trade businesses, and caterers. It sells wholesale food, drink, alcohol, confectionery, crisps, tobacco, toiletries, chilled, catering, non-food, vape, and related retail product categories through delivered wholesale, cash-and-carry depots, online ordering, mobile app ordering, and telesales.

Product overview

Dee Bee Wholesale is an independent delivered grocery and drinks wholesaler operating as a family-run business for over 50 years, with Cash & Carry locations in Grimsby and Hull. The company operates as a one-stop-shop wholesale platform offering both delivered orders (for retail and on-trade customers meeting minimum order thresholds) and Cash & Carry walk-in service. The product portfolio spans grocery staples, alcoholic beverages, confectionery, crisps, soft drinks, tobacco, toiletries, chilled products, catering supplies, and non-food items. Customers can access the offering through multiple channels: the online ordering platform, mobile Dee Bee Ordering App, telephone telesales, or physical Cash & Carry depots. The business also provides Own Label products and manages promotions and special offers. The company was acquired by Bestway in 2026, expanding its wholesale network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Delivered Wholesale
• Cash & Carry Wholesale
• Wholesale Grocery
• Alcohol
• Confectionery
• Crisps & Snacks
• Soft Drinks
• Tobacco
• Toiletries
• Chilled Products
• Catering Supplies
• Non-Food & Pet Products
• Electronic Cigs / Vapes
• Point of Sale & Advertising
• Own Label Products

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• D.B. Ramsden & Co. Ltd.coreOthersLegal trading name. D.B. Ramsden & Co. Ltd. operates under the trading names Dee Bee Wholesale and Dee Bees. The company has been family-run for over 50 years.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Makro: Makro is a large UK cash & carry operator owned by Metro AG, serving hospitality, catering, and independent retail with a broad grocery, drinks, and non-food range. It is a broader incumbent competing with Dee Bee's Cash & Carry depots for walk-in trade rather than in the delivered-wholesale niche.

Direct peers

• DH Wholesale: DH Wholesale is a delivered grocery and drinks wholesaler serving independent retailers, on-trade, and forecourts across the North West of England. It mirrors Dee Bee's regional delivered-wholesale model, customer mix, and minimum-order structure.
• Filshill (KeyStore): Filshill is a family-run Scottish delivered grocery, drinks, and confectionery wholesaler running the KeyStore symbol group. Its regional delivered-wholesale model, multi-category range, and symbol-group offering make it a closely analogous peer to Dee Bee in a different UK region.
• James Hall & Co: James Hall is the Spar wholesaler and distributor for the North of England, delivering grocery, chilled, alcohol, and tobacco to Spar and independent convenience retailers. Its regional northern footprint and delivered-wholesale model directly overlap with Dee Bee's catchment.
• Booker Group: Booker is the UK's largest foodservice and cash & carry operator (owned by Tesco), supplying independent retailers, caterers, and on-trade with grocery, alcohol, and tobacco via delivered and cash & carry channels. It is a direct competitor to Dee Bee in both delivered wholesale and Cash & Carry formats across the same customer segments.
• Bestway Wholesale: Bestway is the UK's largest independent delivered grocery wholesaler and parent company of Dee Bee since 2024. It serves the same independent retailers, convenience stores, and on-trade customers with overlapping grocery, drinks, and tobacco ranges, and operates the Best-one symbol group — making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Landmark Wholesale: Landmark is a UK marketing and buying group for delivered grocery wholesalers serving convenience stores and on-trade. Its member wholesalers operate in the same delivered-grocery-and-drinks model targeting independent retailers as Dee Bee does in Lincolnshire and Humberside.
• Nisa Retail: Nisa is a symbol group and delivered wholesale partner for thousands of independent convenience stores and forecourt retailers across the UK. Like Dee Bee it targets independent retailers with grocery, drinks, and tobacco via delivered wholesale and shared marketing — directly competing for the same customer base.
• Today Services Group: Today Services is a UK delivered wholesale group supplying independent retailers and on-trade with grocery, drinks, confectionery, and tobacco. It is a comparable delivered-only wholesaler competing for the same independent trade customers Dee Bee serves in the Midlands and North.
• JJ Foodservice: JJ Foodservice is one of the UK's largest delivered foodservice wholesalers, supplying caterers, pubs, restaurants, and independent retailers via temperature-controlled delivered wholesale. It directly competes with Dee Bee's catering and on-trade customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deebee-wholesale

Compliance1 record

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 Dee Bee Wholesale