First Choice Group
Parts Town UK (formerly First Choice Group) is the UK's largest distributor of genuine OEM spare parts for commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment, serving foodservice operators, service engineers and van operators via exclusive manufacturer partnerships, e-commerce, and a Training Division.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersCannock, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Choice Group does
Parts Town UK (formerly First Choice Group) is a privately held UK distributor of genuine OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables for the commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment market, operating from a registered head office in Cannock (Blakeney Way, Kingswood Lakeside) and a secondary site in Heywood. The company sells under the legal entity Parts Town UK Limited (England and Wales, Company No. 03789633), founded in 1999 by John Whitehouse who serves as co-founder, CEO and managing director, with a headcount in the 51-100 range. It claims to hold the UK's largest stock of OEM food service parts and reports first-time-ship rates above 90%, supported by exclusive master distribution agreements with 16+ tier-1 OEMs including Rational, Hobart, MKN, Merrychef, Convotherm, Falcon, Electrolux Professional, Winterhalter, Lincat, Meiko, Blue Seal, Pitco, Williams, Foster Refrigerator, and BRITA Professional.
The product portfolio spans the full parts catalogue for beverage, cooking, dishwashing, food preparation, ice, refrigeration and laundry equipment, complemented by own-brand First Choice Consumables (gas valves, lamps, universal pumps, castors), van stock packages for mobile operators, professional cleaning chemicals, and diagnostic tools from Draper, Testo, TPI, Martindale and Fieldpiece. Distribution is omnichannel: a full e-commerce storefront (partstown.co.uk) with advanced manufacturer/model search, a mobile app, physical trade counters for click-and-collect, and a logistics layer offering next-day delivery, timed services, ByBox lockers, Royal Mail PUDO, and in-boot delivery. A separate Training Division delivers accredited technical courses (manufacturer-specific programs, ACS gas training, City & Guilds electrical competency) in partnership with LCL Awards.
The business model is primarily transactional one-time sales of OEM and own-brand parts to a horizontal customer base across UK foodservice operators, service engineers, and catering van operators, supplemented by training course fees. Go-to-market combines direct e-commerce, content-led demand generation (YouTube PTUK-TV, blog how-to guides, email newsletter), a Feefo-driven review loop, and channel partnerships through OEMs. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Operating geographies are UK-only; no parent company, institutional investors, or private equity ownership is disclosed, and no funding rounds or M&A activity are on record. The company holds ISO 9001 quality management certification.
First Choice Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Choice Group
- Legal name
- Parts Town UK Limited
- Website
- https://firstchoice-cs.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Parts Town UK (formerly First Choice Group) is the UK's largest distributor of genuine OEM spare parts for commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment, serving foodservice operators, service engineers and van operators via exclusive manufacturer partnerships, e-commerce, and a Training Division.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where First Choice Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cannock
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
First Choice Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- OEM Spare Parts Sales: Sale of genuine OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables for catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment. Revenue is generated through product transactions with first-time-ship rates of over 90%.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
First Choice Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Choice Group (trading as Parts Town UK) distributes genuine OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables for commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment. The company sources parts through exclusive master distribution agreements with leading catering OEMs and supplies them to the UK food service industry via e-commerce, trade counter and next-day logistics operations.
Product overview
Parts Town UK (formerly First Choice Group) operates as an OEM catering parts distributor offering a unified e-commerce platform for commercial food service equipment parts. The core offering consists of genuine OEM spare parts sourced through exclusive manufacturer partnerships, complemented by own-brand First Choice Consumables products (gas valves, lamps, pumps), van stock packages, professional cleaning chemicals, and diagnostic tools. The company also provides a Training Division for technical engineering certification. The product portfolio spans refrigeration equipment parts, cooking equipment parts, dishwashing equipment parts, food preparation equipment, ice machines, and laundry equipment, serving the UK's food service industry with over 90% first-time ship rates from the largest UK stock of OEM parts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- First Choice Consumables: Private label brand for OEM catering consumables including gas valves, lamps, and universal pumps
- First Choice Training
Products and services
- OEM Catering Spare Parts Genuine OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables for commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment, sourced from exclusive manufacturer partnerships and distributed to the UK food service industry.
- Van Stocks Pre-configured stock packages for catering vans and mobile food service operators, including refrigeration van stocks and general catering van stock essentials.
- First Choice Consumables Own-brand consumable products including gas solenoid valves, lamps, bulbs, universal pumps, and castors/feet for catering equipment maintenance.
- Chemicals & Cleaners Professional cleaning chemicals, detergents, sanitizers, and service kits for commercial catering and dishwashing equipment including products from Rational, Merrychef, and Convotherm.
- Tools & Instruments Professional testing and diagnostic instruments for catering equipment maintenance including products from Draper, Mastercool, ETI, Testo Instruments, TPI Europe, Martindale Electric, and Fieldpiece.
- Training Division Technical training services for engineers including manufacturer-specific courses (Hobart, Rational, MKN, Merrychef), ACS gas training, electrical competency courses, and managed learning programmes for new gas engineers and non-domestic catering entrants.
Companies that use First Choice Group
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
First Choice Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
First Choice Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- RationalcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables distribution in the UK market.
- HobartcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for dishwasher and catering equipment spare parts.
- MKNcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for MKN FlexiCombi oven spare parts and accessories.
- MerrychefcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for microwave oven spare parts distribution.
- ConvothermcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for combi oven spare parts and accessories.
- FalconcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial cooking equipment spare parts.
- Electrolux ProfessionalcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for Electrolux Professional catering equipment spare parts.
- WinterhaltercoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for dishwasher and glasswasher spare parts.
- LincatcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial catering equipment spare parts.
- MeikocoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial dishwashing equipment spare parts.
- Blue SealcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial cooking equipment spare parts.
- PitcocoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for fryer equipment spare parts.
- WilliamscoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial refrigeration spare parts.
- Foster RefrigeratorcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for commercial refrigerator spare parts.
- BRITA ProfessionalcoreExclusive manufacturer partnership for water filtration products and accessories.
- LCL AwardscoreCertification body partnership for delivering nationally accredited training courses and assessments under the ACS scheme for gas fitting operatives, as well as City & Guilds accredited electrical competency courses.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
First Choice Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- 3663 Foodservice: Major UK foodservice distributor serving restaurants, hotels and contract caterers; overlaps with Parts Town UK through equipment-related categories but operates a much broader foodservice product range at significantly larger scale.
- Bunzl UK (Catering): UK arm of a global broadline distribution group; its Catering division distributes foodservice equipment, consumables and supplies at much larger scale, overlapping with Parts Town UK in parts, consumables and chemicals but as one of many categories.
- Hoshizaki UK: UK subsidiary of a major Japanese OEM manufacturer of commercial ice machines, refrigerators and dishwashers; distributes genuine OEM spare parts direct and through partners for its own equipment range, competing with Parts Town UK for service-agent wallet share within its installed base.
Direct peers
- Lockhart Catering: UK distributor of professional catering equipment, parts and consumables serving similar end markets (operators, service agents) with comparable brand portfolios; competes with Parts Town UK on parts availability, OEM partnerships and next-day logistics.
- Caterkwik: UK catering equipment supplier offering genuine and compatible spare parts across cooking, refrigeration, ware-washing and food-prep categories; comparable B2B positioning, online catalog model and customer base to Parts Town UK.
- Parts Town (US): US-based OEM foodservice parts specialist with exclusive manufacturer partnerships and a leading e-commerce platform for commercial kitchen equipment spares; operates the same exclusive-distribution-plus-e-commerce playbook and reportedly shares branding with Parts Town UK.
- Nisbets: UK-based direct competitor supplying commercial catering equipment, spares, and consumables to food service operators; operates a similar one-stop catalog across cooking, refrigeration and ware-washing categories and competes head-to-head with Parts Town UK for the same engineering and end-operator customers.
Others
- Middleby UK: UK arm of a large global OEM holding company whose brands (Hobart, Rational, Convotherm, Merrychef, Foster and others) are also carried as exclusive Parts Town UK partners; provides a benchmark for OEM-side strategic options such as direct parts distribution that could disintermediate Parts Town UK.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
First Choice Group social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Choice Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
First Choice Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Choice Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
First Choice Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
First Choice Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Choice Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Choice Group
What does First Choice Group do?
First Choice Group (trading as Parts Town UK) distributes genuine OEM spare parts, accessories and consumables for commercial catering, refrigeration, bakery and laundry equipment. The company sources parts through exclusive master distribution agreements with leading catering OEMs and supplies them to the UK food service industry via e-commerce, trade counter and next-day logistics operations.
Is First Choice Group a public or private company?
First Choice Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was First Choice Group founded?
First Choice Group was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is First Choice Group based?
First Choice Group is headquartered in Cannock, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does First Choice Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: OEM Spare Parts Sales.
Who are First Choice Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are 3663 Foodservice, Bunzl UK (Catering) and Hoshizaki UK. Direct peers are Lockhart Catering, Caterkwik, Parts Town (US) and Nisbets. Middleby UK is listed as an others.
Does First Choice Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Choice Group.