What Squirrels does

Squirrels is a UK-based wholesale distributor of food and drink products, founded in 1970 as a family-run retailer and now operating as part of the Kitwave Group. Its portfolio spans confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, and crisps and snacks, with more than 4,000 product lines sourced from major brands including Nestle, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Haribo, Mars, Walkers, and Kelloggs. The company self-describes as the UK's biggest wholesaler in the discount sector.

The core operating model combines a member-only e-commerce ordering platform with a direct field sales force and an in-house delivery fleet. Customers must register as bona-fide traders to view pricing and place orders. Distribution is anchored by a 60,000 sq ft warehouse facility in Luton, supplemented by an additional depot (Eden Farm South, Luton) and a registered office in North Shields. Squirrels reports a 99.8% delivery service level and operates a fleet meeting Euro5 emission standards with claimed 10% fuel efficiency. In addition to UK distribution, the company runs a global export operation serving China, the USA, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and Canada.

Squirrels generates revenue primarily through wholesale product sales to retailers and distributors at discount-sector pricing, with promotional programs (Price Breaker, Mystore, Just a Quid) used to drive volume. There are no disclosed AI capabilities, app, or public-facing API; the underlying technology is a standard member-gated e-commerce site augmented by Google Analytics and email open-tracking. Customer concentration is low, with a horizontal base of SMB traders across the UK and select export markets.

Name

Squirrels

Legal name

Squirrels

Website

https://squirrelsstock.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Squirrels is a UK wholesale distributor of confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, and snacks, serving SMB retailers and distributors through a member-only e-commerce platform, in-house delivery fleet, and global export operations under the Kitwave Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Luton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Product Sales: Squirrels generates revenue through wholesale distribution of confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, and snacks to retailers and distributors. The company offers competitive pricing in the discount sector and operates on a member-only ordering model where traders must register and log in to view pricing and place orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Squirrels is an independent wholesale distributor of food and drink products, supplying over 4,000 product lines spanning confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, crisps and snacks to retailers and distributors in the UK and internationally. Sales are conducted to bona-fide traders who must register for member accounts to view pricing and place orders online or via the company's direct sales force, with delivery handled by an own vehicle fleet. The portfolio includes products from major brands such as Nestle, Cadbury, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Haribo, McVities, Walkers, and Kelloggs.

Product overview

Squirrels is an independent wholesale platform operating as part of the Kitwave Group. The core offering is a unified wholesale ordering platform where retailers and distributors can browse and order from an extensive product range exceeding 4000 lines. The portfolio consists of confectionery (Nestle, Cadbury, Haribo, Ferrero, Mars brands), soft drinks (Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Britvic, Barr), grocery (canned vegetables, sauces, condiments, noodles), and crisps & snacks (Walkers, Seabrook, Tayto, Kelloggs). Supporting services include promotional programs (Price Breaker, Mystore, Just a Quid) and global export capabilities to multiple international markets. The company operates from a 60,000 sq ft facility with in-house warehouse and distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Squirrels Wholesale Platform An independent wholesale distribution platform enabling bona-fide retailers and distributors to browse and order from over 4,000 product lines spanning confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, crisps and snacks. Online ordering requires member registration and login to access pricing.
• Confectionery Range Wholesale confectionery assortment featuring chocolate bags, sugar bags and sweet treats from brands such as Nestle, Cadbury, Haribo, Ferrero and Mars. Sold via the wholesale platform to trade customers for resale.
• Soft Drinks Range Wholesale bottled soft drinks including fruit juices, waters and milkshakes from brands such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Britvic and Barr. Distributed to retail and wholesale trade customers via the Squirrels platform.
• Grocery Range Wholesale grocery assortment including canned vegetables, sauces, condiments, noodles, olives, peppers and pickles from brands such as Thurstons and Eastern. Supplied through the wholesale ordering platform to trade customers.
• Crisps and Snacks Range Wholesale snack assortment including crisps from Walkers, Seabrook, United Biscuits and Tayto, plus cereals from Kelloggs and Weetabix. Distributed via the wholesale platform to trade customers.
• Price Breaker Promotional wholesale program offering competitive deals across confectionery, alcohol, tobacco, grocery and toiletries categories for registered trade customers.
• Mystore Promotional wholesale program offering savings on various product lines for member customers ordering through the Squirrels wholesale platform.
• Just a Quid Promotional wholesale program featuring products at the £1 price point across various categories, available to registered trade customers on the Squirrels wholesale platform.
• Global Export Service International export service delivering wholesale products to China, USA, Europe, Australia, Middle East and Canada, offering over 4,000 product lines to overseas trade customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.8% service level delivery
• +1 more outcomes

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

One partnership is on record.

• Kitwave GroupcoreOthersSquirrels is part of the Kitwave Group, a wholesale group. They operate as an independent wholesaler under the Kitwave umbrella and share infrastructure and distribution network with other group companies including M&M Value, Turner & Wrights, Cumbria Confectionary, Bishops, Automatic Retailing, Teatime Tasties, Westone Wholesale, and Eden Farm.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Booker Wholesale: UK cash-and-carry and delivered-wholesale operator serving independent retailers, c-stores and caterers; part of Tesco. Closely comparable in target customer (independent retailers) and core assortment of confectionery, soft drinks and grocery at trade prices.
• Bidfood: One of the UK's largest foodservice and wholesale distributors, offering a broad grocery and ambient range to retailers, caterers and foodservice operators. Highly comparable to Squirrels in B2B wholesale distribution model but at materially larger scale and breadth.
• Makro UK: Cash-and-carry operator serving independent retailers, caterers and small businesses with grocery, confectionery, beverages and household categories. Comparable assortment and B2B membership/pricing model to Squirrels, though with broader categories and a counter-collection model.
• Brakes Group: Major UK and pan-European foodservice and wholesale distributor (owned by Sysco). Comparable to Squirrels as a B2B distributor of ambient grocery, beverages and confectionery, though skewed more toward out-of-home customers.

Direct peers

• Bestway Wholesale: One of the UK's largest delivered wholesalers and symbol-group operators (Best-One, Costcutter, Mace). Direct competitor to Squirrels in supplying independent convenience and discount retailers with confectionery, soft drinks, grocery and snacks.
• Parfetts: Privately-held UK delivered wholesaler serving independent retailers through the Costcutter, Mace and SimplyFresh fascia networks. Direct geographic and assortment competitor to Squirrels in the independent-channel delivered-wholesale market.
• Landmark Wholesale: UK buying group representing independent delivered wholesalers (similar in profile to Squirrels) serving convenience and discount retailers across multiple regions. Directly comparable in customer base, assortment and trading model.
• Confex (Today’s Group): UK delivered-wholesale buying and distribution group serving independent retailers, c-stores and symbol groups. Closely comparable to Squirrels as a competing delivered-wholesale channel for confectionery, soft drinks and ambient grocery in the UK.

Regional players

• Sugro UK: UK symbol-group buying organization representing independent delivered wholesalers serving convenience and discount retailers. Operates an overlapping role to Squirrels as a multi-wholesale distributor-network in the independent trade channel.

Others

• Coke Solutions (part of Coca-Cola): While not a wholesaler, Coca-Cola's direct-vendor programs and depot-supply initiatives represent both a key supplier relationship and a structural alternative to wholesale distribution channels for Squirrels and similar independents.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/squirrelsuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/SquirrelsUkLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/squirrels-uk-ltd

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 Squirrels