Inn Express
Inn Express is a UK family-run wholesale drinks distributor founded in 2002, supplying 7,000+ beverage and consumable SKUs to pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers across London, the South East, Cotswolds, Midlands, North West, South West, and Wales from depots in Haselor and Berkhamsted.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersAlcester, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Inn Express does
Inn Express is a family-run UK wholesale drinks supplier and distributor founded in 2002 by Chairman Dennis Hall. The company operates two depots — Haselor (Warwickshire) and Berkhamsted (Hertfordshire) — and serves pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers across London, the South East, the Cotswolds, the Midlands, the North West, and increasingly the South West and Wales. Its core offer is a 7,000+ SKU catalogue spanning beer (commercial lagers through craft ales), wine, spirits and liqueurs, cider, soft drinks, coffee, snacks, and consumables, with exclusivities such as Changing Times Brewery (UK wholesale) and dedicated Attic Brew Co SKUs. Differentiation rests on a no-minimum-order policy, dedicated account managers, bespoke trade pricing, and recognized industry standing including Harpers' Top 50 Drinks Wholesalers 2025.
The company's underlying technology is an online B2B ordering platform available 24/7 to registered trade accounts. Features include Fast Order for repeat purchasing, similar-term product search, a Gross Profit Calculator, Cocktail Calculator (with a Bin End Cocktail Builder), Allergen tracking with CSV export, and Ullage Reporting for venue support. The platform is functional commerce rather than AI-driven, and there is no public mobile app, API, or SDK. Marketing is conducted through the website, social channels (X, Instagram, LinkedIn), seasonal brochures, and direct trade-account acquisition. Inn Express operates without disclosed external funding, subsidiaries, or parent company.
The business model is transactional wholesale distribution: revenue is generated per-order on competitive trade pricing, with bespoke arrangements negotiated by account managers. There are no minimum order quantities, no public pricing, and all listed prices are ex. VAT. Customer mix is heavily skewed to SMB hospitality venues, supplemented by mid-market restaurants and enterprise hotel accounts. The company invests in staff training (Mental First Aid, industry qualifications) and holds Living Wage employer status. No revenue, M&A, funding, or leadership-change signals are disclosed in the public record.
Inn Express firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inn Express
- Legal name
- Inn Express Ltd
- Website
- https://inn-express.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Inn Express is a UK family-run wholesale drinks distributor founded in 2002, supplying 7,000+ beverage and consumable SKUs to pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers across London, the South East, Cotswolds, Midlands, North West, South West, and Wales from depots in Haselor and Berkhamsted.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inn Express industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Beverage Distribution
- NAICS
- Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (424820), Wine and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers (42482)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale (AFAIAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hospitality Broadline Distributors (Hotels, Resorts, Leisure) (AFAIAAAD), Beverage Wholesale (Alcoholic & Non-Alcoholic) (AFAIABAH), Bar & Beverage Service Supplies Wholesale (AFAIALAG), Beverage (Non-Alcoholic) Foodservice Distribution (CRAOABAJ)
Keywords
Where Inn Express is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alcester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Inn Express business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wholesale Drinks Distribution: Inn Express generates revenue through wholesale distribution of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages to hospitality venues. They supply beers, wines, spirits, ciders, soft drinks, coffee, snacks, and consumables to pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers. Revenue is transactional, based on product purchases through trade accounts with competitive trade pricing. No minimum order requirements make them accessible to venues of all sizes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Trade Account Pricing - Bespoke rates based on venue relationship and volume |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Inn Express product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inn Express is a UK wholesale drinks supplier and distributor that delivers wines, beers, spirits, coffee, and hospitality consumables to on-trade venues. Operating from depots in Haselor and Berkhamsted, the company serves pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers with next-day delivery and no minimum-order policy.
Product overview
Inn Express is a family-run UK wholesale drinks supplier founded in 2002, operating as a single unified platform offering over 7000+ products across multiple categories. The core offering consists of beer (commercial lagers to craft ales), wine (from France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, Argentina), spirits & liqueurs (including cognac, brandy, armagnac, whisky, gin, rum), cider, soft drinks, low & no alcohol beverages, coffee, snacks, and consumables. The company also provides hospitality support tools including a Gross Profit Calculator, Cocktail Calculator, Bin End Cocktail Builder, and Order Pad. Craft beers are sourced from indie breweries like Verdant, Attic Brew Co., DEYA, and Tiny Rebel. Featured non-alcoholic brands include Lucky Saint, Seedlip, and Caleno. The business operates depots in Haselor and Berkhamsted with delivery across London, South East, Cotswolds, Midlands and North West.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wholesale wine supply
- Wholesale beer supply
- Wholesale spirits supply
- Wholesale coffee supply
- Hospitality consumables supply
Quantifiable outcome
- Named one of Harpers' Top 50 Drinks Wholesalers for 2025, recognizing service quality and industry values
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Inn Express
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Inn Express technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Inn Express partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Verdant Brewing CocoreVerdant Brewing Co is a UK craft brewery founded in autumn 2014 by homebrewers Adam and James with Rich. They specialize in US-inspired hoppy, hazy, unfiltered, vegan beers. Inn Express supplies their range to hospitality venues across the UK, including kegs and cans formats. The partnership features weekly new releases and rotational beers.
- Changing Times BrewerycoreInn Express is the exclusive UK wholesale distributor for Changing Times Brewery, a Dublin brewery founded by brewer Shane Long alongside pub families. Their range includes Clockwork Velvet Stout, Daydreamer Snappy Lager, and After Hours Hazy Pale Ale. The partnership gives Inn Express exclusive rights to distribute Changing Times products across the UK.
- Attic Brew CocoreAttic Brew Co is a Birmingham-based craft brewery creating hop-forward beers. Inn Express offers exclusive products such as Attic Bonds 50L Keg. The partnership includes Inn Express exclusives and regular promotional offers.
- LTC (Logistics/Trading Company)minorLTC is a key partner in the soft drinks category, featured in the Our Key Partners section of the soft drinks range.
- NavasminorNavas is listed as a key partner in the soft drinks category, featured in the Our Key Partners section.
- FolkingtonsminorFolkingtons is a key partner in the soft drinks category, featured in the Our Key Partners section.
- PagominorPago is a juice brand featured in the Our Key Partners section for soft drinks, with promotional campaigns and dedicated product pages.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Inn Express competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bestway Wholesale: Large UK wholesale group covering grocery, foodservice, and on-trade drinks. Comparable to Inn Express in hospitality beverage distribution but operates a much broader portfolio across retail and wholesale channels.
- Booker: UK foodservice and wholesale giant supplying pubs, restaurants, and caterers. Overlaps with Inn Express in on-trade beverage supply but spans the full foodservice range and operates a multi-temperature national delivery network.
Direct peers
- Corney & Barrow: Independent UK wine merchant and on-trade supplier serving hospitality venues. Closely comparable to Inn Express in trade distribution model and on-trade focus, with deeper wine specialism.
- Enotria & Coe: UK drinks wholesaler supplying wines, spirits, and beers to on-trade hospitality customers. Comparable trade account model and venue focus to Inn Express, with premium and exclusive brand positioning.
- Matthew Clark: One of the largest UK on-trade drinks wholesalers supplying pubs, bars, restaurants, and hotels with beers, wines, and spirits. Directly comparable to Inn Express in customer base, product mix, and B2B trade account model, but at materially greater scale and national reach.
- Bibendum PLB Group: UK on-trade wine, spirits, and craft beer wholesaler serving restaurants, hotels, and bars. Comparable product mix and customer base to Inn Express, particularly in craft beer and premium wine distribution.
- Liberty Wines: UK on-trade wine specialist supplying restaurants and hotels. Comparable trade-only distribution model and on-trade customer base to Inn Express, though narrower in category scope (wines and spirits).
- Hallgarten & Novum Wines: UK specialist wine and drinks wholesaler supplying on-trade and independent retailers. Comparable to Inn Express in trade account distribution model and on-trade customer focus, with stronger emphasis on premium wine.
- Tanners Wine Merchants: Regional UK drinks wholesaler with strong on-trade presence in the West of England and Wales. Comparable in size and customer profile to Inn Express, particularly around independent hospitality accounts.
Regional players
- Musgrave MarketPlace: Ireland-based wholesale and foodservice distributor serving hospitality venues across Ireland with beverages, foodservice, and consumables. Adjacent peer to Inn Express given UK/Ireland cross-border craft beer supply and similar on-trade customer base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Inn Express social profiles
Digital presenceInn Express financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inn Express leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Inn Express funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inn Express 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 Inn Express
What does Inn Express do?
Inn Express is a UK wholesale drinks supplier and distributor that delivers wines, beers, spirits, coffee, and hospitality consumables to on-trade venues. Operating from depots in Haselor and Berkhamsted, the company serves pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, and event caterers with next-day delivery and no minimum-order policy.
Is Inn Express a public or private company?
Inn Express is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Inn Express founded?
Inn Express was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Inn Express based?
Inn Express is headquartered in Alcester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Inn Express make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Drinks Distribution.
Who are Inn Express's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bestway Wholesale and Booker. Direct peers are Corney & Barrow, Enotria & Coe, Matthew Clark, Bibendum PLB Group, Liberty Wines, Hallgarten & Novum Wines and Tanners Wine Merchants. Musgrave MarketPlace is listed as a regional player.
Does Inn Express have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inn Express.
What industry is Inn Express in?
Inn Express's product category is Wholesale Beverage Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAIAGAI, Bar, Restaurant & On-Premise Beverage Supply Wholesale, with a secondary code of AFAIAAAD, Hospitality Broadline Distributors (Hotels, Resorts, Leisure). Its NAICS code is 424820 and its SIC code is 5180.