Wed, 10 Jun 2026 | BUSINESS SALE
Fresh food order management platform Fresho has acquired Nation Wilcox, a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to UK food suppliers, in a deal that creates a combined business with over £2 billion in annual gross merchandise revenue (GMV) and a customer base of more than 400 businesses.
Founded in Melbourne in 2015, Fresho serves a customer base of caterers and fresh food wholesalers, supporting distributors across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Ireland and the United States.
The company’s platform brings ordering, picking, invoicing and payments together in a single system. Since launching in the UK in 2020, it has grown to support more than 250 customers across the market.
Nation Wilcox, which was founded in Birmingham in 1978, serves primary and secondary wholesalers across the UK, in addition to cash and carry businesses, through its ERP platform ISSAC (Integrated Sales & Stock Accounting). The firm’s services span order management, logistics, accounting and stock control, while more recently it has developed expertise in online ordering, mobile apps and AI.
The deal forms part of Fresho’s broader plan to accelerate the development of its AI capabilities, while driving continuing product innovation across the markets it operates in.
The addition of Nation Wilcox’s established presence among large primary wholesalers extends Fresho’s reach beyond its existing foodservice distributor customer base, with the combined business now reaching more customers across the UK and Ireland.
Post-acquisition, Nation Wilcox will continue to operate under its existing brand as a standalone entity, with no changes to day-to-day operations, customer contracts or support arrangements.
The acquisition will also see Andrew Nation, who has led Nation Wilcox for over 20 years, joining Fresho’s board as a significant shareholder, playing a key role in shaping the business’ next phase of growth.
Andrew Nation commented: “Nation Wilcox has been at the heart of UK food wholesale for more than four decades, and finding the right partner for the next chapter of the business was a carefully considered decision.”
“Fresho’s ambitions are the right fit for Nation Wilcox, and together the companies will be able to grow beyond the UK and become the premier supplier of IT systems to the foodservice industry worldwide. For our customers, this means access to the combined expertise of both organisations, with the continuity of the team they already know and trust.”
Jamie Foale, General Manager, UK and Ireland, at Fresho, said: “Acquiring this prestigious company establishes us as the leading technology platform for foodservice in the UK, and combining their decades of experience with our own will help us better serve the market.”
“We look forward to working with Andrew to continue the success of Nation Wilcox and ensure that their customers feel as supported and confident in the continued investment in the software as ever.”
Find out more about M&A trends in the UK's food and beverage sector
Read more about the process of acquiring a UK company as an overseas buyer
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