METRO expands food service distribution business in the United Kingdom through acquisition of caterite

29 August 2024

METRO acquires UK-based food service delivery specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice to create synergies with Classic Fine Foods UK

METRO expands FSD business in the UK through acquisition of Caterite
  • Caterite's food service delivery capabilities in the Lake District and other northern UK regions complement Classic Fine Foods UK's (CFF UK) offering, accelerating METRO’s nationwide FSD expansion covering England, Scotland and Wales
  • With a focus on local assortment, value-added services and high-quality fresh food, Caterite generated revenues of GBP 44 million in 2023, along with low single digit million EBITDA and free cash flow
  • A local specialist with around 200 employees, Caterite serves over 2,000 mostly independent customers in the premium and masstige HoReCa segments
  • The acquisition supports the sCore goal of increasing METRO's FSD share of total sales to 33% by 2030
  • Signing and closing of the transaction occurred on 28 August 2024; both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price

METRO has yesterday acquired UK-based food service delivery specialist Caterite Food & Wineservice. Caterite supplies to over 2,000 HoReCa customers in the premium and masstige segments, offering a mix of locally and internationally sourced food, complemented with value-added products from its own processing and production facilities. With Caterite’s regional focus on the tourist-rich Lake District and adjacent regions, the acquisition will help METRO expand its FSD activities to the northern parts of the UK, thereby accelerating the nationwide expansion.

Guillaume Deruyter, Member of the Management Board of METRO AG and responsible for the FSD businesses, explains: "We are delighted to welcome the successful food service specialist Caterite as another member of our international FSD family. In addition to their strong local roots, the employees and management also bring a high level of expertise in the delivery business, and we warmly welcome them! METRO sees the acquisition as an opportunity to grow in the attractive UK HoReCa market and to create synergies with Classic Fine Foods UK. This brings us closer to our strategic goal of successively expanding the share of delivery in total sales."

Caterite serves its customers through its main brands Caterite and Grapevine. Offering a wide range of fresh and frozen food, groceries, value-added products (Caterite brand) as well as beverages (Grapevine brand), the company’s clear emphasis is on fresh produce and meat. Key customer segments include hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés, which are supplied from 3 sites with a fleet of 70 multi-temperature trucks. 60% of sales are processed via the company’s web-shop, offering a high level of personalized customer service.

Within METRO, Caterite will complement activities of FSD specialist Classic Fine Foods UK, which supplies premium customers primarily in the greater London area, South West and central parts of the UK, creating cross selling opportunities across companies. Caterite will initially continue to operate under the established brands and in its existing form, seeking synergetic collaboration with CFF UK in areas such as assortment, sourcing, knowledge transfer and logistic network.

METRO has acquired and successfully integrated various FSD specialists in recent years. In 2015, METRO acquired Classic Fine Foods Group, a food service specialist with presence across Asia, Middle East and the UK. In 2016, METRO extended its FSD portfolio with the acquisition of Rungis Express (today’s R Express), a specialist FSD company with focus on the DACH region. In 2017 METRO took over Pro à Pro, a leading FSD player in the French market with focus on institutional customers. In October 2020, METRO acquired Aviludo Group, the second-largest food delivery company in Portugal with more than 13,500 HoReCa customers. At the end of 2020, METRO acquired Davigel Spain (later rebranded to Pro a Pro Spain), a Spanish FSD company with a strong presence in the Balearic and Canary Islands. In September 2021, C&C Abholgroßmärkte GmbH (AGM) including its delivery business was taken over by METRO in Austria. In May 2023, METRO acquired FSD specialist Johan i Hallen & Bergfalk (JHB), the leading Swedish delivery specialist for meat, fish and seafood with more than 4,000 HoReCa customers in the metropolitan regions of Sweden and Finland.


METRO is a leading international food wholesaler which specialises in serving the needs of hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent merchants (Traders). Around the world, METRO has approx. 15 million customers who benefit from the wholesale company’s unique multichannel mix: customers can purchase their goods in one of the large stores in their area as well as by delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD) – all digitally supported and connected. In parallel, METRO MARKETS is being developed as an international online marketplace for the needs of professional customers which has been growing and expanding continuously since 2019. Acting sustainably is one of the company principles of METRO which has been listed in various sustainability indices and rankings, including MSCI, Sustainalytics and CDP. METRO operates in more than 30 countries and employs over 89.000 people worldwide. In financial year 2022/23, METRO generated sales of €30.6 billion.

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