Confex restructures to deliver ambitious plans

CEO Tom Gittins

Following significant growth since 2020, Confex has announced a restructuring of the business to ensure that it provides the best possible support for its members while continuing with its ambitious growth strategy.

One of the UK’s longest established buying groups, Confex already represents more than 12 per cent of the UK wholesale sector. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the group has doubled in size and turnover since the Covid-19 pandemic.

This growth, and the Cotswold-based group’s ambitious growth plans for the future, has resulted in CEO Tom Gittins and COO Jess Douglas creating a new structure for the business, introducing two new dedicated divisions – retail and foodservice – in order to meet the evolving needs of members and suppliers.

“Confex has always celebrated its diverse range of wholesale members, servicing all product categories with a focus on local independent customers,” said Gittins.

COO Jess Douglas

“These changes will provide us with a clear and dedicated focus for both our retail and our foodservice members which, in turn, supports our growth plans. As our turnover has grown from £1.97bn to £3.46bn in the past four years, we are confident that this change in structure will ready us for future growth and enable us to hit our target of becoming a £4bn buying group by 2027.”

One of the key drivers for this restructure has been the success of the dedicated retail and foodservice committees which were introduced in 2022. Recognising and celebrating the differences across the group’s membership, these committees comprise key members who meet monthly to discuss Confex’s strategic pillars across trading, technology, marketing, own brand, distribution, execution and operations.

Kirsty Winkel

As a result of the new restructure, Kirsty Winkel has been appointed to the newly-created position of retail controller. She will oversee the retail division of the group, while foodservice controller Matt Norman will oversee the foodservice and out-of-home division.

Confex members are supportive of this change. Millenium Group’s director of wholesale Keith Parmar said: “As a Confex board member, we are delighted with the ongoing growth and progress we are seeing across the group.

“We welcome the development of a more formalised retail and foodservice division, which in turn will drive future success both for existing and new wholesalers who join us.”