Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Jason Wouhra's Lioncroft Wholesale is ready to roar

Jason Wouhra's Lioncroft Wholesale is ready to roar
Lioncroft Wholesale CEO Dr Jason Wouhra OBE

Food and drink wholesale company Lioncroft Wholesale is actively looking at expansion at multiple levels, its CEO Dr Jason Wouhra OBE has said, revealing his plans to make huge strides on both wholesale as well as retail.

Wholesaling has been in Jason’s blood. Coming from famous Wouhra family who established East End Foods (founded in 1972 by five Wouhra brothers, including Jason’s father Jasbir Wouhra), he had spent a lot of weekends and practically every summer of his growing up years simply playing and messing around in the warehouse.


Subsequently, he got into working, like stacking shelves, helping with banking or in admin duties and that’s how the business (the way he likes to describe as) got into his “bloodstream”.

Speaking to Asian Trader, Jason stated that he is absolutely in love with his business and all the challenges that come along with it.

The East End Foods business was sold in its entirety in 2019 to Exponent Private Equity. In June 2020, Jason and his immediate family, wife Daali, his parents (Jasbir and Pam) and younger brother Indi, bought back the wholesale arm of the business under the name Lioncroft Wholesale Limited.

Now under a new banner and a newer branding, Lioncroft is seemingly ready to roar with massive expansion plans, including the revival of symbol group Lifestyle Express.

"Lifestyle Express actually came to us directly. We now have the rights to Lifestyle express in England and Wales. We are actually looking to redevelop that concept by making it more modern and sleeker to make it more relevant to the consumer.

"Over the years, the symbol group has lost a bit of its presence. We are trying to bring it back. We are getting a lot of signings for lifestyle Express. But more importantly, in addition to lifestyle Express, we're looking at increasing our retail footprint anyway," he told Asian Trader.

Based in Birmingham, Lioncroft Wholesale is today one of Midlands' biggest wholesalers, offering food and drink products at competitive prices. It is also one of Unitas' (a £6.5bn buying consortium) biggest members.

Lioncroft Wholesale also has its own USP of stocking a wide range of interesting ethnic food.

"We are very heavy on ethnic food so we have probably more than 2000 lines. We have got 15,000 lines overall of products across the aisles. So the range that we carry is much broader than other wholesalers.

“Our services are much better. And as a result, we are able to produce from our two depots is more than companies usually get from eight-nine depots."

Buzz is that Lioncroft Wholesale is planning to open another warehouse outside Midlands for the first time in the family's history though Jason refused to comment on this, declining to share any further details as of now.

However, he did state that the group is into major expansion mode on multiple levels.

"We have expanded our sales and grown quite drastically on the wholesale side.

"Last three years, we have spent on building the foundation to develop the business forward. So with the new management team, we have created a plan for expansion. And there are many strands to that plan," he said.

"We are eager to grow our brand geographically with new depots and perhaps acquisitions of other businesses and are confident that the wholesale channel is in a very strong position especially as consumers have a preference to shop locally,” he said.

After getting back into the hands of Jason and his immediate family, Lioncroft Wholesale has been on a growth trajectory.

“Lioncroft Wholesale has grown by almost 40 per cent organically and with the changes we have made to the business. We aim to increase our sales and footprint rapidly in the next five years.” Jason told the publication.

Jason’s move of re-acquiring the wholesale arm of East End Foods created quite a ripple in the industry at the time, with some calling it an emotional attachment. Busting the rumors and assumptions, the man himself stated that everything was a part of well-thought of plan.

Jason stated that the re-acquirement of the wholesale arm of East End Foods happened within a matter of months after its acquisition. It was intended to be a back-to-back deal, but because of COVID, it got delayed by a few months.

"I could see that the private equity buyer wasn't so interested in the wholesaling part. Since I had always spent my life in the wholesaling business, it was a very simple decision for me to continue doing that. Firstly, I wasn't ready to retire and secondly, I wanted to continue the name and legacy of our family and develop the business as much as I possibly can,” he said.

East End Foods was very much a family business with the involvement of almost 50 members of the wider Wouhra family. It was a very “successful business” in itself, Jason said, adding that however, Lioncroft Wholesale has been built on this success in quite a different manner.

Lioncroft Wholesale recently celebrated its third birthday with a glamorous Gala Dinner at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, a star-studded event that saw the attendance of guests from the worlds of politics, entertainment, various dignitaries, suppliers and customers.

Jason and his father Jasbir also took this opportunity to launch the family`s charity, the Lioncroft Foundation with seed capital of £200,000. The Lioncroft Foundation aims to support charities locally, nationally, and internationally with further fundraising planned to take place every year to support the noble causes.

This year, Jason and Lioncroft hosted the first ever Indian Independence Day celebrations held in the House of Lords. The event was attended by Sir Keir Starmer, Lord Bilimoria, Baroness Verma and Indian High Commissioner His Excellency Vikram K. Doraiswami amongst other dignitaries, peers, and ambassadors.

“Indian Independence Day celebrations this year were a proud moment for me and my family. Being involved in the first ever such celebrations in Parliament was wonderful, we had a huge turnout, and it was great to have Lioncroft at the Forefront of such a momentous occasion,” he said.

More for you

innocent drinks, Co-op team up to donate portions of fruit and veg to charity

innocent drinks, Co-op team up to donate portions of fruit and veg to charity

innocent drinks, Europe’s leading healthy drinks company, is announcing a new partnership with Alexandra Rose Charity as it advances its mission to help people live well through the delicious goodness of fruits and vegetables.

Government statistics reveal that just one third of adults, and 12 per cent of 11–18-year-olds, are managing to get the recommended “Five a Day”. This is even starker for lower-income families, with the most deprived fifth of adults consuming 37 per cent less fruit and veg than the least deprived, and their children 29 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

As the final key retail season of the year approaches, Nisa retailer NP Group is gearing up for Christmas with a renewed focus on store activation and point-of-sale (POS) strategy to drive sales following a successful Halloween.

With seasonal shopping trends in full swing, effective in-store activation and visibility are crucial for smaller retailers to capture customer attention and keep up with larger competitors. Data from Retail Economics shows that UK shoppers spent approximately £10 billion on seasonal products in 2023, with Halloween contributing £650 million alone, marking a steady increase in seasonal shopping over recent years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office cash deposits and withdrawals
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services

Most Horizon scandal victims say it 'destroyed relationships'

Around two thirds (65 per cent) of people affected by the Horizon scandal have said it impacted their family and relationships, while many respondents report estrangement from family members because of the scandal, according to a paper published today (1) by the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s listening project.

The paper title In Your Own Words illustrates the various challenges the Horizon scandal has inflicted on people’s relationships, with respondents reporting the breakdown of relationships, estrangement from family members, and acute loneliness. Some adult children of former sub-postmasters shared how they experienced bullying, financial issues and mental health struggles because of the scandal. Others reported how their parents have died before knowing the truth about the Horizon scandal, which magnified their grief.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

iStock image

Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

The wholesalers have welcomed several measures announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's first budget but have raised concern the increase in National Living Wage and Employers National Insurance contributions will add an estimated £110 million in direct wage costs to the wholesale sector.

The wholesalers also pointed out that the lack of clarity on business rates reform means that wholesalers operating large physical premises remain disproportionately impacted by high rates. Without meaningful reform and a set timeline, these businesses will continue to shoulder a heavier burden than those in sectors with minimal property overhead.

Keep ReadingShow less
New benefits scheme for Fed members

New benefits scheme for Fed members

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has launched an exclusive benefits scheme for Fed members.

Called FedPlus, the scheme offers a range of discounts on a host of goods and activities, from everyday purchases to luxury products.

Through FedPlus, Fed members will have access to a range of fantastic money-saving benefits covering a wide variety of areas – from health and well-being to home and car essentials, and from food and drink to fashion and tech, entertainment, travel and experiences.

There is a Savings Calculator to show how much has been saved, based on monthly or annual spending, on a range of everyday categories. The Savings Calculator will generate a personal savings total and provide links to the individual deals.

Launching FedPlus, National President Mo Razzaq said: “In my inaugural speech at the Fed’s Annual Conference in June, I spoke about the importance of providing more benefits to help members make money, save money and make business easier.

“Just four months on, we are delighted to bring you FedPlus. This is an exciting new addition to our ever-growing list of member benefits which brings you quick, at your fingertips access to several offers across a wide range of categories so the money in your wallets and purses goes even further in these financially strained times.”

Members can access the scheme through thefedonline.com website. It went live yesterday (October 31).

FedPlus is managed and run for the Fed by Parliament Hill Limited, which has been providing benefit management solutions for membership organisations for the past 20 years. Top name companies offering discounts include Virgin Experience Days, Nuffield Health, Hotpoint, Halfords, Boots, Curry’s and EE.

Tom Sparke, joint managing director and client services director at Parliament Hill, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Fed to assist them in the fantastic support that it provides for its members.

“The Fed has a strong commitment to supporting its members, which aligns with the Parliament Hill ethos of placing the needs of our clients’ members at the heart of what we do.”