BIG INTERVIEW
PARFETTS
68 ASIAN TRADER 17 OCTOBER 2025
hen Parfetts says every
colleague has “skin in the
game”, it isn’t mere
rhetoric. As an employee-
owned business, it turns
the traditional wholesale model on its head;
and this year, that model is under the
spotlight more than ever.
It’s a business revolution powered not just
by numbers, but by people who truly believe
in what they do.
The national wholesaler has seen turnover
rise by 110 per cent in six years to reach
£800m, and now supports more than 1,650
independent retailers nationwide through its
Go Local fascia. The business is now aiming to
surpass £1 billion in turnover and 2,000
retailers.
These aren’t empty ambitions. They are
underpinned by bold, tangible moves: the
opening of a ninth depot in Southampton to
push into the South Coast; the launch of a
new Shop & Go symbol group for forecourts
and transient sites; expansion of own label
lines, major digital investment; and the
decision to exit the Unitas buying group by
the end of 2026 to stand fully independent.
On the very day Asian Trader sat down with
joint managing directors Noel Robinson and
Guy Swindell for this exclusive interview,
Parfetts announced a 14 per cent bonus for all
its employees in recognition of a record-
breaking year, staying true to its employee-
owned model.
It’s a moment that makes both men beam
with pride. They light up with a conviction
that’s equal parts commercial and personal.
After all, they see Parfetts’ employee-owned
model as an unbeatable point of difference,
the cultural DNA that no competitor can copy.
Parfetts’ joint
managing directors,
in conversation with
Pooja Shrivastava, on
what makes Parfetts
tick and where the
wholesaler is headed
next...
‘Right range, right value, right service’
Swindell said, “We are really focussed on
delivering the best possible service for our
retail customers and working closely with
suppliers. Competition from other wholesal
ers will always be there but it only drives us
forward.
“What makes us different in the market
place is our employee ownership model. We
are all collectively invested to make Parfetts a
success.
“We, at Parfetts, all work together and
have a share in the profit in the form of bonus,
just like the one announced today.”
Robinson chimes in, “And remember, it is
the same percentage bonus across the board
for everyone, be it the cleaner or the MD”.
He is equally pumped up about the range
and value that Parfetts is able to offer.
“We pride ourselves on our wide and
wholesome retail range. So you need to have
the right range available, then value and then
price.
“We are very competitive on the price
aspect. We benchmark it every week. We
have a vast range of promotions that cycle
every three weeks.
“Retailers buying stock from us are able to
pass on better prices to their customers and
thus earn their loyalty. That’s where the
growth is coming from.
“It is all about right range, right value, right
service – that’s the winning formula,”
Robinson said.
From Reddish to Southampton
Parfetts’ story began in 1980 as a family-run
business in Reddish, Stockport, when the late
Alan Parfett, his wife Pat, and their son Steve
opened a 25,000 sq ft cash & carry.
A fire destroyed the original Reddish
depot, but the company rebuilt and reopened
in larger premises in central Stockport within
14 weeks.
From that phoenix rising, the wholesaler’s
footprint tiptoed into Merseyside, then
stomped further afield. The map now
eventually featured Aintree, Anfield,
Birmingham, Halifax, Middlesbrough,
Sheffield, Somercotes, and Stockport.
In early September, when the doors of
Parfetts’ newest 113,000 sq ft cash and carry
in Southampton opened to retail customers,
it marked a new chapter for the wholesaler.
Ask the duo about that new Southampton
depot and one can hear the sense of achieve
ment ringing clearly.
Swindell said, “The Southampton depot is
proving a great pull for retailers. The response
that we saw on the opening day was over
whelming.
“It is performing almost as good as
Birmingham depot. From day one, the
response has been incredible.
“And we’re already seeing interest in our
symbol group rising across the region.”
Robinson reinforced, “Right range, right
value, right service — those pillars have
worked everywhere else in the UK. Now
we’re bringing them to Southampton and the
South West.”
War of symbols
Southampton isn’t just another depot; rather
it is proving to be Parfetts’ Southern strong
hold.
By night, it transforms into the “delivered