Sales from A.F. Blakemore’s continuing operations rose by 4.6% to £1.1billion over the year ending 30 April 2019.
A.F Blakemore & Son was founded in 1917 and is a family run food distribution company that supplies schools, restaurant chains and local authorities. The company employs more than 7,800 people and is ranked number 44 in the Sunday Times Top Track 100 of Britain’s privately owned companies.
Blakemore, said: “This has been a tremendous performance and I’d like to thank all our staff who have worked so hard to help us achieve these results.
“We have continued to achieve positive growth across all channels and have carried out major reviews into all areas of our business to make sure we have the right strategies in place.”
One of the investments was the purchase of 22 Philpotts stores last February, which added ‘further growth momentum’ to its existing foodservice business.
A. F. Blakemore & Son has also signed a pre-let agreement on a 20-year lease for a 164,850 sq ft distribution factory in Bedford as part of its growth.
Every year 2% of company profits are put aside to support the Blakemore Foundation charitable trust. It was established in 2007 and over the past 12 years it has awarded over £2.6million to good causes.