Mark Aylwin has been appointed non-exec chairman of The Wholesale Group, with the wholesale veteran most recently in a similar role at Unitas.
His background also includes leadership roles at Booker Group, Blueheath and Musgrave, and he will now be helping the buying group to pursue its ambition to grow turnover to £5bn, expand its own-brand range, enhance central distribution and accelerate technology-driven innovation.
Formed in January 2025 through the merger of Confex and Fairway Foodservice, The Wholesale Group has serves more than 349,000 customers and representing 13.7% of the market with a £4.52bn turnover.
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Aylwin said: “I’m honoured to be joining The Wholesale Group at such a pivotal and exciting time. The merger of Confex and Fairway has created a truly distinctive platform, a dynamic member network, and the scale needed to drive real market impact.
“As a third-generation family wholesale business, The Wholesale Group is uniquely positioned to understand and champion the needs of independent wholesalers. I’m excited to work alongside the directors and management team to strengthen supplier partnerships, support our members, and deliver long-term, sustainable value.”
The Executive Board of The Wholesale Group added: “The Wholesale Group is unique because of our proven expertise across retail and foodservice wholesale combined with our passion for independent business. We want to sharpen this focus and have consequently restructured the Executive Board. Jess Douglas is managing director for people & operations; Tom Gittins is managing director for retail, and Coral Rose is managing director for foodservice.
“Mark’s experience, strategic insight and industry leadership make him the natural choice for our new chairman and he will be a fantastic addition to the group. We’re confident his appointment will further strengthen our ability to deliver for members and lead the market with innovation, collaboration and growth.”
