Plenty of Scottish representation at the top of Unitas
UNITAS Wholesale – the new buying group formed from the merger of Landmark Wholesale and Today’s Group – has unveiled its board of directors, with Scottish firms well represented at the top level.
Sam Wilcox, managing director of Blakemore Wholesale will take on the role of chairman once the merger is complete, with Simon Hannah, MD of Scottish wholesaler JW Filshill serving as deputy chairman.
Darren Goldney, managing director of Today’s Group will become managing director of the newly formed Unitas, while Landmark Wholesale boss John Mills will take the deputy managing director position.
Other appointments include Andrew Thewlis, finance director of Landmark Wholesale, who will continue to serve in this capacity for the Unitas; Today’s Group trading director John Baines who will continue in this role for the merged entity; and Today’s Group retail director John Kinney, who will also continue in his position post-merger.
John Schofield, finance director for Today’s Group has taken the decision to retire from the business in May 2019.
In addition to the executive directors, the new Unitas Wholesale board will include eight member directors from each group, including Amaan Ramzan of United Wholesale Grocers and Asim Sarwar of United Wholesale (Scotland).
The merger of Landmark Wholesale and Today’s Group was given the green light following a vote in which members overwhelmingly backed a joint proposal from both buying groups’ boards.
Polling on the merger closed 6 September, with the proposal winning by a landslide of 96% in favour.
Current 2018 joint business agreements for both groups remain in effect, with a newly formed Unitas Wholesale trading team expected to commence discussions with suppliers regarding 2019 terms later this year.
The two buying groups will trade under the name Unitas Wholesale Ltd following the completion of the deal on 31 October.
In a joint statement, Landmark Wholesale MD John Mills and Today’s Group MD Darren Goldney said: “We are absolutely delighted that our members voted to merge the two groups.
“Through advanced scale, relevance and capability, Unitas Wholesale will be the sustainable wholesale business partner for its supplier base, creating an alternative route to market in the face of the consolidation that is taking place within the wholesale sector.”
