UK: New company to bring together three fresh food businesses

Fresh Direct and Bain Capital, the owners of Brakes, are delighted to announce a new Company that will bring together three of Bain’s fresh food businesses – M&J Seafood, Pauleys and Wild Harvest – with Fresh Direct.

The new company will be jointly owned by Bain Capital & Nigel Harris. Current Fresh Direct owners, Nigel & Colin Harris will continue to take an active role in the future success of the New Company.

The new Company will create an “all-in-one” fresh food destination for chefs and caterers, for their produce, fish and seafood, meat and exclusive fine dining product requirements.

The New Company and management team will be led by David Burns, the current Managing Director of Fresh Direct, who will become the CEO of the new Company, which will also operate under the Fresh Direct name, with M&J, Pauleys and Wild Harvest also retaining their brand names.

Fresh Direct was first established as a family business, when John Harris, Nigel and Colin’s father, established local greengrocer “H&H Fruiterers”, with then-business partner Bill Hawkins, nearly 50 years ago. From its roots as a small shop in Bicester, making deliveries from the back of an Austin 3-tonne lorry, the family business has grown to become the market leader in “Fresh” that it is today.

Please visit www.freshdirect.co.uk for more information.