JJ Foodservice (company)

JJ Food Service
FoundedDecember 23, 1988 (1988-12-23) in London, United Kingdom[1][2]
FounderMustafa Kiamil
FateActive
Headquarters
London
,
UK
Area served
United Kingdom
Products[3]
RevenueSteady £90.33 million[4] (2024)
Steady £15 million[4] (2024)
Websitejjfoodservice.com

JJ Foodservice (founded as JJ Fast Food Distribution Limited) is a UK-based foodservice wholesaler and distributor. The business is open to both trade and the public.[5]

History

JJ Foodservice was founded in 1988 by entrepreneur Mustafa Kiamil, who opened the company’s first warehouse in Hornsey, North London.[6] The company's roots can be traced to 1982 when Kiamil started a burger bar named Jenny's Burgers, which expanded into a chain.[6] Kiamil struggled to find reliable tinned and fresh suppliers, so he established a catering delivery business, which soon began supplying other independent restaurants.[7] Over time, the company expanded across the UK and now operates twelve branches,[8] including the most recent 38,000sq ft Wimbledon site opened in 2024.[9]

JJ Foodservice self-funded its growth and owns its buildings, vehicles, and equipment outright.[10] Growth came through a combination of branch expansion, investment in proprietary technology, and strategic acquisitions. In 2024, it acquired London-based Gatelands Supplies to strengthen its presence in the Asian restaurant sector.[11]

The organisation has developed and bought its own-brand product range to market.[12][3]

In 2020, JJ Foodservice introduced a home delivery service, JJ Home, to supply household consumers and shielding groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company donated free meals to hospitals and care homes and was listed as an alternative supplier on the Cystic Fibrosis Trust website.[13][14]

In 2024 during the inflationary wave, JJ Foodservice launched a Mix & Save promotion for restaurants with key brands including P&G Professional, Britvic and Coca Cola.[15][16]

Operations

In the financial year ended 31 March 2024, the company reported turnover of £90.33 million with £15 million profit before tax.[4] The company has over 800 employees.[17]

JJ has invested in digital services and automation. In 2009, it launched online ordering, and by 2025, self-service kiosks were rolled out in all branches.[18][19] 75% of sales are generated online.[20]

The company insulated itself from fuel-price volatility by installing a 68,000 litres (15,000 US dry gal) fuel store on its premises and servicing its vehicles onsite. Limits on the number of hours drivers could work caused many of the company's existing HGV drivers to leave the profession, causing a driver shortage.[7] To address driver shortages, the Group has aimed to fill the gap by broadening its talent pool with a recruitment campaign to encourage more women to become HGV drivers.[21] It has also recruiting from outside the UK, specifically from Poland. To tackle language barriers and concerns about on-road experience, it implemented half-day English lessons every Saturday and four-hours per week of intensive lorry driving training for the new hires.[7] The company equips its truck drivers with devices to track vehicle location, delivery completion, and stock distribution. The company requests eighty-five per cent of its stock delivery in the morning to minimise waste. Its suppliers deliver its remaining stock in the evening after the customers finalise their day's orders.[10]

Branches

JJ operates twelve branches across the UK. All are equipped with solar panels (10,387 in total), which generated over 4.1 million kWh of energy in 2024 – covering up to 40% of energy consumption and offsetting more than 900 tonnes of CO₂.[22]

References

  1. ^ "JJ FOOD SERVICE LIMITED". Companies House. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  2. ^ "Turkish Cypriot couple make it onto the 'Rich List 2020'". The London Gazette. 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  3. ^ a b "Search for a trade mark". gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  4. ^ a b c "JJ Foodservice Limited Annual Report and Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31 March 2024", UK.GOV, Companies House
  5. ^ Gartside, Ben (2020-06-30). "The food wholesaler claiming to supply a quarter of Britain's fish and chip shops". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  6. ^ a b "JJ Foodservice Celebrating 30 years of all-round excellence". Wholesale Manager - The news magazine for the UK wholesale and cash & carry industry. 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
  7. ^ a b c Moules, Jonathan (2006-01-20). "The driving workforce behind a successful food distribution group". Financial Times. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  8. ^ "Catering for market needs and business efficiency". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  9. ^ Buccheri, Rory. "JJ Foodservice opens new 'state of the art' branch in Wimbledon". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  10. ^ a b "Catering for market needs and business efficiency". Financial Times. 2009-01-09. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  11. ^ "JJ Foodservice bolsters Asian food offering with Gatelands acquisition". The Caterer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  12. ^ Badger, James (2023-06-27). "JJ Foodservice launches own brand extra virgin olive oil". The Grocer. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  13. ^ "Food company delivers 1,500 free meals to Leeds hospital". Yorkshire Evening Post. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  14. ^ Smith, Sophie (2020-05-06). "The restaurant wholesaler now delivering food to care homes". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  15. ^ Buccheri, Rory. "JJ Foodservice launches new mix & save promotion to boost customer flexibility". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  16. ^ Buccheri, Rory. "JJ Foodservice expands Mix & Save promotion to keep supporting restaurants". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  17. ^ Cambridge, Lyndsey. "Mushtaque Ahmed: how JJs used tech to become a force in foodservice". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  18. ^ Hill, Paul (2020-06-16). "How JJ Foodservice has adapted during the coronavirus - Better Wholesaling". Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  19. ^ Hegarty, Ronan. "JJ Foodservice introduces deal-enabling self-service kiosks". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  20. ^ "JJ Foodservice – Conquering the capital". Wholesale Manager - The news magazine for the UK wholesale and cash & carry industry. 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  21. ^ "What's it like to be in the 1% of female lorry drivers?". BBC News. 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  22. ^ Badger, James. "JJ Foodservice launches own brand extra virgin olive oil". The Grocer. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "JJ Foodservice Branch Finder - Find Your Nearest Branch For Wholesale Food & Catering Supplies in England". JJ Foodservice. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
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