Most independent regional distributors compete effectively against national companies by joining purchasing and marketing groups that provide services on behalf of all their members. These are the most prominent of those groups.
Distribution Market Advantage
HQ: Schaumburg, Illinois
Aggregate Member Sales: $16.1B (in 2008)
Service areas: Continental U.S., Canada
www.dmadelivers.com
DMA is a national foodservice distribution system whose shareholders are prominent regional foodservice distributors. They join forces to provide operators with the pricing, distribution, and technological advantages of a national organization and the service priority of a local business. Program management and reporting tools allow them to reduce costs throughout the supply chain and provide services in contract management, business intelligence, systems integration, freight, and logistics.
Independent Marketing Alliance
HQ: Houston, Texas
Aggregate member Sales: In excess of $10B
Service areas: U.S.
www.independentmarketingalliance.com
IMA is the procurement and marketing facilitator for six strong regional broadline distributors. Unlike other groups, IMA is not a traditional buying group or a corporate distributor. Rather, it combines its members’ purchasing volumes and supports shared marketing programs to promote member growth. IMA’s members also belong to DMA. The members have 41 distribution centers and all focus on multiunit sales.
Tailor Made Distribution
HQ: Cumming, Georgia
Aggregate member sales: $2.5B
Service areas: U.S., Caribbean, Canada
www.tailormadedistribution.com
Tailor Made is a supply chain–management company owned by independent distributors. The group offers a single point of contact for multiunit operators with local service and response. It engages in programs with members as well as nonmember affiliates to provide service primarily to emerging and regional chains.
UniPro Foodservice Multi-Unit Group (MUG)
HQ: Atlanta, Georgia
Aggregate member sales: $4B
Service areas: 535 distribution centers in the U.S.
www.uniprofoodservice.com
UniPro Foodservice is the largest purchasing and marketing group for individual broadline distributors. Last year, it merged with Progressive Group Alliance, formerly the second largest distributor group. UniPro’s Multi-Unit Group (mug) is a network of locally owned distributors serving multiunit operators with a single source of supply (including small wares, fresh produce, and paper products). These distributors are some of the largest independents in the nation.
SPECIALTY GROUPS
Markon Cooperative
HQ: Salinas, California
Aggregate Member Sales: $14B
Service area: 44 distribution centers in the U.S., Canada
www.markon.com
Markon, founded in 1985, was the first distributor purchasing group to specialize in fresh produce. It handles produce purchasing, marketing, and logistics for 10 regional broadline distributors and a produce specialist based in California. Markon offers multiunit customers consistent, high-quality produce, food-safety assurance, and sales-reporting services.
Pro*Act
HQ: Monterey, California
Aggregate Member Sales: Unavailable
Service area: 70 distribution centers in the U.S.
www.proactusa.com
Pro*Act is a fresh-produce-purchasing and marketing group. It was formed in 1990 by six independent distributors who wanted to achieve a competitive advantage from consolidated purchasing and collective marketing. Its 45 distributors specialize in fresh produce. Pro*Act focuses on serving multiunit operators on a national and local basis and purchases produce from selected growers and ships it to its 47 distributor members. The organization offers a suite of support solutions on a Web-based platform, including item analysis, market updates, and regional-training seminars.
