The 2021 Distributor 15
A supply chain of essential workers kept the veins of the country pumping through the pandemic. But it wasn’t easy. Product scarcities, driver shortages and more led to empty shelves and even some desperate situations. CSP shares the stories of what it took to deliver the goods that fueled America, and what it will take to keep the country stocked moving forward.
The State of C-Store Distribution
| 2021 Rank | Distributor Name | U.S. Sales Volume (Billions) | PCYA* | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sysco Corporation | $49.9 | 34.0% | Broadline |
| 2 | McLane Co. | $49.5 | 5.6% | Retailer-Focused |
| 3 | Performance Food Group (Eby-Brown & Core-Mark) | $39.7 | 49.0% | Broadline |
| 4 | US Foods Inc. | $29.5 | 28.8% | Broadline |
| 5 | United Natural Foods Inc. | $27.0 | 1.5% | Retailer-Focused |
| 6 | Gordon Food Service Inc. | $11.1 | 18.1% | Broadline |
| 7 | Associated Wholesale Grocers | $10.8 | 1.7% | Retailer-Focused |
| 8 | Bunzl Distribution North America Inc. | $7.7 | 12.4% | Retailer-Focused |
| 9 | Restaurant Depot | $7.2 | 38.0% | - |
| 10 | Shamrock Foods | $5.4 | 28.6% | Broadline |
| 11 | SpartanNash Food Distribution | $4.5 | 12.6% | Retailer-Focused |
| 12 | Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors | $4.3 | - | Broadline |
| 13 | H.T. Hackney | $4.1 | 4.5% | Retailer-Focused |
| 14 | National Convenience Distributors | $3.1 | 5.0% | Retailer-Focused |
| 15 | Cheney Bros. | $2.6 | 20.2% | Broadline |
Definitions
CSP’s Distributor 15 details the industry’s largest distributors in the United States by sales volume. Click through to see how the convenience-store or foodservice distributors stack up and what each brings to the table. The data is courtesy of sister company Technomic.
Retailer-Focused Distributor: A distributor that primarily serves supermarkets, grocers, convenience stores and other retailers. Retailer-focused distributors may also carry non-food items such as tobacco products, health & beauty items, and other general merchandise.
Broadline Distributor: A distributor to foodservice establishments, carrying a full line of products including dry groceries, frozen foods, tabletop, equipment and supplies. Many broadline distributors also carry perishable items such as meat, dairy and produce. The typical broadline distributor carries upwards of 20,000 SKUs and provides delivery, credit, sales representation and other value-added services to its foodservice operator customers.
Systems Distributor: A foodservice distributor that exclusively serves chain restaurants and other multiunit operators. Systems distributors carry only items used by their chain customers and do not provide sales representation.