Wholesalers are increasingly trying to appeal to younger workers, Fresho report claims
UK fruit and veg wholesalers are reshaping the way they work in response to cost pressures and National Insurance increases, a new study has found.
Data from wholesale order management platform Fresho indicates that wholesalers have revamped their operational approach, with morning processing (8am-2pm) now accounting for 36 per cent of orders – up from 25 per cent in 2021 – while late-night processing has nearly halved.
The findings, from Fresho’s 2026 UK Fruit & Veg Report, show late-night processing (8pm-2am) declined from 44 per cent to 25 per cent between 2021 and 2025, as the traditional night-shift wholesale model is replaced by concentrated activity during standard business hours.
Wholesalers are reducing reliance on expensive night-shift staffing while making the industry more appealing to younger workers, Fresho suggests.
Fresho is an order-management software platform connecting wholesalers selling fresh products with the hospitality outlets that order from them. Built around the needs of fresh food wholesalers, it automates and standardises the ordering process.
The annual report combines anonymised data from £1.8 billion worth of transactions processed through the Fresho platform with insights from leading wholesalers and chefs. The hospitality sector has shed 69,000 jobs since April 2025 – a reversal from the 18,000 roles created the previous year – following the government’s increase of Employers’ National Insurance contributions from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent and lowered payment threshold.
Streamlined purchasing
UK hospitality outlets are streamlining purchasing decisions, with offline orders declining nearly 20 per cent in line items – from 9.60 lines per order in 2022 to 7.72 in 2025.
However, Fresho data shows hospitality outlets aren’t spending less in total, which suggests venues are making more focused, strategic purchasing decisions in response to cost pressures.
Online orders placed directly through Fresho are declining much more slowly (10.70 to 10.38 lines), demonstrating that digital ordering tools help chefs maintain purchasing diversity even under financial pressure.
Cost pressures are driving significant consolidation across the UK fresh produce sector, Fresho notes, with larger suppliers acquiring smaller operations to achieve economies of scale.
Survey data from almost 2,500 chefs shows technology implementation as the leading cost-management strategy, with 47 per cent of hospitality outlets investing in digital tools. UK venues show particularly strong interest in automation for supplier ordering, with 24 per cent citing this as top priority.
Rob Burton of Rushton’s The Chefs’ Greengrocer in London’s New Covent Garden Market, said: “Yes, National Insurance has impacted salaries and capital spend. As an industry, we’ll get on with it, deal with it. Focus on the things that are within your control, turn the perceived problem into an opportunity.”
Expanded product ranges
According to the report, wholesalers are expanding product ranges beyond core offerings in response to customer requests, while remaining careful not to lose focus.
Burton identified two factors softening customer spend in 2025: American tourists cancelling UK hotel reservations following US tariff announcements, and broader consumer confidence issues affecting the whole economy. “People make conscious decisions not to spend on certain things, but I think the real damage is caused by subconscious decisions not to spend,” Burton explained. “I think that can lead to more permanent changes in spending habits.”
Technology adoption is accelerating, with AI-powered order capture maturing from experimental to essential, according to Fresho. The technology converts voice messages, emails, and texts into orders, addressing labour-intensive manual transcription as employment costs rise.
