The two Tyne Tees depots, located in Gateshead and Middlesbrough, take its total of depots to 10, centred around its West Midlands base but stretching as far south as Newport, and as far west as Bangor. Former owners of Tyne Tees Saghir Ahmad and his brother Zahir have withdrawn from wholealing to concentrate on other business interests, but the rest of the workforce remains unchanged.

Managing director of Blakemore Wholesale Sam Wilcox said: "We have been looking to grow and expand our current business, and through the acquisition of Tyne Tees we have the opportunity to take on two successful depots that are of the right size and in the right geographical location for us.

"We already offer a national service through our delivery operation, but the purchase of Tyne Tees is an ideal fit for us as we strengthen our offering for independent retailers and caterers throughout the country."

Blakemore will integrate the business into its existing structure, but in the short term it will not be re-branding either depot and both will continue trading under the Tyne Tees name.

Wilcox said: "Tyne Tees is a well-respected and well-known brand in the North East and therefore we decided that both depots will continue to trade under this name, but with the additional offering that Blakemore can bring.

"Longer term we will be looking to make significant investment across both depots which we believe will substantially grow the business."

Managing director of Landmark Wholesale Martin Williams added: "We are delighted that Tyne Tees will remain within the Landmark Wholesale membership."

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