![Nisbets Flagship Store in Bristol City Centre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Nisbets_Flagship_Store_in_Bristol_City_Centre.jpg)
Nisbets is a British
multi-channel retailer of catering equipment and supplies. It develops, retails and distributes commercial kitchen equipment, catering supplies and other
hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis, chevalier de Jaucourt describes ...
products to hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, schools and colleges.
Nisbets is Europe's largest supplier of catering equipment. It retails both
own-brand goods, under labels such as Mitre Linen and Home Chef, and products from popular third-party brands. It retails products online, by mail-order and through a network of physical retail outlets.
Headquartered in
Avonmouth, Bristol,
Nisbets employs more than 2,000 people worldwide, and has offices in UK, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Australia. It exports to more than 100 countries, and was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2017.
History
1983-2000: Founding of Nisbets
Nisbets was founded by
Andrew Nisbet in 1983. It started out selling knives, catering clothing and textbooks to
catering colleges, building on the business of Nisbet’s father, Peter Nisbet, which provided catering kits to colleges in
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...
.
In 1987, the company launched its first
mail-order catalogue, selling products to students and trade customers. ''Catering Insight'' called the mail order catalogue the "bedrock of the company”.
Nisbets acquired catering
wholesaler
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
Red Ball in 1990, which was rebranded as RB Distributors, and enabled the company to start wholesaling to shops and other retailers for the first time.
By 1995, the company stocked 8,000 products for next-day delivery.
The business opened its first non-UK office in 1996 in
Cork, Republic of Ireland.
2000-2010: International expansion in Europe
In 2000, Nisbets opened an office in the Netherlands, the company's first physical presence outside of the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
. The new office was responsible for mail-order sales of Nisbet products in Holland and Belgium.
Nisbets opened further offices in France in 2005 and Spain in 2007.
The company also opened dedicated offices in Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Due to growing demand, the company relocated to new larger premises in
Avonmouth, Bristol, in 2004, and subsequently moved to a larger 165,000 sq. ft. unit in 2008.
In 2010, Nisbets acquired Pages, a catering
retail outlet
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
on
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly C ...
, London.
The site was the company's first retail shop, and the company said they viewed high-street retail as the "perfect opportunity to attract serious home cooks as well as catering to trade customers."
2010-2017: High street growth and Australia expansion
In 2010, Nisbets acquired established Australian catering retailer Caterers Warehouse, which already operated retail sites in
Erina, New South Wales
Erina () is a suburb located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia between Gosford and the Pacific Ocean at Terrigal. It is part of the local government area.
Erina is the commercial hub of the Central Coast. There are man ...
and
Castle Hill, New South Wales
Castle Hill is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located 34 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and 9.5 kilometres north of Parramatta. It is within the Hills District region, split between the loc ...
.
Further retail stores were opened across the country in
New South Wales
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. I ...
and
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
over the next 7 years.
As of December 2017, Nisbets has 12 retail outlets in Australia.
Nisbets opened a new distribution centre in
Campbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb located on the outskirts of the metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney south-west of the Sydney central business district by road. Campbelltown is the adminis ...
in 2015 to support growth of the business.
Between 2010 and 2017, Nisbets opened 29 physical stores across the UK, focusing on major cities and towns, including
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
and
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
.
As a result of growth, Nisbets was listed in ''The Sunday Times Top Track 250''. In 2017, the company was listed as the 58th fastest growing company in the UK.
In 2016, Nisbets acquired
microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...
distributor Bradshaw Microwave
and linen manufacturer Mitre Linen, which has held a
Royal Warrant to supply the royal household since 1955. Nisbets also acquired a stake in commercial fit out and restaurant furniture manufacturer Space Group. In 2017, Nisbets acquired Choice Catering Equipment in New Zealand to expand its services in the country.
In 2017, Nisbets reported sales of £328 million,
and was awarded The Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade.
Products and services
Nisbets retails more than 25,000 product lines, including both
own-brand goods and third-party products and equipment.
It retails products for the foodservice and catering supply chain, including food preparation, restaurant furniture and fast-food order and delivery.
Its products include
crockery
Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of obj ...
,
glassware
upTypical drinkware
The list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware) and tableware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory glas ...
,
tableware
Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of o ...
,
knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidence ...
wear, kitchen clothing and footwear, restaurant furniture, kitchen equipment, chemical cleaning products,
refrigeration and freezing units, catering appliances, and
consumables
Consumables (also known as consumable goods, non-durable goods, or soft goods) are goods that are intended to be consumed. People have, for example, always consumed food and water. Consumables are in contrast to durable goods. Disposable products ...
.
The company also develops, manufactures and retails kitchen supplies and products under its own brands. Nisbets owns Gastronoble, Bradshaw Microwave,
Mitre Linen, Jantex and Home Chef.
Nisbets retails to wholesalers, businesses and the public. In 2012, the company called itself a "next-day business", providing next-day delivery on any orders received before 8pm. Nisbets also operates financing service Chef Leasing.
Operations
Headquartered in
Avonmouth, Bristol, Nisbets retails its products online and by mail-order. The company also operates a network of retail stores, but physical outlets are a smaller part of the overall business. In April 2018, Nisbets opened its 31st retail outlet in the UK. As of January 2018, Nisbets operates 11 retail outlets in Australia, and one retail outlet in the Republic of Ireland.
Nisbets’ main European distribution centre is in Avonmouth, Bristol, UK.
In January 2016, the company opened a new 145,000 sq ft distribution centre in Doncaster.
The company said that it would enable it to reduce its cut off time for orders from customers in the North for next-day delivery.
The company also operates distribution centres in Cork, Ireland; Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia; and Valencia, Spain.
References
{{Reflist
Catering and food service companies of the United Kingdom
Mail-order retailers
Companies based in Bristol