Tesco looks to dominate food industry with £3.7bn Booker deal

Tesco is acquiring Booker, the UK’s largest food wholesaler and owner of convenience brands such as Londis and Budgens, in a £3.7bn deal. The move would ensure Tesco has the UK’s biggest convenience operation, with it potentially taking on the thousands of stores Booker owns. It would also take its click-and-collect operation up to a potential 8,000 sites. Booker supplies food to 450 caterers, 12,000 retailers and 900,000 small businesses including restaurant brands such as Wagamama and Carluccios. And a move to acquire the leading food wholesaler would “create the UK’s dominant food business,” according to Tesco CEO Dave Lewis.