Kokubu & Co. is the shogun of Japan's wholesale food industry. As the largest distributor in the country, it supplies customers with more than 400,000 food items, beverages, and other products. An importer and exporter of foods and alcoholic beverages, Kokubu has warehouses throughout Japan. It owns a majority share of Mitsui & Co.'s grocery and liquor wholesale operations in the Hokkaido region and has a confectionery wholesaling joint venture with Japanese candy company Momose. Kokubu, which also has operations in real estate leasing and breadcrumb manufacturing, is buying an ice cream wholesaler. Founder Kanbei Kokubu started the firm in 1712 as a soy sauce brewery; it is still owned by the Kokubu family.

Franz Haniel & Cie. is a five-headed hydra. The holding company is comprised of a handful of operating divisions -- Celesio, CWS-boco, ELG, TAKKT, and METRO -- each of which specializes in a different core business. Haniel derives the bulk of its sales from distributing pharmaceuticals to pharmacies worldwide through drug wholesaler Celesio. Its other divisions offer washroom and workwear products and services; stainless steel scrap recycling; mail-order of office and warehouse equipment; and retail store operations. Haniel has operations in some 30 countries. Members of the Haniel family have controlled Franz Haniel and Cie. GmbH company since its founding in 1756.

With a name like Smith you might think it's all about generics, but H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug is more than that. H. D. Smith Wholesale Drug supplies pharmaceuticals (brand name and generic), over-the-counter supplements, and other health care products to pharmacies, hospitals, and retailers. It also provides inventory management services for government agencies, including most branches of the military, veterans clinics, and federal prisons. In addition to supplying drugs, H. D. Smith offers a variety of marketing and merchandising services including point-of-purchase signage, store design, direct-to-consumer advertising programs, and loyalty program implementation.

Cardinal Health Pharmaceutical is one of the nation's primary pharmaceutical product conveyors. On behalf of its parent, Cardinal Health, the business supplies generic, specialty, and branded prescriptions and OTC products through a distribution network of about 30 facilities located across the US, as well as internationally. It consolidates orders from hundreds of manufacturers into bulk and non-bulk deliveries for health care facilities and retailers. Customers include hospitals, independent pharmacies, and retail chains, including CVS and Walgreen. The division also offers management services and handles inventory, logistics, online procurement, generics sourcing, and other administrative tasks.

Wakefern Food is the largest member-owned wholesale distribution cooperative in the US, supplying groceries and other merchandise to a chain of more than 200 ShopRite supermarkets in five eastern states, including parts of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company supplies both national brands and private-label products (ShopRite, Chef's Express, Readington Farms) to its member stores; Wakefern also offers advertising, merchandising, and other business support services. The co-op, which boasts more than 40 members, was founded by seven grocers in 1946.

Bestway is the UK's second-largest grocery wholesaler (behind Booker), trading from more than 50 warehouses throughout the UK. It was founded by Mohammed Anwar Pervez in 1962 as a single Asian food store, then moved into the wholesale arena in 1976 with its first cash and carry warehouse in London. Bestway boasts a product line of more than 50,000 items sold under the private brand Best-in and serves about 100,000 independent retailers. In 2005, Bestway acquired rival Batley's for £100 million. In 2010, the company merged the buying functions of its Batley's and Bestway businesses.

Watsco, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, distributes air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment and related parts and supplies in the United States. The company offers equipments, including residential central air conditioners; light commercial air conditioners; gas, electric, and oil furnaces; commercial air conditioning and heating equipment and systems; and other equipments. It also provides parts comprising replacement compressors, evaporator coils, motors, and other component parts. In addition, the company sells supplies, which include thermostats, insulation material, refrigerants, ductwork, grills, registers, sheet metal, tools, copper tubing, concrete pads, tape, adhesives, and other ancillary supplies. As of December 31, 2008, it operated 417 locations in 34 states serving approximately 40,000 contractors and dealers who service the replacement and new construction markets. Watsco, Inc. was founded in 1945 and is headquartered in Coconut Grove, Florida.

Bartlett Dairy distributes dairy products and other perishable food items to retail and foodservice customers in the northeastern US. The company is the largest fresh milk distributor for Farmland Dairies; other items supplied by Bartlett Dairy include pastries, cakes, juices, frozen fruit, fresh bread, soups, and paper products. Bartlett Dairy serves customers such as schools, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and grocery stores that span Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. The perishable foods firm was formed in 1963 by chairman Thomas Malave and is managed by Thomas' sons.

WESCO International, Inc. distributes electrical and industrial maintenance, repair, and operating supplies (MRO); and electrical and non-electrical construction and original equipment manufacturer products and services. WESCO International, Inc. offers general and industrial supplies, such as wiring devices, fuses, terminals, connectors, boxes, terminations, tape, splicing and marking equipment, tools and testers, safety and security, personal protection, abrasives, cutting tools, tapes, consumables, fasteners, janitorial, and other MRO supplies. It also provides wire, cable, and conduit products; and data communications products consisting of structured cabling systems, low voltage specialty systems, equipment racks and cabinets, access control, alarms, cameras, paging, and voice solutions. In addition, the company offers power distribution equipment, such as circuit breakers, transformers, switchboards, panel boards, metering products, and busway products; lighting and controls products, including lamps, fixtures, ballasts, and lighting control products; and control, automation, and motors products consisting of motor control devices, drives, surge and power protection, relays, pushbuttons, operator interfaces, switches, sensors, and interconnects. Further, it offers a portfolio of value added services comprising outsourcing of the MRO purchasing process; providing technical support for manufacturing process improvements; implementing inventory optimization programs; assigning its employees as on-site support personnel; recommending energy-efficient product upgrades; and offering safety and product training for customer employees. WESCO International, Inc. serves industrial; construction; utility; and commercial, institutional, and governmental customers. As of December 31, 2009, it operated approximately 380 branches and 7 distribution centers located in the United States and internationally. WESCO International, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Certco is a food distribution cooperative that serves independent grocers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in parts of Iowa and Illinois. It distributes an inventory of more than 45,000 items, including bakery goods, frozen foods, meat products, and produce, as well as general merchandise under the Surefine, Surefresh, and Top Care labels. In addition, Certco offers its member-operators such services as advertising, merchandising, and other business support services. The cooperative was formed in 1930 as Central Wisconsin Cooperative Food Stores.

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