Blakemore Wholesale has purchased the family-owned company Lowries Wholesale which has three cash and carry depots in the North of England.

The acquisition of the long-standing Landmark member, would provide Blakemore with access to “a large number of additional catering and retail customers” across the region, managing director Sam Wilcox said.

The Lowries estate also includes a delivered depot in Killingworth and a foodservice depot in Penrith, Cumbria.

The sale was prompted by the forthcoming retirement of Lowries Wholesale’s founder Peter Lowrie who established the business in 1983.

“We are very pleased to have acquired this excellent family company, which is a good fit with our own business and gives us an increasingly strong presence in the North East,” Wilcox said.

“The strength of Lowries is a credit to Lowrie, which he has run successfully for more than 30 years and we wish him all the best for a long and happy retirement.”

The acquisition follows Blakemore’s purchase of Tyne-Tees Cash and Carry depots in Gateshead and Middlesbrough in 2008.

Lowries has been a member of the Landmark buying group for more than 20 years.