Sales trends of foodservice equipment and supplies typically lag operator fortunes. This is certainly true in the second quarter of 2014, as growth slowed for the second consecutive quarter, according to the latest data from the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry Business Barometer. But the reps surveyed for the report also expect a…

Alliance Paper and Food Service has changed its name to Alliance Paper & Foodservice Equipment. The 60-year-old dealership says it made the change in July to more accurately describe the company, the markets it serves and its future direction. Alliance, headed by Pres. Brian Flynn, is based in Franklin Park, Ill.

The FEDA Education Foundation recently awarded Travis Lusky, CFSP II, business development manager at Burkett Restaurant Equipment & Supplies, one of its 2014 Certified Foodservice Professional scholarships. The association is offering a limited number of scholarships for CFSP and ServSafe certifications through the end of the year. The scholarships retroactively cover fees and reimbursements for…

The sale of TriMark USA to Warburg Pincus is complete. Audax Group, which purchased TriMark in 2006 and led it through six acquisitions, announced it has wrapped up final details of the sale of the South Attleboro, Mass., company. TriMark is the nation’s largest distributor of equipment, supplies and design services to the foodservice industry.

It’s not just back-to-school time. It’s back to fall meetings and conferences for industry associations and buying groups. Here’s what’s coming up in the next month or so: Sept. 15-18: NexGen (Chicago) Sept. 22-24: CFESA Fall Conference (Key Largo, Fla.) Oct. 6-10: PRIDE Fall Conference (Detroit) Oct. 8-11: SEFA (San Antonio) Oct. 16-18: NESA (San…

With fall just around the corner, we’re getting close to the dealer buying group meetings, or as I like to say, learning time. Among the reasons manufacturers are willing to be part of your group (and yes, offer those back-end rebates) is the opportunity they get to show and tell you about all of their…

When our forecasting partner John Muldowney and I talked over this year’s equipment and supplies market forecast, we could really only come up with one or two negative trends. Forecasts for all of the macroeconomic indicators that impact foodservice—employment trends, disposable income, personal consumption spending, consumer confidence, food and energy prices—look to improve for the…

TriMark USA, the nation’s largest E&S distributor, likely will be under new ownership by the end of August. Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm, has entered into an agreement to acquire the South Attleboro, Mass., firm from Audax Group. Since partnering with equity firm Audax eight years ago, TriMark has grown from a $250 million…

TriMark USA Pres./CEO Jerry Hyman was obviously very busy in the wake of the announcement of the deal with Warburg Pincus, but we caught up with him on the fly. In an exclusive interview with FER Fortnightly, he detailed three aspects of the deal he believes are important. “For those who may not know, Warburg…

In 1929, Sam and Morris Schwartz, two brothers from Ukraine, started manufacturing and distributing beer equipment in lower Manhattan. The pair later formed Supreme Metal Fabricators and Advance Food Service Equipment. Eighty-five years later, the two companies are connected again. On July 23, Georgia-based KinMetal LLC, doing business under the name Advance Tabco, acquired certain…