US Foods
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Foodservice distribution |
| Predecessor | U.S. Foodservice |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Founder | John Sexton & Company (origin) |
| Headquarters | Rosemont, Illinois , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Dave Flitman (CEO) |
| Products | Meats and seafood, dry grocery products, refrigerated and frozen grocery items, dairy products, supplies, produce, beverages |
| Website | www |
US Foods Holding Corp., previously known as U.S. Foodservice, stands as a prominent American food service distributor, ranking second in size within the United States, following Sysco. The company supports a customer base of approximately 250,000, which includes independent and chain dining establishments, as well as clients in healthcare, hospitality, and educational sectors.
For the fiscal year 2024, its revenue composition was distributed as follows: 34% from meats and seafood, 17% from dry grocery products, another 17% from refrigerated and frozen grocery items, 11% from dairy products, 9% from supplies, with produce and beverages each contributing 6%.
US Foods is positioned 122nd on the Fortune 500 list and ranks 1127th on the Forbes Global 2000.
Origins
The origins of the company date back to John Sexton & Company, established in 1883, which was a pioneer in creating a nationwide sales force and distribution system initially utilizing horse-drawn wagons before transitioning to diesel-powered trucks.
In 1968, John Sexton & Co. was purchased by Beatrice Foods for $37.5 million.
Throughout the 1970s, the Pearce-Young-Angel Company (PYA) merged with Monarch Foods, a subsidiary of Consolidated Foods Corporation (which later became Sara Lee).
In 1983, the merger of S.E. Rykoff with Sexton resulted in the formation of Rykoff-Sexton.
By the late 1980s, Sara Lee divested its northeastern and mid-Atlantic operations through a leveraged buyout that created JP Foodservice.
JP Foodservice expanded by acquiring the remaining PYA/Monarch division in 1996.
United Signature Foods Inc. was founded in 1992. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions involving Rykoff-Sexton, US Foodservice, and JP Foodservice, the company grew into a national distributor.
Developments in the 1990s
In November 1994, the company adopted the name JP Foodservice, Inc. and launched an initial public offering. At that time, Sara Lee Corporation retained a 37% ownership stake. The IPO generated $80 million in capital, facilitating JP’s debt restructuring efforts.
Toward the end of 1995, JP and Sara Lee entered negotiations to swap PYA/Monarch—Sara Lee’s southeastern foodservice segment—for JP stock valued near $946 million. However, due to disagreements regarding valuation methods, deal structure, and concerns over earnings dilution, these discussions ended unsuccessfully in February 1996. Subsequently, JP sought to diminish or eliminate Sara Lee’s involvement.
Sara Lee divested its remaining shares in JP Foodservice by late 1996.
In February 2000, U.S. Foodservice acquired Stock Yards Packing. Shortly thereafter in April 2000, Dutch retail giant Ahold acquired U.S. Foodservice for $3.6 billion.
By December of that year, U.S. Foodservice further expanded through the $1.57 billion acquisition of PYA/Monarch.
Private equity firms Clayton, Dubilier & Rice along with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts purchased the company for $7.1 billion in 2007.
From 2010 onward
John A. Lederer assumed the roles of president and CEO in August 2010.
In September 2011, U.S. Foodservice underwent rebranding to become US Foods, Inc., introducing a new corporate logo.
Sysco announced plans to acquire US Foods for $8.2 billion in December 2013; however, this merger was called off in 2015 due to regulatory antitrust obstacles.
Dave Flitman was appointed CEO in November 2022.
Acquisitions
| # | Year | Company | Description | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010-10 | Nino's Wholesale | Distributor specializing in Italian food products for pizzerias and gourmet retailers in South Florida | |
| 2 | 2011-02 | Midway Produce | Central Indiana-based produce distribution company | |
| 3 | 2011-04 | WVO Industries | Processor of waste vegetable oils | |
| 4 | 2011-04 | Ritter Food Service | Distributor focused on specialty poultry, meats, and seafood | |
| 5 | 2011-05 | Great Western Meats | Provider of fresh-cut portioned meats in the Central Florida region | |
| 6 | 2011-06 | White Apron's Distribution Business | Supplier of premium fresh meats located in Brea, California | |
| 7 | 2011-07 | Vesuvio Foods | Italian food distributor serving the metropolitan New York area | |
| 8 | 2012-06 | New City Packing | Supplier of steaks and fresh-cut portioned meats to restaurant clients | |
| 9 | 2013-10 | Quandt's Foodservice | Distributor operating in Eastern New York and Western New England | |
| 10 | 2015-12 | Dierks Waukesha | Regional distribution company based in Wisconsin | |
| 11 | 2016-02 | Carra Donna | Wholesale distributor serving the New England market | |
| 12 | 2016-05 | Freshway Foods | Produce supplier; divested in the year 2025 | |
| 13 | 2016-10 | Jeraci Foods | Specialty distributor of Italian foods headquartered in Elmsford, New York | |
| 14 | 2016-10 | Save On Seafood | Seafood processor and distributor located in St. Petersburg, Florida | |
| 15 | 2017-02 | All American Foods | Distributor covering Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut | |
| 16 | 2017-04 | FirstClass Foods | Meat manufacturing company based in Hawthorne, California | |
| 17 | 2017-06 | F. Christiana | Distributor operating across Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama | |
| 18 | 2017-07 | TOBA Inc. distribution companies | Distributor serving seven states in the Midwest region | |
| 19 | 2018-01 | SRA Foods | Meat processing and distribution firm located in Birmingham, Alabama | |
| 20 | 2019-09 | SGA Food Group | Acquisition completed at a cost of $1.8 billion | |
| 21 | 2020-03 | Smart Foodservice Warehouse Stores (now US Foods Chef'Store) | Purchased for $970 million | |
| 22 | 2023-05 | Renzi Foodservice | Distributor operating in central upstate New York | |
| 23 | 2023-11 | Saladino's Foodservice | Broadline distributor based in California | |
| 24 | 2024-02 | IWC Food Service | Broadline distributor headquartered in Cookeville, Tennessee |