Harbor Wholesale Foods Acquires Portion of Food Services of America

LACEY, Wash. — Harbor Wholesale Foods acquired a significant portion of the Food Services of America (FSA) Seattle business.

The deal includes FSA's 250,000-square-foot distribution facility in Kent, Wash., which serves roughly 1,700 independent restaurant operators throughout 10 counties in western Washington.

"The acquisition of a portion of FSA's Seattle business aligns well with our existing culture and values," said Harbor CEO Justin Erickson. "We've grown our business over the years through our dedication to serving our independent and locally owned customer base. Our success is the result of empowering our team members to best serve our customers at every interaction. We've been serving NW communities for 96 years and the FSA Seattle business provides a platform to expand our presence and positive influence throughout the region."

FSA Seattle's executive leadership and several associates will be joining Harbor, creating a combined team of nearly 700 people.

Last month, FSA's distribution operation in Fargo, N.D., was acquired by Cash-Wa Distributing Co. The existing executive team and all other FSA-Fargo employees continue to operate the distribution center, as Convenience Store News previously reported.

With the acquisition, Harbor has been added to Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA), the exclusive network of market share leaders in independent foodservice distribution, making it the only distributor in the Pacific Northwest with exclusive access to IMA's 16 exclusive brands.

"As our company evolved, we shifted our focus to retail grocery and convenience store distribution," Erickson added. "As foodservice has become the primary focus of convenience stores over the past 10-plus years we’ve expanded our capabilities in foodservice to retain and grow our position as the NW's leading convenience store distributor."

Harbor was founded 96 years ago and is a locally owned and operated business.