A Harlow business has almost quadrupled its workforce in a year as a surge in orders through Temu drives rapid growth, with turnover more than doubling and the company expanding into a second warehouse.
Wholesale Distribution had six employees a year ago. Today it has almost 30, with around 20 new jobs created across the business, including opportunities for students and people looking for part-time work in Harlow.
The growth has been fuelled by a surge in orders through Temu, which owner Nihat Ender added as a new sales channel after building his own listing system and opening up direct sales.
Founded in 2013, the business works with manufacturers and suppliers to source products for schools, retailers, restaurants and coffee shops across the UK.
“We try to give our staff real hands-on experience,” Ender, 45, said. “The students in particular learn everything, from warehouse picking and packing, customer service, to accounting and invoicing. I hope the experience will help them in the future.”
More than 300,000 orders have gone through Temu in the past six months, while turnover has risen from around £3m-£4m two years ago to £7m-£8m today.
“The growth has been unbelievable,” Ender said. “I wasn’t expecting anything like this.”
The increase in orders soon outgrew the company’s existing operation, prompting the business to expand its physical footprint and invest in the infrastructure needed to support its growing workforce and customer base.
Wholesale Distribution now runs from two warehouses in Harlow covering around 12,000 sq ft. One, measuring 7,500 sq ft, handles picking and packing, while the other, at 4,500 sq ft, is mainly used for storage and can hold around 450 pallets, or 20 loads.
The extra space has also opened up better deals with suppliers. One supplier approached Wholesale Distribution with volume pricing after watching the growth in its sales and volumes.
“The expansion of our warehouse space means I can buy more products at a cheaper price because I’ve got somewhere to store them, and sell them straight away,” Ender said.
The increase in Temu orders has changed more than the company’s physical footprint. As volumes grew, Wholesale Distribution spent over six months building its own API and ERP system to automate listings, with the experience later forming the basis for Maxinvent, a multi-channel commerce operations and inventory management platform now also used by other businesses.
“It used to take us days to split orders, but now it auto splits everything,” Ender said.
The business is now looking beyond simply moving more stock, with plans to broaden its product range and develop its own products. Its first own-brand line, an aloe vera health drink made in Taiwan, is due to arrive in four to five weeks and will initially be sold through Temu.
Ender is also looking to broaden the range of roles within the business, with plans to recruit sales staff and develop new buying roles focused on sourcing products and building relationships with manufacturers. The growth is also prompting Ender to look for more space.
“We’re already looking for a bigger warehouse – we’re renting at the moment but are actually looking at buying our own.”
For Ender, one of the most rewarding parts of the expansion has been seeing the business develop beyond what he originally imagined, and watching new people become part of that journey. After a year of rapid growth, the focus is now on making sure the business has the people, systems and space to sustain it – and on seeing where the next stage takes it.
