Aylwin has more than 35 years of senior executive experience and will take up his new role on 1 September 2025.
Previously, Aylwin has held leadership roles at Booker Group, Blueheath and Musgrave, while most recently he has served as chair of Unitas Wholesale.
The Wholesale Group was formed in January 2025 through the merger of Confex and Fairway Foodservice, and hopes that Aylwin will support the firm in its “next stage of growth”.
It currently serves almost 350,000 customers and holds a 13.7% share of the market, with a turnover of £4.52 billion.
Commenting on his appointment, Aylwin said he was honoured to be joining The Wholesale Group at a “pivotal and exciting time” in its history.
“The merger of Confex and Fairway has created a truly distinctive platform, a dynamic member network, and the scale needed to drive real market impact,” he added.
“As a third-generation family wholesale business, The Wholesale Group is uniquely positioned to understand and champion the needs of independent wholesalers. I’m excited to work alongside the directors and management team to strengthen supplier partnerships, support our members, and deliver long-term, sustainable value.”
Meanwhile, the executive board of The Wholesale Group issued the following statement about its new structure: “The Wholesale Group is unique because of our proven expertise across retail and foodservice wholesale combined with our passion for independent business.
“We want to sharpen this focus and have consequently restructured the executive board. Jess Douglas is managing director for people and operations; Tom Gittins is managing director for retail and Coral Rose is managing director for foodservice.
“Mark’s experience, strategic insight and industry leadership make him the natural choice for our new chair and he will be a fantastic addition to the group. We’re confident his appointment will further strengthen our ability to deliver for members and lead the market with innovation, collaboration and growth.”
