H.N. Nuttall Foodservice can trace our roots back to a Victorian era Grocer’s shop in the centre of Manchester. Way before the days of self-service checkouts, the shopping list would be handed over at the counter and the grocer would set about picking the item from the shelves behind him and would often be delivered to the house later in the day by delivery boys using bicycles or handcarts.
The last quarter of the 19th Century has been described as a ‘Golden Age’ for Manchester, and as the City thrived, so did the company. Many of the city centre houses were converted to hotels and restaurants and so the emphasis of the business changed from retail to wholesale. There was also a greater variety of food available, thanks to the development of refrigeration.