A study revealing how complex, multi-site distributive trade organisations are operating today, where operational pressure is building at scale, how execution risk is evolving, and how leadership teams are responding.
Discover how large distributors are performing today, and how senior leaders are navigating increasing operational complexity.
The UK ERP Benchmark Report for Multi-Site Distributive Trades is based on research with 114 senior decision-makers across organisations with more than 500 employees. It explores how systems, integrations, and execution models are shaping performance across order-to-cash workflows, alongside warehouse operations, pricing, finance, and customer experience.
The benchmark highlights where operational confidence begins to fracture and what that means for organisations managing scale, complexity, and margin pressure.
Inside the report, you’ll find out:
Where fragmented ERP landscapes and layered specialist tools are increasing execution risk across multi-site operations
Why integration gaps between warehouse, pricing, ecommerce, and finance systems are creating hidden operational cost
How stock accuracy, pricing complexity, and delivery execution are impacting margin and customer experience across branch networks
Why invoice disputes and cash-flow friction often originate upstream in execution workflows rather than finance processes
How workforce productivity is increasingly shaped by system architecture rather than headcount or capability
What operational confidence at scale looks like for organisations planning the next phase of growth
Use the benchmark to compare your operating model against peers, identify structural pressure points, and understand why leading distributors are moving from incremental extension towards more intentional platform design.
Methodology
This benchmark is based on primary research conducted by Censuswide among senior decision-makers in UK multi-site distributive trade organisations, all operating businesses with more than 500 employees. Respondents included CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CIOs, and senior operational leaders responsible for complex branch networks and high-volume distribution environments.
Fieldwork was conducted between 26 November and 5 December 2025 in accordance with Market Research Society and ESOMAR standards. Findings are based on aggregated self-reported data and provide a UK-specific benchmark of how multi-site distributors are executing today and how they are preparing for future scale.