Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of packaged frozen foods (except dairy products). Illustrative Examples: Frozen bakery products merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen fish merchant wholesalers Frozen juices merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen meats merchant wholesalers Frozen vegetables merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen poultry merchant wholesalers
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Wholesale Trade 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. The merchandise described in this sector includes the outputs of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and certain information industries, such as publishing. The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise. Wholesalers are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate materials and supplies used in production. Wholesalers sell merchandise to other businesses and normally operate from a warehouse or office. These warehouses and offices are characterized by having little or no display of merchandise. In addition, neither the design nor the location of the premises is intended to solicit walk-in traffic. Wholesalers do not normally use advertising directed to the general public. Customers are generally reached initially via telephone, in-person marketing, or by specialized advertising that may include Internet and other electronic means. Follow-up orders are either vendor-initiated or client-initiated, generally based on previous sales, and typically exhibit strong ties between sellers and buyers. In fact, transactions are often conducted between wholesalers and clients that have long-standing business relationships. This sector comprises two main types of wholesalers: merchant wholesalers that sell goods on their own account and agents and brokers that arrange sales and purchases for others generally for a commission or fee. (1) Establishments that sell goods on their own account are known as wholesale merchants, distributors, jobbers, drop shippers, and import/export merchants. Also included as wholesale merchants are sales offices and sales branches (but not retail stores) maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining enterprises apart from their plants or mines for the purpose of marketing their products, and group purchasing organizations primarily purchasing and selling goods on their own account. Merchant wholesale establishments typically maintain their own warehouse, where they receive and handle goods for their customers. Goods are generally sold without transformation, but may include integral functions, such as sorting, packaging, labeling, and other marketing services. (2) Establishments arranging for the purchase or sale of goods owned by others or purchasing goods, generally on a commission basis are known as business-to-business electronic markets, agents and brokers, commission merchants, import/export agents and brokers, auction companies, group purchasing organizations (acting as agents), and manufacturers' representatives. These establishments operate from offices and generally do not own or handle the goods they sell. Some wholesale establishments may be connected with a single manufacturer and promote and sell the particular manufacturer's products to a wide range of other wholesalers or retailers. Other wholesalers may be connected to a retail chain, or limited number of retail chains, and only provide a variety of products needed by that particular retail operation(s). These wholesalers may obtain the products from a wide range of manufacturers. Still other wholesalers may not take title to the goods, but act as agents and brokers for a commission. Although, in general, wholesaling normally denotes sales in large volumes, durable nonconsumer goods may be sold in single units. Sales of capital or durable nonconsumer goods used in the production of goods and services, such as farm machinery, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and industrial machinery, are always included in wholesale trade. |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods subsector sell nondurable goods to other businesses. Nondurable goods are items generally with a normal life expectancy of less than three years. Nondurable goods merchant wholesale trade establishments are engaged in wholesaling products, such as paper and paper products, chemicals and chemical products, drugs, textiles and textile products, apparel, footwear, groceries, farm products, petroleum and petroleum products, alcoholic beverages, books, magazines, newspapers, flowers and nursery stock, and tobacco products. The detailed industries within the subsector are organized in the classification structure based on the products sold. Agents and brokers primarily engaged in wholesaling nondurable goods, generally on a commission or fee basis, are classified in Subsector 425, Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers. |
| 4244 | Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of (1) a general line of groceries; (2) packaged frozen food; (3) dairy products; (4) poultry and poultry products; (5) confectioneries; (6) fish and seafood; (7) meats and meat products; (8) fresh fruits and vegetables; and (9) other grocery and related products. |
| 42442 | Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 424420. |
| 424420 | Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of packaged frozen foods (except dairy products). Illustrative Examples: Frozen bakery products merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen fish merchant wholesalers Frozen juices merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen meats merchant wholesalers Frozen vegetables merchant wholesalers Packaged frozen poultry merchant wholesalers |
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Classification References
- 01Establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of frozen dairy products are classified in Industry 424430, Dairy Product (except Dried or Canned) Merchant Wholesalers.
Index Items
Bakery products, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Dinners, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Doughs, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Fish, packaged frozen, merchant wholesalers
Foods, prepared, packaged frozen, merchant wholesalers
Frozen foods, packaged (except dairy products), merchant wholesalers
Fruits, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Juices, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Meat product substitutes, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Meat substitutes, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Meatless patties, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Meats, packaged frozen, merchant wholesalers
Pies (e.g., fruit, meat, poultry), frozen, merchant wholesalers
Pizzas, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Poultry, packaged frozen, merchant wholesalers
Prepared foods, frozen (except dairy products), merchant wholesalers
Pretzels, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Seafoods, packaged frozen, merchant wholesalers
Soups, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Vegetable patties, frozen, merchant wholesalers
Vegetables, frozen, merchant wholesalers
How Item Can Help
The order management system integrates with supplier feeds to synchronize inventory levels in real-time, ensuring fresh goods are replenished before they are sold out.
Advanced analytics predict demand spikes for seasonal frozen items and identify shrinkage patterns to improve inventory accuracy across the supply chain.
The transportation management system prioritizes temperature-controlled routing and monitors shipments in real-time to maintain strict cold chain standards from supplier to distribution center.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 424420.
National Frozen Food Distributors Association
The primary trade association for frozen food distributors, including packaged goods merchants.
USDA Economic Research Service
Official government database providing detailed statistics on the frozen food merchant wholesalers industry.
Wholesales.com
A comprehensive industry directory listing B2B companies that sell packaged frozen food to retailers.
