High street giant Woolworths has contracted supply chain specialist Gist to manage a new strategically important distribution centre (DC) on its behalf as part of a £50M deal. The site, located in the South, will be responsible for fast moving stock for all of Woolworths’ stores.
Tim Owrid, head of distribution at Woolworths, comments: “We are delighted to be creating this new partnership with Gist. This is a major step forward in the development of Woolworths’ supply chain and is a key supporting factor for us as we drive sales in 2005 and beyond.”
Woolworths is one of the biggest names in the UK high street, with 806 stores across the country. Its main focus is on the home, family and entertainment, offering customers value-for-money on an extended range of products, such as childrens’ clothes, toys and games, stationery, homewares, CDs and DVDs and confectionery.
Martin Gwynn, Gist managing director at Gist, says: “We are extremely pleased to be working with the Woolworths team to ensure they are able to secure maximum value from their supply chain. With competition on the high street hotter than ever, an effective supply chain is now recognised as being fundamental to successful performance. For high street retailers increasingly short lead times are crucial to ensure the best possible match between supply and demand for any product”
Further evidence of Gist’s ability to add value up the extended supply chain is also demonstrated in the extension of its partnership with one of the UK’s fastest growing casual clothing brands, Fat Face. Gist’s specialist consulting team is working with Fat Face to design and implement its supply chain strategy. Lufthansa Cargo has extended its working relationship with Menzies Aviation at Heathrow Airport for a further five years. The airline has worked with Menzies at Heathrow since 1998. The new contract sees Menzies provide cargo handling services for the airline through to the end of 2009. Lufthansa Cargo operates 30 flights a day from Heathrow, serving Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart. Menzies handles some 26,500 tonnes a year through its MW1 cargo terminal at Heathrow on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo.
