Somerfield has recruited Grampian Country Transport (GCT) as its regional chill consolidator. The contract means that all volume produced in the load area for Somerfield will pass through GCT’s warehouse. The company will initially handle 1,200 pallets a week. Somerfield is the fourth supermarket chain to use GCT’s services ? Sainsbury’s uses it as a hub while it is a store delivery partner for Tesco and Safeway.
APC Overnight has relocated its Scottish hub from Hamilton to Bellshill, near Glasgow, in a £300,000 investment program. The carrier has been operating at Hamilton for the past four years but rapid expansion of the business has led to the decision to move to bigger premises and a location closer to the motorway network which will significantly improve trunking times.
Barcardi-Martini, the drink producer, has awarded a new contract to pallet management company Whirlowdale to operate its pool of EPAL recycled pallets. The deal involves the handling of up to 50,000 four-way pallets a year for Bacardi-Martini nationwide. Pallets are prepared at Whirlowdale’s three depots across the UK.
Special Offer Supplies, the Derby-based provider of food products to independent retailers, is taking on loading bay equipment from ThorWorld Industries for new warehouse extension. Each of the warehouse’s two loading bays have been equipped with ThorWorld dock shelters to allow vehicle loading and unloading to take place completely under cover.
A commercial logistics centre is being created at Portsmouth Naval Base by Naval support services company Fleet Support (FSL) having secured a substantial contract to store surplus Ministry of Defence (MoD) equipment. The contract for disposing of equipment, ranging from nuts and bolts to sophisticated ship systems, is held by UK Surplus. The equipment is held in store before being auctioned on the Internet and distributed to the new owners.
Materials handling equipment manufacturer Still has strengthened its partnership with Acclaim Handling by renewing the distributor agreement with the Purfleet, Essex-based company. Acclaim is one of the largest independent materials handling distributors in the South-east.
Thorntons’ contract with Bibby Distribution has been extended to include usage of the Bibby Route One Pallet Network, as trends in the customer’s market place change to include deliveries into the major multiples. The confectionery manufacturer felt the need for a more flexible service offering into this demanding sector.
Industrial sewing thread and craft products manufacturer Coats has appointed third-party logistics provider Tibbett & Britten to handle its logistics business.
