Wincanton, a leading provider of supply chain services in the UK & Ireland, has announced it has been awarded a five-year contract by supermarket group Morrisons to support its continuing expansion of its “M Local” format in the north of England.
The contract is for combined warehouse and transport operations, supported by Wincanton’s system platform and follows last year’s successful launch of Morrisons’ first-ever dedicated convenience distribution centre in London where Wincanton managesboth transport and warehousing
The new 150,000 sqft cross-dock distribution centre, located in Bury, Greater Manchester is targeted to open in October this year and will have the potential to service over 100 stores in the north.
In addition to delivering core logistics support to Morrisons’ London convenience operation Wincanton also provided significant project management expertise to ensure the warehouse start-up and systems infrastructure was brought on stream in time for the launch date.
A strong convenience offering is a key part of the Morrisons group’s overall growth strategy and Wincanton’s proven expertise in managing the London transport and warehousing operations played a key part in its success winning the contract for the north of England.
Eric Born, Chief Executive of Wincanton, said: “We are delighted to be expanding our partnership with Morrisons with the announcement of this five year contract.
“Over the last 18 months, we have seen our market share grow as we broaden our service offering in the UK retail sector, and today’s announcement confirms the enormous potential that exists for Wincanton.”
Jerome Saint-Marc, Development Director at Morrisons, also commented: “The growing demand for our convenience offering meant it made perfect sense to replicate our success in London with a similar operation in the north.
“Wincanton has proved itself a trusted and experienced partner in the convenience market. We have a true partnership relationship and Wincanton’s team takes the lead when it comes to progressing new ideas and initiatives that add real value to our operations.”
