Waitrose in Midlands deal with Widdowson

Waitrose has nominated The Widdowson Group as its official Midlands partner, Logistics Manager reported.

The contract involves transporting both full and groupage loads to Waitrose distribution centres in Aylesford, Bardon, Bracknell and in Milton Keynes – Brinklow and Celestia.

Although Waitrose has its own dedicated fleet, in the past it has used nominated carriers for delivery and collection work in the North and South of the country. The decision to appoint the Widdowson Group as the first Midlands nominated carrier was made by Kit Woodward, supply chain development manager for Waitrose.

Large deliveries which make up a full load are taken directly to the appointed distribution centre while smaller order collections are driven to one of Widdowson’s Leicester based warehouses. Here the stock is consolidated, marshalled to a particular Waitrose centre and then sent out on a groupage load.

Widdowson’s commercial director, John Hawksworth, said: “Working with Waitrose, one of the UK’s most highly respected food retailers, is a significant achievement for the group.”