The Big Food Group awards Tibbett & Britten joint Iceland/Booker logistics contract in Scotland
The UK-based international logistics service provider Tibbett & Britten Group plc has expanded its business with The Big Food Group (TBFG) in Scotland, following the award this month of a long-term open-book contract to manage TBFG’s Scottish distribution operations at Livingston, West Lothian, and Bellshill, Lanarkshire.
The agreement covers exclusive warehousing and delivery to all Booker Cash & Carry branches and Iceland high street supermarkets across Scotland, as well as parts of Northern Ireland and the North of England. It follows TBFG’s strategic review of its Scottish operations and the decision to create a consolidated service for the Group’s two largest trading businesses.
Under the contract, Tibbett & Britten will take over the management of the 260,000 sq ft (24,000 sq m) Cameron’s Wood distribution centre at Livingston, which currently services Booker, from April 2003, and will merge its existing TBFG Scottish ambient and chill distribution operations into this facility.
The enlarged centre will employ a total of 300 people and will operate 7 days a week, 364 days a year. Tibbett & Britten will continue to run a separate frozen food distribution facility at Bellshill –which employs another 80 people– and together the two sites will fulfil all TBFG’s distribution requirements in the region.
Products to be handled are principally groceries and fresh produce, plus frozen food for Iceland stores, along with non-food household items and drinks. Deliveries will be made to 148 Iceland stores in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England, plus a further 28 Booker branches across Scotland and the North of England.
Tibbett & Britten is also taking over the existing Livingston contractor’s commercial vehicle fleet, comprising 15 tractor units and 27 trailers, to add to its 32 tractors and 56 trailers already operated on TBFG’s behalf in Scotland and the North. These are a mixture of multi-temperature and ambient vehicles, and include some tri-composite trailers.
Tibbett & Britten has served TBFG in Scotland and Northern England since 1997. It also manages the retailer’s 260,000 sq ft (24,000 sq m) Iceland distribution centre at Swindon –covering the South of England. This facility employs nearly 500 people and has been managed by Tibbett & Britten since it opened in 1994.
Commenting on the new development, TBFG’s Logistics Director, Brian Gaunt, said: “We are pleased to have appointed Tibbett & Britten as our exclusive logistics partners for Booker and Iceland in Scotland. The enhanced distribution centre at Livingston and our existing operation in Bellshill will provide a solid platform to support the growth plans of both businesses. We look forward to continuing to work with the excellent teams in Livingston and Bellshill to build a world-class distribution service for the benefit of our customers.”
Martin Graham, Managing Director of Tibbett & Britten UK & Ireland, added: “Tibbett & Britten is proud of its long-standing relationship with TBFG. We are a committed partner, and I believe the Livingston appointment testifies to the high quality of our services, as well as the extraordinary commitment demonstrated by our teams at Bellshill and Swindon. We have shown that we understand the company’s business and that we are keen to work with them, and we are delighted that the relationship has been further strengthened in this way.”
