The London Evening Standard newspaper has taken 33 Fuso Canter trucks on contract hire from Rygor to service its distribution needs.
Based at the newspaper’s new DC in Greenwich, the 7.5 tonne Canters are used to collect newspapers from the printing facility in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, for onwards distribution to retailers and newsstands.
The trucks, maintained under a Charterway contract agreement, replace the newspaper's previous fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans.
Tim Freeman, head of distribution at the London Evening Standard, said: “Our Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans were exceptionally reliable so Rygor was the obvious choice [as a Mercedes-Benz dealership] when we were looking to invest in larger vehicles.”
Freeman said the Canter’s turning circle and manoeuvrability were big plus points given that the trucks are running in central London, as was its payload at almost four tonnes.
“This equates to about 3,000 extra copies per vehicle [compared with a conventional 7.5 tonner], which represents a major saving,” he said.
Rygor has been on the expansion trail, purchasing dealership Mudie-Bond group last year.
