Operator News

From third-party logistics to own-account operators Motortransport.co.uk has it covered: we report on all 3PLs, from DHL Supply Chain to Eddie Stobart Logistics, and from XPO Logistics to Wincanton. We also cover the UK home delivery and parcels market from Royal Mail to DPD and from Hermes to Yodel. We have all the latest news from own-account operators, including Tesco Distribution, Travis Perkins, Bidvest and the latest developments from pallet networks including Palletways and Pall-ex.

Reed Boardall has right price for Asda

March 12, 2012 Steve Hobson

The distinctive happy surfing polar bear adorning the sides of Reed Boardall Transport’s temperature controlled trailers had extra cause for celebration on Friday (9 March) as the company’s MD Tom Cassells was kept busy collecting accolades at the Asda Carrier of the Year awards. A sell-out audience at Leeds’ Queens Hotel saw Reed Boardall pick up the Environmental Carrier of the Year trophy for its use of double-deck trailers and take the runners up slots in both the overall Carrier […]

Maritime Transport appoints two new MDs

March 12, 2012 Peter Steele

Maritime Transport has created two new director positions to handle distribution and container transport at the firm. Simon Smart and David Boomer, both previously operations directors at the firm, have become MD, container transport and MD, containers respectively. Maritime says the appointments were required to strengthen senior management at the firm and provide focus on two of its key areas of business. John Williams, group MD, says: “These promotions have been made to create the next generation of Managing Directors […]

Strong performance from the UK buoys Ceva profit

March 9, 2012 Peter Steele

Ceva has singled out the performance of its business in the UK for having a “very strong year” in 2011 after the Netherlands-based logistics giant revealed a 10% rise in profit. Speaking to MT.co.uk, Leigh Pomlett, president for Northern Europe at Ceva, singled out delivery from the UK and Poland as “two countries that have performed” as, globally, the firm saw revenue rise just 0.7% to €6.8bn (£5.6bn)for the year ending 31 December 2011. EBITDA rose 9.9%, when accounting for […]

City Link unveils recovery plan

March 9, 2012 Peter Steele

City Link’s new MD has put in place a three-year turnaround strategy at the struggling parcels business in the wake of “disappointing” losses. The plan will see City Link break-even within the next four months, make a profit by Q4, and become a £500m business in the next three years, through a combination of improved customer service, reduced operational costs and a focus on winning profitable business, rather than chasing volumes. Speaking to MT.co.uk, new MD Dave Smith, who joined […]

K+N wins Spirit food service contract

March 7, 2012 Steve Hobson

Kuehne + Nagel (K+N) is to invest £5m in multi-temperature distribution centres and a fleet of 60 vehicles for a long term new food service customer, Spirit Pub Company. K+N sees food service as a significant growth market, already representing £50m of its UK contract logistics business, much of it with Whitbread, where volumes have grown 50% to 31m cases a year since 2008. Spirit demerged in September 2011 from Punch Taverns, and is one of the UK’s leading pub […]

City Link losses plummet to £31.3m

March 2, 2012 Motor Transport

City Link parent Rentokil has blamed a decline in both volumes and rates for the parcel firm’s “disappointing” £31.3m pre-tax loss during 2011, compared with a £9.6m loss the previous year, on a revenue down 8.5% to £306.9m. […]

Yodel confirms depot closures

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Yodel has confirmed the schedule of its service centre closure programme, as it enters the final phase of the merger of the Home Delivery Network and DHL Domestic UK businesses. According to an internal letter seen by MT, the parcels giant has been transferring volumes across from Cardiff (the first site set to close) to Nantgarw since Friday 10 February, with Cardiff due to shutdown on Friday 17 February, a move which the company has confirmed. The rest of the […]

Stobart and AW Jenkinson buy another 1,000 Scanias

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Stobart Group and A.W. Jenkinson Forest Products have struck a second joint procurement deal with Scania to take delivery of a combined 1,000 trucks over the next two years. Between March 2012 and December 2013 Stobart and A.W. Jenkinson will take a mixture of R-series and G-series models. The first 300 will enter service this year with 700 more entering both fleets ahead of the introduction of Euro-6 on 31 December 2013. The deal replicates one struck in January 2010, […]

ND enjoys a good cuppa

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Norbert Dentressangle (ND) has won a three-year contract with Tata Global Beverages for the UK storage and distribution of Tetley teas, with its shared-user network cited as a major factor in clinching the deal. The contract will see ND relocate the warehousing from the current Tetley warehouse at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, to its own Merlin warehousing facility in Manchester, which will be shared with existing occupant, Kellogg’s. The facility will also consolidate goods from manufacturer Kimberly-Clark’s northern distribution centre […]

Harlequin picks up Kellogg’s

February 23, 2012 Motor Transport

Haulage consortium Harlequin Logistics has injected some snap, crackle and pop into its five members after revealing that its first contract has been signed with Kellogg’s. Harlequin will deliver some 15,000 Kellogg’s loads per year from the cereal manufacturers depot in Manchester to retailers’ RDCs, wholesalers and cash and carry outlets nationwide. Founder Paul Smith told MT earlier this month (6 Feb) that it was also set to start work on a second, as yet undisclosed, contract, this month with […]