Countrywide Freight opens ninth depot in record time

Countrywide Freight Group has sourced and opened a new depot in just eight weeks to meet a major client’s urgent request for a dedicated logistics operation to service the Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton areas.

The 21,927ft² site on the Pensett Estate in Kingswinford is Countrywide Freight’s ninth depot.

The firm’s other depots are in Manchester, London, Melton Mowbray,  Gateshead, Rhyl, Llandrindod Wells, County Antrim and Dublin.

Speaking to Motortransport.co.uk, Mike Crookes, Countrywide Freight commercial and marketing director, said: “One of our existing clients wanted an additional facility as a result of an increase in demand for a specific solution.”

Crookes said the deal required Countrywide Freight to set up the DC and begin operations very quickly.

He added: “It was a last minute request which we delivered in eight weeks after some hard work. We looked at a number of sites and decided on Kingswinford because it is central to the area our client needed to service.”

Crookes said the move will also create around 40 jobs at the Kingswinford centre including a number of driving jobs.

“We’ve also been able to employ local people in a range of roles, including office, distribution, and depot,” he said.

Countrywide Freight runs a fleet of more than 70 trucks, which range from 7.5 tonners up to 44 tonners. Its subsidiary Cooper Carriers, which is based in Rhyl, is a member of Palletways.

The company has more than 4,000 clients in the FMCG, automotive, pharmaceutical, electronic technology, retail and cosmetics industries.

Crookes said the company has no limit on the size of clients. “We will carry anything from a needle to a ship’s anchor.”

He added that the company has turned increasingly to owner drivers as the UK’s HGV  driver shortage crisis continues, with the company currently running a team of more than 60 owner drivers.