Wincanton has won extended warehouse and transport contracts to provide premium home delivery, store replenishment and e-commerce services for garden centre retailer Dobbies. 

The supply chain services specialist began working with Dobbies in 2020 in a partnership which, to date, has seen Wincanton manage 110,000 units of stock per week to stores and customers across the UK. 

The retailer, which operates 77 stores and employs 3,800 staff, said the new contract reflects Wincanton’s track record for high quality services for multi-channel retailers, particularly in the home and gardens market. 

It added that Wincanton ”seamlessly” managed the relocation of Dobbies’ national distribution centre to a new shared-user site in Corby, Northamptonshire, to provide additional space. 

The transition is estimated to deliver over 16% in terms of efficiency improvement, giving Dobbies the capacity to increase volumes by 100%. 

James Wroath, Wincanton chief executive, said: “The extension of our partnership with Dobbies showcases the resilience, breadth and agility of Wincanton’s capabilities.

”We are proud of the strength of our change management capability which ensured a safe and secure transition to the new site, and the benefits this brings to Dobbies and its customers.”

 David Robinson, Dobbies chief executive, added: ”Having the right supply chain partner is crucial to ensuring a seamless operation for our colleagues and customers.

”Wincanton have been an excellent partner, and we’re looking forward to building on this moving forward, with a quality and reliable service that we can rely on.”

Wincanton is currently in the process of being acquired by GXO for £960m, after a bidding war last month, which saw GXO trump Ceva Logistics’ £802.7m offer for the company.

Wincanton employs a 20,300-strong team across more than 160 UK sites and operates 7,400 vehicles. Its services including storage, handling and distribution; high volume e-fulfilment; retailer ‘dark stores’; two-person home delivery; fleet and transport management; and network optimisation for many of the UK’s best known companies.

It specialises in food and consumer goods; retail and manufacturing; e-commerce; the public sector; major infrastructure; building materials; fuel; and the defence sector. 

Topics