Asda has awarded Wincanton a five year contract to run its new chilled distribution centre at Rochdale.
Asda is opening the new centre to create increased capacity for its network due to store growth in the region, especially following last year’s acquisition of the Netto chain. The contract starts in September 2012.
The 493,000 sq ft distribution centre will pick both chilled and frozen store orders. Wincanton will also deliver to stores across the North Western corridor of the M62.
[asset_ref id=”1662″] Asda’s new Rochdale DC
Asda distribution director Ian Stansfield said: “We awarded the contract to Wincanton because of the clear passion shown by their operations people and their management of grocery supply chain from warehouse through to store delivery.
“We knew of their capabilities through our existing relationships and we were also impressed by their proposals for collaborative transport solutions in terms of shared fleet and resources, which fits closely with our strategy to drive efficiencies and contribute to our efforts for reducing the company‘s carbon footprint.”
The new site will lead to the creation of 400 new transport and warehouse jobs for the Rochdale area over the coming months.
“Wincanton already has strong links with the Asda brand, managing the general merchandise national distribution centre in Doncaster and running the company‘s regional distribution centre in Larne, Northern Ireland,” said Guy Elliott, Wincanton’s managing director for contract logistics.
