Managing change in a retail supply chain is a problem that many retail supply chain directors have to face at some point, but few will experience the challenge of combining two supply chains into one.
At this year’s Logistics Manager Supply Chain Conference, Mark Aylwin, supply chain director of Musgrave Budgens Londis, told delegates how the group is responding to the move by the big supermarkets into the convenience sector.
The conference, held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire, attracted some 250 delegates. Aylwin outlined a massive change programme at Musgrave which will involve combining the supply chains of Budgens and Londis into one.
At the core of the strategy is a plan to improve the fresh produce offering at more than 2,000 Londis stores across the UK. The new supply chain model would allow the company to challenge the multiples breaking into the market and beat them on customer service, Aylwin said: “It’s a real challenge, but it’s a great challenge for a logistician.”
