Dr Oetker hands Wincanton contract

Pizza manufacturer Dr Oetker has placed a three-year contract for an unreported amount with third-party logistics provider Wincanton to manage its chilled national warehousing and distribution.

The operation will be managed from Wincanton’s chilled national distribution centre at Brockworth, Gloucester, with more than 12M cases of product expected to be handled every year. In addition to managing the stockholding and transportation, the contract will cover Dr Oetker’s reworking and repacking requirements.

Wincanton reported a profit before tax of £32.6M (£31.3 in 2006) on a turnover of £1.9bn (£1.8bn) in its annual results just published. The company’s chief executive Graeme McFaull said: “Wincanton is reporting another good profit performance. There are significant opportunities for continuing growth in the UK. Our investment in mainland Europe will deliver profit progress in the medium-term. All our initiatives are focused on confirming Wincanton as a European leader in our sector.”