General Mills UK moves into Port Salford distribution hub

General Mills UK – owner of well-known brands, including Old El Paso, Green Giant, Betty Crocker and Nature Valley – last month became the first tenant of a modern distribution hub at Port Salford that is expected to save 600,000 road haulage miles a year while meeting future market needs.

The 26,013m2 site, which will be run by food and drink logistics provider Culina Group, will act as a central hub for General Mills’s ambient brands arriving by short sea freight from Europe.

Located next to the Manchester Ship Canal and the arterial motorway routes of the M60 and M62, Port Salford will improve General Mills’s supply chain, said the company’s supply chain director Dave Howorth. It will also provide opportunities in the future to move freight by rail.

“We are delighted to be the anchor client at Port Salford, reinforcing our commitment to finding logistics solutions that are best for customers, consumers and the environment,” said Howorth.

The move will enable a demand-driven logistics capability with load efficient multi-supplier consolidated deliveries to large retail customers 364 days a year. The facility will be equipped with purpose-built co-packing capabilities.

“This development is not just changing the dynamics of UK transport and logistics by dramatically improving direct supply chain routes across England and Scotland, but it’s also resulting in significant carbon emission reductions and environmental savings,” said Culina Group chief executive Thomas Van Mourik.

Port Salford is a large investment by Peel Ports Group, that will create 148,645m2 of warehousing. Its location will enable all water access along the Manchester Ship Canal, connecting Port Salford with the new deep-water container terminal, Liverpool2 , due to open later this year.

Peel Ports is one of the UK’s largest port groups, owning and operating seven of the UK and Ireland’s most important ports. It handles 70Mt of cargo every year. It is headquartered in Liverpool and employs around 1,200 staff.