Britvic signs transport contract with Wincanton
The soft drinks company has also renewed the contract for Wincanton’s existing warehouse at Lutterworth in Leicestershire.
The new deal follows the ending of Britvic’s distribution contract with 3PL Eddie Stobart, which reportedly had been in place since 2011.
New five-year deal
The new five-year deal will see Wincanton work with Britvic in the development of a ‘best in-class’ supply chain. Wincanton will deploy its expertise in supply chain optimisation, along with delivering increased operational flexibility and visibility for Britvic. This new contract takes Wincanton’s partnership with Britvic to 29 years.
“We are extremely pleased to have extended our well-established relationship with Britvic,” said Wincanton chief executive Adrian Colman. “The new contract is further evidence of our partnership approach and dedication to delivering effective and innovative supply chain operations.
“The broadening of our remit to Britvic’s transport operations is particularly exciting and offers further scope to extend our relationship in a rapidly changing retail landscape.
“Britvic’s ambitious plans, paired with Wincanton’s ability to operate and optimise both warehouse and transport operations, makes for an ideal partnership over the next five years.”
Britvic manufactures a number of well known brands, such as Robinsons, J2O, Tango, Fruit Shoot, Teisseire and has exclusive agreements to make, distribute and market global brands such as Pepsi and 7UP on behalf of PepsiCo.
Cawston Press and Simply Wild
Meanwhile, Cawston Press, another British soft drinks brand, has announced plans to enter into a new distribution partnership with Simply Wild, which will begin on April 3 2017. Simply Wild is an Irish distribution company, which supplies multiple retailers, convenience and independent stores, as well as foodservice outlets.
Simply Wild is one of five companies within the Total Produce Group, a company headquartered in the Republic of Ireland, which claims to be one of the world’s largest providers of fresh produce.
Cawston Press reported retail sales of £20M in the UK market and forecasted continued fast growth nationally and internationally, driven by demand for its sparkling drinks range. Since its conception, the range has seen year-on-year growth of almost 250% and experienced a 39% rise in total sales. In 2016 alone, the company sold over 10M sparkling drinks cans.
“I think the partnership between the two companies is perfect,” said Simply Wild’s commercial manager Gordon Kennedy. “Our strength across grocery, convenience and foodservice makes us the ideal partner to one of the most exciting and fast growing soft drinks brands in Europe.”