Following a long-standing partnership with Wincanton, Waitrose has extended both its in-store wines and Wines Direct warehousing contracts by five years. The £25 million contract reinforces Wincanton's number one position within the grocery retail sector.
Based in Greenford, Wincanton's bonded warehouse stores globally imported wine for the grocery outlet. This bonded store extends the boundaries of Customs and Excise duty requirements, delaying the payment of tax until the wine is moved to one of two distribution centres located in Milton Keynes and Brinklow. The warehouse also stores the wine for the Waitrose Wines Direct service and boxes anything from one bottle of wine upwards, which is then collected by courier for home delivery.
In addition, Wincanton also holds the logistics contract for Waitrose-owned subsidiary company FMT, providing the storage and delivery of wines to prestigious establishments, including Buckingham Palace.
Based in a shared-user facility, the amount of warehouse space has to be extremely flexible due to seasonal demand. The pre-Christmas period sees a 100% increase in stock, and staff numbers are adapted accordingly.
Commenting on the contract extension, Andy Soper, GM of Distribution for Waitrose said: "As we have had such a long and reliable history with Wincanton, it made perfect sense to renew the existing logistics contract with them. Wincanton offers both the bonded warehouse and distribution centres we need and operates in a professional and consistent manner."
John Robb, MD of Grocery Retail at Wincanton said: "We have a longstanding relationship with Waitrose and understand its warehousing requirements. With seasonal fluctuations in volume, specialist management is required to ensure that everything runs smoothly in this shared user environment. Wincanton is able to provide this and we are pleased to be able to continue this partnership with the same level of commitment."
