Home improvement retailer Wickes has awarded a new four-year contract to Wincanton, which spans warehouse and transport operations.
The new contract will see Wincanton become the sole supply chain partner for Wickes’ kitchen and bathroom business in the UK. The companies have worked together since 2017, gradually expanding its collaboration over time. Wincanton covered the management of 50% of Wickes’ kitchen and bathroom transport operations, this new contract increases this to 100% of kitchen and bathroom deliveries.
Furthermore, as part of the contract Wincanton will welcome 342 Wickes colleagues who have been transferred across, with Wincanton now responsible for the management of Wickes’ 400,000 sq ft kitchen and bathroom distribution centres in Northampton.
Wincanton will also implement a continuous improvement and operational excellence programme to deliver significant savings and support business growth for Wickes. A particular focus will be on improving customer experience and using innovation to drive efficiency and sustainability improvements.
The new Wickes operations will also benefit from Wincanton’s People Campus model, a solution designed to help with the challenge of maintaining a skilled workforce and managing peak trading periods effectively in the warehouse. The model provides Wincanton colleagues with working patterns that suit them, while simultaneously alleviating pressure for customers. It provides a new template for training and employment in the sector, by providing security through permanent contracts for flexible and part-time roles.
James Wroath, chief executive officer of Wincanton, said: “Wincanton presented Wickes with a compelling proposition centred on continuous improvement to deliver significant savings and to support its business growth over the next four years and beyond.
“Our work will include new initiatives to improve customer experience, the implementation of innovation to drive efficiency across the supply chain and improvements to increase the sustainability of our shared operations. We are proud of our long-term partnership with Wickes, and we look forward to continuing this great work over the next four years.”
Earlier this month, Wickes announced a new three-year contract with same day distribution firm CitySprint which will harness its ‘smart fulfilment’ offering to allow for fast and convenient customer delivery.
