Glasgow, Scotland: The Co-operative Group, the UK’s fifth largest food retailer, has opened its new distribution centre that will serve Scotland and Northern Ireland
The new 46,730sq metre, multi-temperature depot at Newhouse, just off the M8 near Glasgow will be operational by September serving 618 stores in Scotland and Northern Ireland with an output of 60.0m cases a year and be served by 370 trucks.
The depot replaces the Co-operative’s existing distribution operations in Pitreavie, which closed earlier this year, and at Cumbernauld and Harthill, which will close before the end of 2011.
The new distribution centre is part of a major overhaul of the CoOp’s food logistics network following the purchase of Somerfield in 2009. The aims to upgrade existing facilities to improve supply chain performance.
The Newhouse depot also receives rail as well road freight. This follows a pilot, which began last year using a daily rail service to carry produce between Daventry, close to the group’s distribution centre at Coventry, and a rail terminal at Mossend, near Newhouse.
