Waitrose wines and spirits partnership with Wincanton extends to over 20 years

Retailer Waitrose has awarded a contract extension to supply chain specialist Wincanton for the storage and distribution of wines and spirits to its UK outlets. These include all Waitrose's supermarkets, convenience stores, motorway service stations, Ocado and Waitrose Cellar – 357 outlets in total.

The extension brings the partnership between Waitrose and Wincanton to beyond the 20-year mark, a significant milestone.

From its HMRC-approved, bonded warehouse facility in West London, Wincanton co-ordinates the distribution of over 10 million cases of wines and spirits a year for the retailer.

It does this utilising its core fleet supplemented by extra vehicles to meet volume fluctuations, which vary by as much as 100 per cent depending on the time of year, and a key reason for awarding Wincanton the contract extension was its proven ability to deal with these huge spikes.

Another advantage for the retailer is that it enjoys complete flexibility when it comes to warehousing: Waitrose retains space with Wincanton and, using a "pay as you go" model, can use more as and when required.

Robin McCarthy, Head of Distribution for Waitrose, said:

"Over many years Wincanton has shown itself to be a trusted and responsive business partner, clearly focused on providing excellent customer service and dedicated to continuously adding value.

"As an ethical, socially-responsible business, we are committed to reducing the impact of our operations on the environment. Wincanton, through its innovative use of processes and procedures, including collaborative working arrangements, has demonstrated that it shares this commitment."

Liam McElroy, Retail Managing Director at Wincanton, said: "Over the course of almost two decades we've forged a superb working relationship with Waitrose wines and spirits and I'm delighted to be able to announce this contract extension.

"We have an unrivalled reputation in this industry for cost, service, innovation and commitment to continuous improvement, and this contract extension is testament to that."