Research on retailers RDC

Hi there, I’m Phil and I’m doing some research on food logisitcs for my university thesis. I thought maybe someone here could give me some help. Basically I’m trying to find out changes that took place in the last 5 years (since 2008) about retailers RDC, simple stuff like:
opening of a new site (is it operated by a 3pl or by the supermarket itself?)
closure of a site
moving the operation from in-house to 3pl or the other way round

if you guys can remember some of this movements in the past few years for the major chains (tesco, sainsburys, asda, m&s etc) it would be of great help!

thanks!

P.

Bumping this to the top so that it hopefully gets started. The OP has taken the sensible approach in asking those who actually do the job; which is something we all wish was done more often, so please let’s help him.

Probably just out of timescale, but I think Waitrose Aylesford opened in 2008.

This had initially been Safeway’s UK headquarters which became Morrisons when the takeover occurred. There was much ill feeling locally with Morrisons, which remains to this day, about their closure of the site. Ken Morrison was seen as an arrogant Northerner who wouldn’t listen, fortunately he was eventually ousted by his own board.

Deliberately controversial last sentence in order to stir up some interest, but please also try to answer the OP’s question as well.

Tescos RDC Fradley - opened 2008ish I think. Mix of own account fleet and 3PL with a number of ad hoc subbies pulling tesco trailers.

what is so important about 2008? apart from more H&S, nothing seems to change. some retailers deliver using their own fleet, most contract it out to a haulier but i am not aware of any important changes in the last 5 years that would change their minds either way :confused:

poiuy:
if you guys can remember some of this movements in the past few years for the major chains (tesco, sainsburys, asda, m&s etc) it would be of great help!

These are some recent ones in my local area;

Tesco chilled at Chepstow went to Avonmouth 2010 ish.
Morrisons chilled and ambient at Droitwich, Swindon and Yate went to one big rdc in Bridgewater 2011 ish.
Co-op chilled and ambient at Portbury (Bristol) and Wellington went to one big rdc in Avonmouth early this year.
Asda chilled at Portbury going to Avonmouth in September this year.

I know Asda is staying in house.

HTH.

tesco built a huge RDC in livingston and closed one in dundee plus 3 in livingston
co op built one in newhouse and closed harthill and ■■■■■■■■■■■
asda have just built one in grangemouth and closed one in grangemouth (falkirk still operating at the moment)

Co-op bought Somerfield…

Co-Op has been closing a large number of small depots and building large new ones.
Bridgwater Somerfield was acquired by Co-Op then moved to Chelston (Wellington) which is also now closed and moved to Avonmouth.
Co-Op Andover is new, also Co-Op Castleford.
Asda is currently building at Avonmouth.

South East RDCs last 10 years what I can remember any alterations?

Tesco:

Snodland opened 1989 ? Chilled originally Hays now Wincanton
Strood closed 2005 ? ambient Excel
Thurrock opened 2003 ambient Excel then in house?
Weybridge o/c ? ambient ?
Southampton ? chilled in house ?
Harlow ? chilled in house?
Welham Green ? ambient ?
Southway 2004 trunk/delivery interchange
Allington 2010 home delivery

Sainsbury

Allington closed 2011/2 chilled DHL
Dartford opened 2011/12 both DHL
Charlton closed ? ambient ?
Waltham Point both
St Albans chilled NFT
Hayes closed?? Chilled NFT
Hoddesdon ? both
Rye Park ? both
Basingstoke both ?

Asda

Dartford ? both
Erith ? Chilled

Morrisons

Aylesford opened 2005? Closed 2006 both
Sittingbourne opened 2010 both

M&S

Faversham ? both Gist

Waitrose
Aylesford 2008? Both in house
Bracknell ? both in house
Theale ? frozen Kune & Nagel

Co-op

Gillingham ? both
Purfleet ? both

Iceland

Enfield both

Londis

Erith ? Both in house?

Lidl

Enfield both

Safeway

Aylesford closed 2005? both in house

Edit change date Tesco Snodland to 1989 site was still part of Tarmac quarry in 1987

Sainsbury’s at Greenford which i think replaced Feltham and i’m sure it’s ambient and chilled.

Pimpdaddy:
Co-op bought Somerfield…

And Somerfield bought up Quicksave, who where all in house. I think just prior to that Somerfield transfered from Excel logistics to Wincanton And the Co-op was already run by Wincanton.

Tescos Middlewich was in house, closed and replaced by Widnes run by Stobarts.

Tesco Harlow and weybridge have just closed, replaced by dagenham and reading respectively.

Sainsburys have recently opened new depots at charlton and dartford.

All of the above depots have bs health and safety requirements on drivers sitting in so called “rest” rooms :smiling_imp:

Mike-C:
Tescos Middlewich was in house, closed and replaced by Widnes run by Stobarts.

I thought widnes replaced middleton, and it was lichfield and goole that replaced middlewich. Anyway, Tesco are on a pursuit of doing away with inhouse depots where staff are on annualized hours. They mothball the depots, like middlewich and fenny lock, then reopen them after a couple of years on new t’s and c’s. They’ve mothballed harlow which has 8 years left on it’s lease. Only Hinkley, Southampton and Welham left on annualized hours contracts now

bald bloke:
Sainsbury’s at Greenford which i think replaced Feltham and i’m sure it’s ambient and chilled.

Sainsbury’s Feltham… Is it really closed? I’m going to have a ■■■■ on it’s grave if it is. What an absolute hole.

OVLOV JAY:

Mike-C:
Tescos Middlewich was in house, closed and replaced by Widnes run by Stobarts.

I thought widnes replaced middleton, and it was lichfield and goole that replaced middlewich. Anyway, Tesco are on a pursuit of doing away with inhouse depots where staff are on annualized hours. They mothball the depots, like middlewich and fenny lock, then reopen them after a couple of years on new t’s and c’s. They’ve mothballed harlow which has 8 years left on it’s lease. Only Hinkley, Southampton and Welham left on annualized hours contracts now

You might be right J. There also used to be two depots in Middleton.

Sainsbury’s Feltham/Hayes or whatever it called itself, must surely rank as one of the worst of the lot? You had to queue on the road - if there was room to even do that- and then stand while you were unloaded, because there wasn’t a waiting room, meanwhile confronted with notices about not disturbing the office bods.

Going back into the mists of time at M&S Faversham, didn’t this start off as Portway in the town near the recreation ground, then move to Oare as BOC Baker/Transhield and then move further along the road to where it is now as Gist?

cav551:
Going back into the mists of time at M&S Faversham, didn’t this start off as Portway in the town near the recreation ground, then move to Oare as BOC Baker/Transhield and then move further along the road to where it is now as Gist?

No

Seany:

cav551:
Going back into the mists of time at M&S Faversham, didn’t this start off as Portway in the town near the recreation ground, then move to Oare as BOC Baker/Transhield and then move further along the road to where it is now as Gist?

No

Well that’s no good! tell me more and put me right, please.

OVLOV JAY:
Tesco Harlow and weybridge have just closed, replaced by dagenham and reading respectively.

Sainsburys have recently opened new depots at charlton and dartford.

All of the above depots have bs health and safety requirements on drivers sitting in so called “rest” rooms :smiling_imp:

Got my first trip to Dagenham (for F&W) the other night…
Seems like a plush waiting room, but they’ve still got someone like Tutankhamun’s mummy waving the magnetic key thingy around, and you’ve got a few drivers not being able to sleep on the “chairs”, looking around trying not to catch anyone’s eye in particular.

Needed someone to ■■■■ to liven things up a bit, but I was in and out of there in 90 minutes which is pretty quick compared to other places like Didcot where you’re keeping four times as many drivers in a waiting room barely 10 feet cubed…

Bugger it, I’d rather just stay in my cab having handed my keys in. WTF is all this bull about? Why can’t you drop your trailer and park up somewhere if they are that bothered about drive-offs? :frowning: :imp: