ADM Londis completes €20m distribution deal; 20 jobs to be created
Irish grocery retail group ADM Londis plc has today announced the launch of its centralised chilled distribution facility and the completion of a €20m partnership agreement with warehousing and logistic experts Norbert Dentressangle. The new facility will also result in the creation of 20 new jobs.
As a result of the new facility, the group’s network of 250 retailers across Ireland are, for the first time, placing their chilled orders directly with ADM Londis through the Group’s ISIS web platform and receiving these products in a single delivery, marking a major strategic shift for the group and its retailers.
Explaining the programme, Claude Tonna Barthet, group operations director, ADM Londis plc, said: “This first phase of the group’s centralised chill project incorporates over 780 product lines, replacing 40 individual supplier deliveries with one. The entire operation is reliant on a very fluid process from placement of orders by retailers, to suppliers delivering into our chilled warehouse in Swords, concluding with products being picked, dispatched and delivered to our retailers all within a three-day timeframe. Despite the complexity of the entire solution, we are delighted to have experienced a very smooth launch with excellent feedback from our retailers. ”
The group’s ISIS and iPad technology investments have been the cornerstone of this project, providing the ordering platform which is critical to the success of the centralised distribution offering.
The group says that today’s announcement “marks a significant opportunity for a wide range of suppliers to the grocery market in Ireland. Localised and regional suppliers who previously were unable to branch out nationwide due to the barrier of high distribution costs now have access to a nationwide retail network via the Londis centralised chilled distribution facility. The company anticipates significant interest amongst Irish food and drink companies.”
Amongst the suppliers already signed up in phase 1 are O’Brien Fine Foods based in Offaly which includes Brady Ham and Rudd Fine Foods brands; Nestbox, a supplier of commercial and free range eggs from Monaghan; William Carr Seafood from Killala, Co Mayo; Waldron Meats, a family-owned pork and bacon supplier from Brideswell, Roscommon; and Dublin craft bakery Tea Time Express.