Symbol group retailer the Co-op has extended Wincanton‘s supply chain contract by two years in a bid to support its growth and development.

The contract extension follows the pairs existing partnership, which saw Wincanton seamlessly delivered a new 340,000 sq ft regional distribution centre (RDC) in Northamptonshire, for the Co-op group, which went live in under six months back in 2019.

Since then, it has managed all warehouse and store delivery operations from the facility, employing over 500 colleagues.

The operation sees Wincanton replenishing 460 Co-op stores across the East Midlands, East of England and North London areas, which involves handling chilled, ambient and frozen goods, delivering up to 800,000 cases per week.

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It also manages the return of recyclable items such as soft plastic after Co-op rolled-out recycling units in its stores for shoppers to deposit soft plastics.

“We are pleased to extend our relationship with Wincanton and for the Wellingborough site to continue to operate alongside our network of distribution centres across the UK to ensure our Members and customers can pick up what they need, when and where they need it,” Co-op supply chain and logistic director Andy Perry said.

Wincanton managing director of grocery and consumer James Hurrell added: “We’re excited to continue our partnership with Co-op to explore new ways of working and to continue our high colleague engagement to deliver excellent performance.”

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