CASE STUDY: HERON & BREARLEY

Heron & Brearley, which was formed in the 1850s, and its related group of companies, is the largest private employer in the Isle of Man and the leader in the Island’s hospitality industry. From managed houses to convenience stores and forecourts it offers a wide range of services to a diverse range of customers, on-Island and in the UK.

The company has multiple suppliers in the UK, all of which want to deliver their goods at different times and on different days. For H&B this was extremely labour intensive and made it difficult to control stock availability and volumes, which, at times, led to over-stocking.

Trade Distribution contacted the group’s suppliers and set up a UK consolidation centre at its Lancashire warehouse facility. This way multiple suppliers could deliver to our depot at their convenience or, if preferred, we could collect from them. Customers’ goods were then consolidated into full trailer loads and shipped daily to their instructions.

This led to a 40% reduction in shipping costs, in some cases through consolidating loads and improving availability and stock control. We offered H&B’s suppliers greater flexibility by allowing them to choose their preferred delivery dates and times and so reduced receiving warehouse labour charges by more than 20%.