Knowles Transport Appointed As Consolidators For Bidfood

Leading foodservice wholesaler Bidfood has partnered with Knowles Transport which has become their consolidated distribution partner for ambient product.

The move marks a strategic decision by Knowles to expand its presence within the food service sector further reinforcing the business’ leading position in supermarket logistics.

Under the terms of the new contract Knowles Transport will handle, consolidate and deliver a wide range of ambient products for Bidfood’s suppliers.

Operating from Knowles’ 280,000 sq. ft BRC food grade warehouse in Wisbech, East Anglia, the contract will encompass storage, handling, container unload, cross dock and distribution to Bidfood’s 22 ambient depots across the UK.  Orders will be made up of Bidfood own stock and Bidfood suppliers to achieve full loads in order to maximise efficiency and minimise vehicle movements in turn improving environmental impact.

Bidfood suppliers will have the option of storing products within the Knowles warehouse.  Alternatively, Knowles will offer a collection service from third party sites to cross-dock and consolidate onto orders out of Wisbech. Additionally, Knowles will also manage the warehousing and distribution of Bidfood’s ambient imported lines.

Additionally, Knowles will offer full EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) functionality through their WMS (Warehouse Management System), eliminating waiting times associated with manual processing, providing customers with real-time product and stock level and driving efficiencies.

Whilst engaging in an extensive tender process, Knowles came up trumps after impressing Bidfood with the company’s extensive experience in consolidation, IT capabilities coupled with its reputation in the marketplace.

Alex Knowles, Managing Director at Knowles Transport commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with such an established and reputable player as Bidfood in the foodservice marketplace.

“We have aimed to enter this sector for some time as it aligns closely with our expertise in food, drink and packaging contract logistics and we are confident that we can help maximise Bidfood’s service levels into depots and drive cost efficiencies for them and their suppliers.

“We see this as an area in which demand will continue to grow and whereby, we store and distribute for many Bidfood suppliers who wish to tap into the efficiencies we can now offer.”

Jim Gouldie, Supply Chain and Technical Services Director commented: “We are delighted to be working with Knowles for what is an incredibly important and growing aspect of our business. From day one of our tender process in what is an exceptionally challenging market, they have shown their desire to enter and expand in this area and grow with us. They have been extremely pragmatic in understanding our requirements whilst developing solutions and enhancements.

“We think this is a very exciting journey for both parties and that Knowles is a business we can work with for the future. They share the same values in service excellence as ourselves. They possess a high quality team, are practical and straight talking, and we really believe and our relationship will develop into a true partnership in time. Most certainly early signs are exceptionally positive”.

Knowles offers a full end-to-end supply chain service across its two million sq. ft. of food grade warehousing and extensive fleet of vehicles and trailers. All Knowles sites are BRC food grade and operations are run to the highest standards with regards to SEDEX and SMETA conformance. The business has recently launched its ‘Road to Net Zero’ in which it sets out its target to provide net zero warehousing by 2030 and 2045 across all transport operations. Knowles has set carbon reduction targets that will be measured and reported on an annual basis and the business sees its commitment in this area as setting it apart from its competitors.