A further 31 million cases of goods a year are set to be moved across the country by the Tesco rail network rather than by lorry as the supermarket giant continues to roll out its train service.
The introduction of a tenth rail service will move 600k cases per week, replacing more than 90 lorry trips per week previously needed to move goods from its main distribution centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, on a 260-mile round trip to its regional distribution centre in Widnes in the Northwest.
The additional service is the group’s biggest to date and will result in a major reduction in carbon emissions. It will bring the total number of cases moved by the Tesco rail network to more than 300 million cases per year.
By delivering by rail, products can be much closer to stores for the final step in the delivery process, with lorries collecting cases of goods off the train and delivering them direct to store. The new service will bring the number of Tesco stores receiving deliveries by rail to 198.
With the new service running six times a week, the retailer is working with its suppliers to ensure that the return leg is used. Suppliers benefitting from the route include L’Oréal, AB World Foods, PZ Cussons, and Heinz – with beauty, grocery and household products being moved on the service, helping them reduce their carbon emissions.
Ken Murphy, Tesco Group Chief Executive, said: “Tesco’s distribution network is one of the most extensive in the UK and plays an important role in our efforts to become carbon neutral in our own operations by 2035. Switching from road to rail allows us to get products to our stores in a more sustainable way by removing thousands of lorry journeys each year and reducing our carbon emissions.”
NAM Implications:
- Elimination/reduction in the delays of road travel.
- In addition to scalability.
- Watch this space…
