Experiencing the pace of distribution centres

Early morning starts at a fast pace. Movement is frantic, but carefully calculated. The products arrive, are checked, selected and wisely taken to where they will be stored until shipped to each of the Group’s more than 4,000 stores. From freshly picked fruits and vegetables to the best meat or the freshest fish, hundreds of thousands of food products are handled by those who know that, in just a few hours, they’ll be on the consumer’s table.

The before and after of a Distribution Centre comprises a web of intrinsically designed routes that connect suppliers to customers. To mitigate the environmental impact of the thousands of miles travelled each year between supplier warehouses, Distribution Centres and stores, we’ve invested in clean energy, a fleet of less polluting vehicles and more efficient processes.

Operational efficiency

We maximise the return journeys of trucks by collecting goods from suppliers. And supplier vehicles also supply the Group’s stores on their way back. We also are committed to source an average of 80% of our products from local suppliers, thereby reducing the carbon footprint linked to transporting the products.

We’ve installed rainwater collection systems for use in cooling, irrigation and washing the outside of trucks. And photovoltaic panels allow us to generate – in a clean way – some of the electricity we use.

The logistics process is a critical dance with time. Pace, timeliness and organisation allow us to meet the daily needs of our business. And it also makes us better prepared to address the most unexpected challenges.