The Decline of own account deliveries to retailers
 

Re: A Few Of 56 C. 1985

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1983 was a time of optimism among many of us in the Walls/Birds Eye Fold.

(Excuse the reversal of official title, one has to let ones priorities, loyalties and downright partialities, surface at some time).

The Company formed by Unilever plc merging, firstly the Production and Sales/ Marketing of two of their Brand Leading Subsidiaries, and later, the Distribution arms thereof, which had been temporarily shunted into a siding, under the banner of Unicold Walls, under the Umbrella of SPD Group, another Unilever Subsidiary.

The retail food trade was in a fluid state as the market became increasingly dominated by major, multiple outlet, retailers, blessed with good brains and even more blessed, with excessive brawn and brutal commercial ambition.

To meet the changing needs of the business as it was then percieved, 'The Company' were closing a massive national network of 'Local' Depots, under both Brand trade names, and opening a small number, I seem to remember five, new Regional Distribution Centres, which would absorb the work and territories of those closing.

In the South West, it certainly replaced:
Walls Carmarthen
Walls Swansea (became an outbase)
Walls Exeter (became an out base)
Walls Bodmin (new outbase Liskeard seconded to Exeter)
Walls Redruth
Walls Poole (became an outbase)
Walls Gloucester (not the main factory)
Birds Eye Walls Tewkesbury
Birds Eye Southampton
Birds Eye Exeter
Birds Eye Bristol (Patchway) (Later re commissioned for 3p distribution).
And others. (the brain has gone).

A new RDC opened then with high hopes amongst staff, with many transferring from Patchway and a couple at one point from Tewkesbury, and about a hundred , all categories recruited locally.

The fleet was app.
65% rigid Bedford TL up to 9+tons GVW, these were walk in refrigerated trucks, designed for rollcage/pack to floor operation, primarily for independant retail outlets and small convenience stores.

30% 16/17 ton Rigid 10 and 12 Pallet, Tailboard Trucks for Supermarket and Wholesaler/Cash and Carry Distribution.

5% 32 ton Artic combinations for overnight delivery to outbase locations.

The Volume split between, small outlet and Major retailer continued to change, with less work on the small trucks and the mid range carrying larger orders for fewer customers, so the balance of trucks was also changing.

The Retail Giants then started having direct deliveries from our factories, to central depots, controlled by themselves, in some cases or Medium sized drops of a few pallets, delivered from us for the intermediate stores.

Within too few years, and after the company taking in increased third party work from others, to keep these operations going. The small shop work was passed to concessionaires The Supermarket deliveries were about all direct and in a sadly short period, the shiny new depot, shiny new vehicles, and certainly not least, many professional and loyal staff, had gone their seperate
ways, victims of the progress or as I term it:
The Advance of the Aliens'.

Walls Ice Cream Was a good employer and cared about its products and consumers and despite the monopolies nonsense. If they had not made available freezer cabinets in the first place, you would not have seen ice creams in your local shops all those years ago, and it would have taken many more years for the economics of mass production to have put freezers into our houses. Long Live Walls.

This is not a definitive work, but one might say, 'A Bird's Eye View'
And now a little piece of bile; "Walls to The Cap'n"

If you are interested in a more professional insight into the companies and the market. please try.;

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/g...13BirdsEye.pdf

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu...ay-666507.html

walls
 

used to run from walls [durham] to east ham.[sausages]

Hi Trucker.

I used to take the Christmas Rush food in for the local Walls Meat Manager when at the ice cream depot, this was a national agreement, as the Meat operation operated from outbases at other company's premises and generally had no storage.

The depot staff loved the food bonus they received for the help they gave the 'meat man'. Though I heard in most depots, the powers that be saw that it didn,t permeate to the lower ranks.

moved
 

in the early nineties the east ham depot closed and some of the factory workers transfered up north.i,m not sure what they cal the company now
:confused:

I am probably wrong but I think it merged with Mattessons or something.

Here we are it was sold by Unilever in November 1994 to Kerry Foods.

Own account doing well -

http://www.roadtransport.com/blogs/2...d-to-3pls.html

Hi Ya, interesting report that. I do think however there is some ambiguity in the type of logistics being reported on.

It starts out to describe 'own account' operators as those who carry goods which they themselves have manufactured, (or processed for added value, by implication). But then goes on to quote Tesco as an example.

The demise or decline of own account to which I referred, was the secondary distribution, from their national distribution depot networks, by manufacturers and processors, which was lost to, companies like Tesco, who took bulk deliveries From Manufacturers/ Processors, into, their own or third party distribution depots, controlled by them. Then carried out the 'secondary 'composite' deliveries to the retail outlets themselves, (or by their contractors, like Exel).

On costing, "Walls for one" used to moan that 'Distribution was an 18% on cost to their business, an 18% drain in fact. So they and Birds Eye should be rolling in money, instead, the big boy retailers just keep slashing their margins, by squeezing the wholesale prices they will pay.

The 'independent hauliers', increasingly have to compete with the retail giants, for the 'primary distrbution' (factory to distribution centre), which the big boy retailers have progressively eaten into, by using their 'shop delivery' fleet, to collect from manufacturers/processors on a back load basis, reducing empty running and thereby costs. This had been one of the independents advantages, though it is now reduced by the retailers involvement.

Aren't Walls owned by a German company now? Langen, or something?

Walls ice-cream seems to be owned by Unilever/BrookeBond.
Don't know about Walls sausages . . .

Quite right ther G-CPTN, and at the last count the meat brand, is now part of Kerry foods portfolio of brands, along with Richmond Sausages and many more.

When I left, everyone with a fiver wanted to buy into the company.