H&M Distribution, which operates in Warrington, St Neots and Gloucester, has signed a new ten-year contract with Palletways – Europe’s largest and fastest growing express palletised freight network which is part of JSE-listed Imperial Logistics (Imperial).
The contract renewal has seen H&M invest more than £1m into its fleet this year and further invest in its depots.
Dean Woodyer, managing director at H&M Distribution said: “When it came to renewing our contract, we carried out the usual due diligence. We assessed other players in the pallet network industry before deducing that Palletways remained the clear choice and that signing for ten years would help us realise our goals.
“We’ve been part of the Palletways family for 14 years and we’ve experienced significant growth during that time - we’ve expanded our depot coverage throughout the UK and grown our customer base which has come to rely on the level of service we’re able to offer as a result of being part of the network. Palletways’ IT function along with its service excellence are clear differentiators within the industry and as such, the opportunity to continue our membership is of great value to us as a business.”
Commenting on the challenges and opportunities facing H&M Distribution over the next decade, Dean adds: “We see ourselves as a real alternative to some of the bigger operators as our service offering now includes pretty much everything within the industry such as network, full load, groupage services and warehousing opportunities. There remain challenges to overcome – the main one being the well-documented driver shortage however our “Evolution of Van’ on-the-job training programme, along with a healthy working environment, will go some way to help protect us from this issue.
“In addition, our international offering, new sub-contract services and continued development of our people and culture puts us in a fantastic position to grow H&M Distribution significantly over the coming years.”
Rob Gittins, managing director Palletways’ UK, added: “We’re pleased H&M Distribution, a well-established, respected business that delivers an exceptionally high-quality service, has renewed its contract for another decade. The deal reinforces our position as the network of choice for high quality hauliers with strong commercial and operational objectives and it’s through valued partners like H&M that will see us continue to increase our coverage and reach.”
H&M Distribution is one of over 120 independent transport providers that are part of Palletways UK network. They benefit from shared expertise and resources from within the group to deliver consignments of palletised freight to market faster and more cost effectively than ever before. The Palletways Group, renowned for its industry-leading IT developments and operational systems, comprises 450+ depots and 20 hub operations, through which it provides collection and distribution services across 24 European countries, including the UK.