Wincanton has solidified its long-term partnership with Britvic by extending their agreement for another decade. This renewed contract, which will carry their collaboration into its 40th year, will enable Wincanton to continue providing essential storage and distribution services for popular brands such as R White’s, Robinsons, J2O, and Tango until 2034.
In recent years, Wincanton has significantly invested in automation technology to enhance productivity, capacity, and capability at Britvic’s national distribution center located in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The partnership will also encompass the management of Britvic’s fully automated warehouse facility in Rugby, Warwickshire.
Together, these two sites are poised to dispatch an impressive total of 650,000 cases of Britvic products each day, showcasing the efficiency and scale of operations.
James Hurrell, managing director of grocery and consumer at Wincanton, expressed pride in the extended agreement by stating, “Extending our long-standing relationship with Britvic into its fourth decade is a proud milestone for Wincanton as we see our partnership with one of the UK’s most popular beverage manufacturers go from strength-to-strength. We are looking forward to investing in a resilient and innovative platform for growth for Britvic in the UK, underpinned by our shared values around people, planet, and performance.”
In response to the partnership, Britvic’s supply chain director, Nigel Paine, shared his satisfaction, stating, “Their excellent site management and shared values across our people, planet, and performance pillars have been important to our success. We look forward to the continued innovation and efficiency this partnership will bring to our supply chain.”
This announcement comes at a pivotal time for Britvic, as Carlsberg recently secured regulatory approval from both the European Commission and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to complete its acquisition of Britvic for £3.3bn. The transaction was initially agreed upon in July and subsequently garnered support from Britvic shareholders the following month after the company’s AGM.
Additionally, Wincanton itself is undergoing scrutiny, as it was acquired by GXO for £762 million in April 2024. This acquisition is currently under investigation by the CMA, with a decision expected by April of next year.
