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Sainsbury’s releases sales figures
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has reported a 1.7% increase in fourth quarter sales.
The UK's third biggest grocery chain saw like-for-like sales growth, excluding fuel, in the 11 weeks to March 20 drop from 3.7% the previous quarter as it came up against tough comparatives from a year earlier. Full-year same store sales rose 4.3%, but the group warned the consumer
spending environment would remain challenging over the year ahead. Sainsbury's has reported slowing sales growth since the first quarter of 2009, as easing food price inflation and cautious consumer spending has compounded the challenge of reporting against strong comparatives. It grew sales by 6.2% a year ago. But analysts had expected the fourth quarter to be tougher for Sainsbury’s
and for the entire supermarket sector, hit by adverse weather in January and a clampdown on spending after Christmas.
It is thought that consumers have also been cutting back ahead of the general election and expected tax hikes, while Sainsbury's has had the added headache of increased competition from a resurgent Waitrose.
www.sainsburys.co.uk
●inbrief...
Spaceway wins Shears contract
Spaceway, a leading UK provider of integrated interior space solutions, has won a £330,000 contract from leading Bournemouth-based transport company, Shears Brothers, to create a new headquarters at Bournemouth International Airport.
Spaceway has carried out a total fitout to the 54,000sq.ft building, which include warehousing and offices.
Bringing together Shears Brothers distribution and storage into one building, the new headquarters includes 60,000sq.ft of warehousing, and is fitted with pallet racking to accommodate over 2,000 pallet locations in addition to new office accommodation as well as a food safe storage area. In addition, Spaceway is also building 2,000sq.ft of office space to accommodate the company’s management, administration and traffic departments.
www.spaceway.co.uk
Europa adds new trailers to its fleet
Europa Worldwide Logistics, one of
leaders in the provision of international and domestic freight forwarding and logistics, has taken delivery of the first batch of 50 SDC new trailers.
The new additions to the Europa fleet include 38 curtain-siders with boards and 12 dry freight boxes. Also added to the fleet is a new
aerodynamic-shaped trailer to improve fuel efficiency and performance levels to help reduce the company’s carbon footprint.
Says Europa’s operations director, Richard Cronk: “The new trailers are a welcome addition to the Europa fleet, and will ensure that the Europa image is constantly present and maintained in today’s market place.” The new additions will bring Europa’s total own-run fleet numbers up to 200. Europa’s vehicles are used
8 ShD April 2010 www.PressOnShD.com
for operations within its European Express services, UK national distribution via the Palletline network, project forwarding services, showfreight and exhibition services, and warehouse and logistics services. Europa counts many of the biggest corporate and multi-national companies among its customers – drawn from a diverse range of commerce and industry – with niche sectors covering automotive, fashion trade and textiles, pharmaceuticals, wine trade, book trade, marine, electronics, multimedia and mail.
Pictured (left to right) at Shears opening party are: Dominic O’Brien, managing director Spaceway Group; Harvey Greenman, Bournemouth Airport estates manager and Clive Verny, Spaceway project manager.
Driving licence checks quadruple
The number of driving licence checks being undertaken by fleet software company CFC Solutions has quadrupled in the last year as fleet interest in the issue continues to grow.
The company says that its Licence Link product – which checks with the DVLA database online to see whether drivers have any convictions – has become its fastest adopted software in more than 30 years of trading. Neville Briggs, managing director at CFC, said: “Since the launch of Licence Link 12 months ago, the level of interest we have seen in the issue of licence checking by fleets has snowballed rapidly. “What seems to be happening is that employers are recognising that ensuring drivers have the licences and points which they claim is an essential part of any risk effective management policy. “It is something that fleets are taking seriously and so a product like Licence Link, which essentially automates the task of licence checking, is an obvious solution.”
Kardex boosts its team
Kardex, one of the leaders in automated storage and retrieval technologies, has announced that Ruud Hoog will be assuming immediate responsibility for managing the sales of its materials handling solutions in Benelux, UK and Ireland. Hoog has four years’ experience within Kardex and was previously based in the Netherlands where he held the position of country manager. With a career spanning 20 years working within sales and marketing, Hoog’s knowledge of how to improve sales and build upon reputation is outstanding; in the Netherlands, his desire to build a team focused on solution selling resulted in a 30% increase in sales. “I accepted the new role because I wanted to work in a pure sales function again,” said Hoog. “Kardex offered me the opportunity of career growth, the chance to help change the focus of the company and to take a leading role in selling a world class, market-leading solution. It is the perfect role for me and I look forward to the new challenges that are ahead.”
www.kardex.co.uk
Artison takes on the ‘big boys’
European Handling says its new Artison- Plus counterbalanced fork lift truck “is set to take the materials handling market by storm.”
At a time when companies are having to keep a close eye on their budgets, it says its “cost conscious, ergonomically designed forklift is certainly no ‘young pretender’ when it comes to, performance, reliability and looks. Bristling with important operational and safety features, this premium level machine will leave the competition in the shade.”
Manufactured in Taiwan by one of the world’s largest forklift manufacturers, the Artison-Plus has a 7,000mm lift height and is available in capacities from 2,000 kg to 3,500 kg, at load centres of 500mm. Important operational design features, such as the low vibration fully-floating driver’s cab, low noise emission Japanese power plant and optional CD radio will ensure Artison-Plus operators remain alert, fresher and therefore safer.
inbrief
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