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Retailers bring forward last order dates forChristmas


One in three retailers is bringing forward last order dates this Christmas, according to research fromManhattan Associates,which warns that customers who leave their shopping till later could be in for a surprise this year. Fifty-seven per cent of shoppers surveyed


said they would bemore confident in pushing their Christmas shopping to later this winter. This contrasts with feedback fromretailers, where 34 per cent of retailers have less confidence in their delivery capabilities this year and are bringing forward their last order dates.Only 17 per cent of retailers are planning to extend their last order date. Retail supply chains are continuously being


pushed to the limit especially during the festive season, saidManhattan chief Craig Sears-Black. Shoppers that cant receive their goods when they want themsimply wont shop with that retailer any longer. The battle for


Co-op brings in Whitfield to take on logistics and retail role


The Co-operative has brought in ChrisWhitfield fromTesco to take on the newrole of retail and logistics director, reporting directly to retail chief executive SteveMurrells. The postwas created following


the departure earlier in the year of former food chief operating officer Sean Toal.Whitfieldwill oversee The Co-operative Food’s logistics function aswell as its 2,800 stores. Whitfield hasworked in retail


for 27 years,most of that time for Tesco. For the past two years he has been store operations director for Tesco Lotus in Thailand, one of the group’s largest businesses outside of the UK,with 60,000 employees and more than 1,800 stores. Murrells said: “We are at an


exciting pointwith the business, as our retail strategy to concentrate on the convenience sector takes hold. Sales in these stores are outperforming the market and Chris’wealth of retail experiencewill be invaluable aswe look to improve our operations and logistics functions further. “I amdelighted that an


individualwith such a strong track record in the industry has joined the business and hewill play leading roles in the implementation of our retail strategy.”


Supply Chain Standard December 2014


customer loyalty is no longer won on the variety or quality of products, but on the speed of delivery and number of fulfilment options. The research also found that 56 per cent of


retailers were struggling to offermore delivery options because they lacked accurate visibility of all their stock. The surge of online orders around Christmas


forces retailers to either set early deadlines for orders, or kill profitability by committing to expensive fulfilment options, said Sears-Black. Many retailers are limiting their chance to capitalise on the rush of lastminute Christmas orders because they simply don’t have the back-end systems in place to deliver on customer demands. The research byManhattan Associates


questioned 2,000 people and 100 UK retail professionals about their offline and online shopping preferences and preferred fulfilment options and capabilities.


DavidCameron


Cameron’s plan is good for industry - FTA


The FreightTransport Association haswelcomed the prime minister’s plans to deliver roads improvements across the country. David Cameron set out his plan


in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry.He said: “Between nowand 2020we have plans for £15 billion of road spending; that could lead to an extra 100 schemes being undertaken on our roads and we’re looking specifically at those pinch points, those problem areas, that businesses and people have talked to us about and told us are so essential.” MalcolmBingham, the FTA’s


CastleDonington now handling allM&S.com


Marks & Spencer has confirmed that its e-commerce distribution centre at Castle Donington is now handling 100 per cent of M&S.comorders, saying that it had enabled the retailer to launch an improved service delivery proposition. In its results for the half year to 27th September, the retailer said a number of large capital projects had been completed and as a result total group capital spending was down £44.1m Marks & Spencer invested £103.1min its supply chain and


technology in the first half, down from£118.4min the first half last year. It is continuing with the implementation of GM4, a new general


merchandise commercial system, with the first component, allocation and replenishment, currently being rolled out. “In line with our strategy to build an infrastructure fit to support


the future growth of the business, we continue to invest in supply chain and technology.” Group sales rose one per cent to £4.9bn. Underlying pre-tax profit


was up 2.3 per cent to £267.6m. Chief executiveMarc Bolland said: “M&S delivered sales growth


and increased profit in the first half despite a tough market, particularly in September.We are pleased with the progress we have made against our key priorities for the year: GMgross margin, improving womenswear, driving food growth and cash generation.”


head of road network management policy said: “Improved road reliabilitywill help to ensure transport operators can provide an efficient service to their customers and will reduce the unnecessary costs associatedwith traffic jams.” Details of the road plan are due


in the Autumn Statement on 3rd December.


Online parcel growth slows


Therewas an unexpected slowdown in parcel growth in September following the predicted lull in August, according to the latest IMRG MetaPackDelivery Index. However, the volume of


deliveries is still 10.9 per cent up on September 2013 and cumulative volume growth is holding at 18.9 per cent for 2014. AndrewStarkey head of e-


logistics for IMRGsaid: “Volumes are still up against the same period last year and remain 18.9 per cent on 2013 cumulatively so we still believe thatUK retailers will dispatch a record of circa 890 million online orders and 928 million parcels in 2014.”


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