One of the UK’s biggest business groups, Logistics UK, has named Menzies Distribution the Van Operator of the Year at its annual Logistics Awards, which took place on 9 December 2021 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, London. The category was sponsored by Logistics UK Recovery Service, with the award presented by the Service’s Commercial Assistance Business Manager, Richard Foster.
Menzies Distribution operates from more than 100 sites across the UK and Ireland, distributing over 29.5 million units across its network every week, to more than 30,000 locations each day, including newspapers and magazines, retail stock, healthcare consumables and parcel delivery services. It has a national reach that spans the hearts of major cities to the most remote communities in the UK and Ireland.
David Wells, Chief Executive at Logistics UK comments: “In 2020, as the government prepared for the NHS to be overrun with patients requiring urgent healthcare, supply chain logistics became the backbone of the nation, distributing essential medical supplies, parcels and consumables to keep the country moving. Menzies Distribution joined forces with the leading players in the UK’s parcel industry to collectively manage the nationwide collection and delivery of Covid-19 testing kits direct to laboratories. In one week alone, Menzies also distributed more than 10 million items of vital PPE supplies to GPs, hospitals, care homes and dental practices. It managed 15 months of peak volumes in parcel deliveries, serving local businesses and communities and supporting retailers to ensure the availability of essential goods. During the pandemic, working from home or shutting down was out of the question for Menzies Distribution, so it overhauled its ways of working overnight, for the safety of its staff, customers and the community.
“We are proud to recognise companies such as Menzies Distribution that have demonstrated excellence in their field, reflecting the core values of Logistics UK. Its approach enabled it to deliver critical PPE and life-saving medical supplies to NHS Scotland services across the country, and join forces with the leading players in the UK’s parcel industry to manage the nationwide collection and delivery of COVID-19 testing kits direct to laboratories.”
J.Murphy & Sons Limited was also awarded Highly Commended in this category.
The Logistics Awards 2021 recognise and celebrate the companies and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the logistics and supply industry over the past 12 months and who excel in their fields. The awards were sponsored by organisations including AEB (International) Ltd, AIPUT (Airport Industrial Property Unit Trust), Brigade Electronics, DDC FPO, Clarios – VARTA Batteries, Logistics UK Fuel Card, Logistics UK Recovery Service, PD Ports, and Willis Towers Watson. For the full list of winners, please visit https://logistics.org.uk/logistics21
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, including its ground-breaking research into the impacts of COVID-19 on the whole supply chain, please visit logistics.org.uk
