Three of Holland's largest food service and retail operators have announced a new tie-up in order to try and synchronise their various logistics systems.
Sligro, the influential Dutch wholesaler, entered into an agreement with supermarket chains Emté, as well as Spewer's supermarket chain 'Plus'.
"Major improvements in the supply chain arise when parties cooperate," Sligro logistics manager Rowel Versleijen told Levensmiddelenkrant.
However, in the short term Sligro do not expect that the cooperation will lead to significant and immediate cost-reductions. Company spokesperson Kees de Rooij said that "we still find ourselves in uncharted territory."
"First we must explore the trails in collaboration with our new supply chain partners. The question of cost is at an early stage," he said.
The three partners hope the deal will maximize shelf availability, and reduce the number of "empty miles" in the supply chain.
© 2014 - European Supermarket Magazine by Enda Dowling
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