F & P, Primaflow and Connections has officially opened its new Southern regional distribution centre in Bedford, scaled to serve customers in the midlands and south of the UK, and make over 3,000 products available for next-day delivery.
The new site – a multi-million-pound investment – forms a core part of F & P’s corporate strategy to deliver greater value to customers through shortened delivery timeframes and improved stock range and availability.
F & P Managing Director, Jed Kenrick, says:
“The facility step changes our ability to service customers in the midlands and south of the UK: it means that we can not only make thousands more products available via next-day delivery – but that every one of these can be delivered by our own drivers, rather than by carriers.
“This means that customers anywhere in the country can now access 11,000 plumbing, heating and bathroom products from Primaflow and F & P, delivered carefully by one of our specialist delivery colleagues on one of our own vehicles. Not only does that give customers access to a wider range, it makes their lives easier and F & P simpler to deal with.
“It represents the second step of a 3-step modernisation programme that has seen a similar programme in the north of the UK to consolidate stock holding and picking to our Wakefield regional distribution centre. The third step will be completed later this year as we replace our operating systems in two out of the three businesses, streamlining the three systems we currently work on to a single integrated operating base.
“This programme gives us the physical and system infrastructure to serve existing customers better and expand our business into new customer channels and new product categories.”
The opening of the new Bedford facility has seen the creation of around 20 new jobs, with 100 
staff expected to work on site – roles include warehouse and office staff, call centre operators and drivers.
Mr Kenrick says the Bedford warehouse has enabled a realignment of existing F & P stock and service centres, with the Orpington and Camberley TSP sites ensuring they have an extensive range of collect stock to support local stock emergencies.
“Despite this investment nothing changes on the customer delivery front as we will continue to use existing delivery vans, routes and drivers to deliver the products each day meaning there shouldn’t be any disruption to customer service.
“We’re excited about this opening which is a historic milestone in our company’s history, and we look forward to working even more closely with customers as a result.”
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