Central England Co-op distribution centre delivers more Easter eggs than ever before to meet customer demand
Posted by james brindle | Published: 10/04/2019
Central England Co-op colleagues have been working around the clock to ensure shelves are stocked full of chocolate treats in time for Easter with record numbers passing through its distribution centre this year.
The team at the Society’s Food Distribution Centre, in Leicester, have been hard at work since Christmas Eve to make sure that shoppers can enjoy everything from hot cross buns to all different sizes of chocolate eggs.
In the run-up to Easter, the team has helped shift a whopping 350,000 Easter eggs to hundreds of stores – more than ever before – as well as 350,000 bags of Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and over 450,000 Cadbury Crème Eggs.
Over 350,000 hot cross buns have also been delivered from the 120,000 sq ft Food Distribution Centre – the equivalent of six Olympic swimming pools.
Robin Farrell, Head of Distribution and Logistics at Central England Co-operative, said: “Easter is always a busy time for us in distribution, but many people will not know that our planning starts all the way back to Christmas Eve.
“Since then our hard working and dedicated team have been working non-stop to ensure that our customers are able to enjoy all of their favourite treats this Easter when they visit one of our stores.”
Over 300 workers help supply over 215 stores across 16 counties from the Society’s Food Distribution Centre.
The Society’s distribution hub is also home to a 42,000 sq ft Chilled Distribution Centre which supplies everything from turkeys and pork pies to double cream and fruit.
This Easter Central England Co-op will again be running a special Easter Food bank Appeal to help people in need.
Customers and members are being urged to drop off one or more items – ranging from food to toiletries – into store food banks until 21 April.
The items will then be collected up, turned into parcels with enough food to create meals for three days and distributed to help people in need.
A full list of the stores taking part in the appeal can be found by visiting www.centralengland.coop
Notes to editors
Sidebar: Here is a list of facts related to Central England Co-operative’s distribution hub:
• The FDC is 120,000 sq ft or the equivalent of six Olympic size swimming pools
• Over 215 Central England Co-op stores, as well as other co-operatives, receive deliveries from the FDC and CDC
• Over 30 million cases of products were delivered to stores and onto shelves last year
• A total of 51 vehicles cover 2.7 million miles every single year
• 345 tonnes of cardboard are processed at the site every single month
• Every year the Society recycles 3.5 million green food trays
• The Society’s distribution hub operates 24 hours a day, 364 days a year
• On average, the distribution hub shifts close to 150,000 tubs of chocolates at Christmas
• In the CDC, the summer months will see workers pick through 42,000 pork pies, 135,000 punnets of strawberries and 320,000 bags of salad
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, travel shops, and property investment.
Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2019.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth and James Brindle at Central England Co-operative on 01543 421390
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop