UK | Tesco has continued reducing the environmental impact of store deliveries.
A further 31 million cases of goods a year are set to be moved across the country by the Tesco rail network rather than by lorry, as Tesco continues to roll out its rail service across the UK, with the introduction of a tenth rail service this week.
The latest ‘Tesco train’ will move 600k cases per week, replacing more than 90 trips needed to move goods from its central distribution centre in Daventry, Northamptonshire, on a 260-mile round trip to its regional distribution centre in Widnes in the Northwest.
The improvements will significantly reduce road miles, and this new service will result in an annual emission saving of more than 6,000t CO2. The service brings the total number of cases moved by the Tesco rail network to more than 300 million cases annually.
With the launch of the tenth train service, the total number of cases moved around the country on the retailer’s rail network will increase to over six million cases per week, increasing to more than seven million during peak periods.
The train will be Tesco’s most significant service to date. By delivering by rail to Trafford Park, products are much closer to stores for the final step in the delivery process, with lorries collecting cases of goods off the train and delivering them directly to the store.
In partnership with DRS and Maritime, the new service will extend the network across the country, moving fresh and dry goods. It will also bring the number of Tesco stores receiving deliveries by rail to 198.
"Tesco’s distribution network is one of the most extensive in the UK and plays an important role in our efforts to become carbon neutral in our operations by 2035. Switching from road to rail allows us to get products to our stores more sustainably by removing thousands of lorry journeys each year and reducing our carbon emissions,” said Ken Murphy, Tesco Group Chief Executive.
Heavy goods vehicles make up around 21 percent of the UK’s domestic transport emissions, and switching to rail can significantly reduce the impact of moving goods around the country.
The new service will run six times a week (Monday to Saturday), and the retailer is working with its suppliers to ensure that the return leg of the service is used.
The route benefits suppliers such as L’Oréal, AB World Foods, PZ Cussons, and Heinz. The service moves beauty, grocery, and household products, helping them reduce their emissions.
“We are pleased to welcome this important new service to our terminal in Manchester and continue supporting Tesco with ‘final-mile’ deliveries to its regional distribution centre and store locations in the northwest,” said John Williams, Executive Chairman of Maritime Group.
“Tesco’s largest service to date underlines the strategic role of our rail facility in Manchester as a hub for British trade, uniquely placed to offer fast, efficient, low carbon logistics for both international and domestic cargo.”
The work done to decarbonise the Tesco distribution network doesn’t stop there. In addition to moving from road to rail, the retailer is also working to optimise its road transport network by increasing its efficiency.
For example, the supermarket has introduced double-decker trailers, leading to a 40 percent reduction in truck journeys. It has also worked with suppliers who ordinarily purchase transport on a one-way basis to help align orders. This has enabled Tesco suppliers to work together to purchase both legs of a journey, with 50 percent fewer vehicles required for these trips.
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