Sept/Oct 2003

The Cotswold Company, a multi-channel furniture and home furnishings retailer, has contracted out its home delivery operations to Hays Logistics in a major deal valued at £6 million. The new dedicated contract replaces a shared-user contract used before.

Cotswold says it is currently making 44,000 furniture home deliveries a year, and this total is rising; but it needed to improve performance. According to marketing director Andrew Shapin, although furniture already accounted for more than half the company's sales, it was responsible for over 80 per cent of returns and cancelled orders.

The new operation is based at a 3,000 sq m distribution centre at Shipdham, Norfolk, from where a core fleet of dedicated vehicles is being provided in Cotswold's livery.

Costwold's business is said to have doubled between 2000 and 2002. It sells most of its goods through catalogues and on the Web, but also has some physical stores, and is opening more.