St Austell unveils major investment in new distribution centre
St Austell Brewery has announced what it calls "a major investment" in its wholesale drinks operation.
The brewer is to take over the lease of a large purpose-built warehouse and distribution centre in St Columb Major Business Park, near Newquay.
It declined to say how much it was investing in the site, which is set to be the regional hub for storage and distribution to the 2,000 pubs, clubs, hotels and other licensed premises supplied by the group in Cornwall.
It will replace existing depots at Bude, Newquay, Redruth and St Austell, providing twice the current available floor space.
James Staughton, managing director of St Austell Brewery, said: "This is very exciting news for us. The new centre is modern, spacious and well designed, providing excellent working conditions and staff facilities to help us serve our customers more effectively and efficiently."
The brewer plans to increase the site's existing eight loading bays to 18 and introduce new software systems.
"It will enable us to further improve our service standards, reduce overheads in what is a highly competitive market and ensure we maintain our position as the best wholesale supplier in the region," said Staughton.
"The St Austell Brewery site will remain the headquarters for the business and will continue to be where we brew our beers," he added. Opening the new regional distribution centre at St Columb "releases much-needed space to continue developing the brewing department in St Austell in the coming years".
The relocation of Cornish distribution operations to St Columb is expected to start in November and will be phased over nine months to ensure a smooth transition for staff and customers.
St Austell said the new regional distribution centre will bring a number of added environmental benefits in line with its aim to be one of the UK's greenest brewers and pub companies.
Traffic movements through St Austell town centre and the surrounding area will be "significantly reduced", it said, and the use of a centralised distribution system with computerised route planning will cut the road miles travelled each year by delivery drays.
