Ambitious expansion targets

The first outlet embodying the new high street supply concept was opened earlier this year in Knutsford. 
As space in the company’s warehouses at its headquarters in Handforth and in Gloucester gradually dried up due to rapid expansion and the end of a lease, Pets at Home decided to establish a new logistics centre with room for 10 800 pallets. After nine months of building work, the new 13 000 m² site in Stoke on Trent was completed in February. The new centre supplies goods to all 149 Pets at Home stores from a range that comprises over 4 800 products, covering 90 per cent of the articles stocked in the stores. Accessories and livestock account for 50 per cent and pet foods for 50 per cent of the range, which covers all pet product groups except for reptiles. In-house brands of straw, cat litter, small animal food and treats are also included in the assortment on offer. The new logistics centre has a 300-strong workforce working round the clock five days a week. Pets at Home has approximately 2 400 staff in all, most of whom are employed in the stores. The company uses its own lorry fleet as well as outside haulage contractors to make deliveries to the stores between two and five times a week according to a fixed schedule. 27 loading ramps ensure the smooth passage of goods in and out. Following initial teething problems, the supply quota has now attained a high level, according to John Farrell, retail operations director for Pets at Home.
27 loading ramps ensure the smooth passage of goods in and out. The new logistics centre supplies goods to all 149 Pets at Home stores.
Heavy-duty multilevel shelving is used to store pet food products and other bulky items such as cat litter and straw. Located behind this is a labyrinthine accessory warehouse running into three storeys. Products on order are taken down from here in boxes by conveyor belt to be placed on pallets ready for dispatch, while products arriving at the warehouse enter via the same route in reverse. All goods movements are logged on computer to provide an up-to-the-minute overview of the stock inventory. Employees communicate with the warehouse computer system via radio data terminals. Special machinery is used to weigh and measure each product on its arrival and departure, thus virtually excluding incorrect deliveries. Around 1000 pallets leave the logistics centre every day, with the same number arriving here also.
All goods movements are logged on computer to provide an up-to-the-minute…