South London operator PF Whitehead has announced its determination to run a retail consolidation centre for South London.
Consolidation centres take deliveries for a number of retailers in a given area and consolidate them onto one vehicle. This reduces congestion and provides smoother deliveries for hauliers.
The firm, which already handles home delivery work for retailers Ikea and B&Q as well as being a member of Palletways, believes it has the expertise and capability to run the consolidation centre.
So far it has mainly been DHL-Exel making the running in this area as it already operates centres in Bristol and at Heathrow Airport.
But with a comittment from Transport for London (TfL) in its draft freight plan to increase the use of the centres, PF Whitehead believes it's ideally placed to take advantage of TfL's big ideas.
The centre would probably cover an area limited by the South London Freight Quality Partnership - this comprises eight London Boroughs from Kingston in the West to Bromley in the East.
Providing funding is secured a trial project could start in the next financial year, centred on the London Borough of Sutton.
For more on this story see this week's Commercial Motor.
Further reading:
Bristol's consolidation centre.
TfL's draft freight plan.