aronor and eight centres
Page 24
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E SHARE your reporter's view 'en in his feature on Garonor W August 20), on the parlance of close dialogue :hin the distribution
-nmunity. As freight centres
I form an increasingly portant part of this industry's restructure, this dialogue is leed essential. It is important, 'refore, that readers should ./e as well rounded and :Li rate an understanding of ronor as possible, both as a Icept and in practice.
lks regards Garonor on the itinent: :ontrary to Nick Walker's antmores) observations, re has been no significant ve away from the original Icept, or shift in the "breed of ;tomer". Garoncr policy has )n to provide accommodation i facilities for all sectors of the tribution industry: handling nufactured goods and :kaged commodities — ownaunt, manufacturers and the Jers as well as third-party :tractors; and stockholding rehouses as well as transit )ots (Encyclopaedia Brittanica I Rank Xerox as well as Henry inson and Wentmore). ximity of mutual operational :rests together with ividual flexibility and )dom of choice is a cardinal :ertainly, as Nick noted to ir writer, the recession has no re bypassed Garonor than 'one else. But our tenantrs generally seem to come that category of business .iency that has enabled them veather the climate rather ter than most. Tonnage and icle movements, though uced, have nevertheless iained ahead of the national rage. There has been no ous business failure
Dngst Garonor's almost 300 ant-users and all available
space is occupied. That costs have risen at Garonor as elsewhere is a reflection of inflationary pressures, not of "diminishing returns".
3, French lease laws give tenants much greater flexibility to trade up or down to alternative accommodation. So we have a "norm" of about 5 per cent of space in transition between vacation and reoccupation. The majority, though by no means all, of such moves tend to be to other accommodation within Garonor. Moves to external accommodation tend mainly to be amongst either the smaller operators or the very large. Recessionary conditions have not caused any violent fluctuation in that "norm".
4, Chaine G is the collective name for freight centres developed in association with our technical and management services divisions — Garonor Engineering, Garonor Management and Garonor Services. There are 11 freight centres within the Chaine and the aim is to give greater flexibility for the users of complexes within the Chain°.
As regards Garonor in the UK: 1, The UK developments are being carried out by Garonor (UK) Ltd, our approved licensee and a subsidiary of Rosehaugh PLC, not of Garonor France as stated in your article.
2, Garonor (UK) has two developments currently under way — Garonor Leeds at Stourton (M1, Jct. 43) with Viking Shipping Services and Toshiba already operating on site; and Garonor Bristol at Portbury (M5, Jct. 19) with Frigoscandia on site and a purpose-built depot for Peter Lane Group under construction.
3, Brian Weatherley's views on the particular problems of the Greater London situation are apposite. They have been under study by us and our development licensees for some years. We certainly welcome and actively seek to expand constructive dialogue with all sections of the distributive industry, of which we consider ourselves a component part. The first 10 years of Paris Garonor's growth was accomplished in free-market conditions before the artificial distortions of traffic bans. In that time Garonor Paris grew to some two and a half million square feet occupied by over 200 tenant-users.
If sensible business needs can be sensibly met in a way that both aids operational efficiency and contributes to environmental wellbeing then, as the Garonor experience shows, who needs traffic bans!
Your comprehensive review is a responsible and valuable contribution to the expansion of the industry-wide dialogue that has proved so successful in the growth of Chaine G.
A. M. MALIN Garonor Services Ltd Richmond, Surrey