Courage branches out GRP snaps
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• One of the country's leading brewers has gone into ihird-party distribution. Courage has split its secondary distribution fleet into four separate companies which will bid or transport contracts from ival brewing firms as well as randling Courage's distribution.
This move comes after a ,'ear-long review of the firm's listribution needs. "Many peo)le thought Courage would folow the current trend and conract out its distribution,' says he company. "However, with ither breweries wanting to .oncentrate on different operaions such as retailing we beeve there is a lot of scope to vin extra trade."
The four transport subidiaries will be split by region. ;ourage Distribution (Eastern) rill run 123 vehicles: Courage )istribution (Central) will operte 76: Courage Distribution (Western) will have 69 and John Smith's Distribution in the north of England will own a fleet of 95 lorries.
Courage says that all the divisions should be operational by the end of the year.
As part of the review, Courage has also decided to lease all new vehicles, superseding its current purchasing policy. All main maintenance depots in Avonmouth, Maidstone, Tadcaster and Reading will be phased out over the next few years. and around 81 workers will be made redundant.
The company says its primary distribution fleet will remain in-house although a small part of its work, such as bulk deliveries of cans to supermarket depots, may be contracted out later on. • A large part of the Dundeebased Tayside commercial bodybuilding business has been sold to the GRP Massey group for a "substantial sum".
GRP has bought the rights to build Tayside's refrigerated bodies and the patent for the company's specially-designed vehicle used to carry live shellfish to the Continent.
The dry freight side of the business has not been sold to GRP, says Tayside's former managing director George Murray, but it may be bought out by its local management.
Murray, who is joining GRP as sales director in Scotland, is retaining control of M&G Bodyshops Supplies, part of the Tayside business supplying materials to bodybuilders and the car repair industry.
He also sold Tayside's Dundee site and confirms that in future all Tayside's former bodybuilding work will be based at GRP's Market Weighton site.
GRP has also closed the Milton Keynes bodybuilder CSC Specialist Vehicles, acquired within the past year, and is "integrating" the business within its new Market Weighton plant.