CAFOM Group, a major retailer in the household goods sector, has extended its collaboration with XPO Logistics to manage the logistics operations of CAFOM’s new global distribution centre in Amblainville (Oise), France. This distribution platform, which is planned to open in H1 2017, will be common to the three brands Habitat, Vente-unique.com and DirectLowCost.com.
With an initial floor area of over 57,000 square metres, the Amblainville warehouse will accommodate Habitat household goods and decorative items, as well as the entire range of products sold on Vente-unique.com (B2C) and DirectLowCost.com (B2B) websites. The hub will combine the operations of two existing warehouses from the Greater Paris area: one, in Eragny-sur-Oise, is already managed by XPO Logistics and supplies Habitat products to approximately 85 stores in France and abroad. The other, in Criquebeuf-sur-Seine, is dedicated to Vente-Unique.com and serves over 750,000 customers throughout Europe, on target to reach one million customers by 2018. The site will also be equipped with a common collection point for the two brands Habitat and Vente-unique.com, as well as a photo studio to capture images for the website and provide 360° product illustrations for customers.
The integration of the Group’s brands within a single warehouse will best accommodate their growth strategy, with an increased storage capacity potentially reaching 80,000 square meters in the future, while enabling XPO Logistics to pool resources and optimize logistics costs. XPO Logistics is also charged with identifying potential areas for improvement following the launch of the facility. As the holder of the building lease, the CAFOM Group keeps control of the site’s information systems and main assets (storage furniture).
The site will also evolve to allow CAFOM Group to market its “VU Log” offering. This innovative, outsourced logistics management solution for third parties is designed for companies wishing to benefit from the expertise of the Group and XPO Logistics in the field. The “VU Log” service is not limited to the warehouse’s scope, since the distribution centre will be connected to 25 delivery companies in Western Europe, allowing it to serve almost 300 million consumers through in home deliveries or collection points.
Malcolm Wilson, managing director-supply chain at XPO Logistics Europe, said, “We have proudly supported CAFOM Group since 2009 in the development of the Habitat brand through every stage of the supply chain: receipt of goods, storage, order picking and shipping. The management of the Amblainville hub is a new chapter in our collaboration and a sign of trust, given that control of the supply chain is key for distribution specialists such as CAFOM. We are delighted to extend our relationship and support our customer’s growth”.
Hervé GIAOUI, president of CAFOM, said “The continuous improvement of our supply chain is a strategic area of focus for CAFOM. Performance levels impact the quality of our consumers’ experience, which is one of our top priorities. We have therefore chosen to continue our successful seven-year collaboration with XPO Logistics. Thanks to this site, significant synergies will be achieved between our brands and we will have a structure able to absorb the expected growth in the coming years “.
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