2022: Awards, Campaigns, Investment and Sustainability

Driving best practice in the modern supply chain

Menzies Distribution is proud to review another year of strong progress in growing a business that makes supply chains smarter, more flexible, sustainable and valuable to customers.

As the country came to terms with recurring waves of coronavirus, Menzies was, for the second year, honoured for its response to the pandemic, winning Covid Hero of the Year at the 2022 Association of Circulation Executives Newspaper and Magazine Awards. The distinguished panel of judges drawn from the newstrade and publishing industry said: “Clearly much effort has gone into supporting their customers and workforce.”

We were also extremely pleased to have been recognised as a world-leader in health and safety practice by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), scooping Gold and Silver awards within the Menzies Group. The annual RoSPA Awards is one of the most prestigious and recognised schemes in the world, with almost 2,000 entries every year. The accolade was followed by BRCGS Global Standards Storage and Distribution (S&D) certification, providing assurance to our customers that the products we handle remain safe, legal and of high quality, specifically food, packaging and consumer products. Service excellence was also recognised, with our Customer Service Centre in Linwood gaining a Silver Achievement Award from CCA, the leading global authority on customer contact strategies and operations. Our successful adoption of the CCA Global Standard© over the past 11 years has been an important element in driving ongoing improvements.

As a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant, in August we were delighted to receive a Bronze Award in our first year of entry for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. Menzies is proud to be a forces-friendly organisation and is keen to recruit more reservists, veterans and their family members.

These plaudits for very different aspects of our business are all testament to our mission for continuous improvement, best in class service and a commitment to shaping the future of sustainable supply chains.

They are particularly satisfying against a background of considerable strategic progress at Menzies in the past 12 months which, in turn, has been achieved amid significant external events. We were delighted to welcome from Ukraine three new warehouse operatives who joined our Maidstone depot after leaving their homes in Izyum to escape the Russian invasion – these women came on board soon after we launched our Women in Logistics campaign, to celebrate and accelerate the diversity of roles held by women in both our company and industry. We continue to work closely with key industry bodies and others committed to delivering change for women in this sector and the wider economy.

The company’s growth has been supported this year by our largest-ever number of fleet assets on order to accommodate substantial existing, extended and new business from major clients. We end 2022 with more than 600 new transport assets scheduled for delivery and deployment by February 2023, including tractor units, curtainside trailers, rigids and box trailers. We have also accelerated our electric vehicle (EV) strategy with a 12 month trial of a pre-production, all-electric Ford Transit van, which has been identified as suitable for newstrade, express and parcel operations.

Menzies is especially proud of playing an important role in the communities where we live and work, supporting our charity partners and other community initiatives. We are also mindful of our impact on the environment and announced plans to become Net Zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by no later than 2035 – 15 years ahead of the target dates set by the Paris Agreement and UK legislation. It is a major milestone in our long-standing commitment to hard-wiring sustainable practices into every aspect of the business.

We look forward to further industry success in 2023 as Menzies not only celebrates its 190th year serving the newstrade market but also continues to strive for best practice and setting benchmarks in all aspects of our business.