XPO Logistics has extended collaboration with CAFOM Group, a retailer in the household goods sector, to manage logistics operations at CAFOM’s new global distribution centre in Amblainville (Oise), France.
This 57,000 sq m distribution platform, which is planned to open in the first half of 2017, 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. The site will 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 CAFOM Group’s brands within a single warehouse is expected to best accommodate the company’s growth strategy, with an increased storage capacity potentially reaching 80,000 sq m in the future, while enabling XPO Logistics to pool resources and optimise logistics costs.
XPO Logistics is also mandated to identify potential areas for improvement following the launch of the facility. As the holder of the building lease, the CAFOM Group will keep control of the site’s information systems and main assets.
The site will also evolve to allow CAFOM Group to market its “VU Log” offering. This outsourced logistics management solution for third parties 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 300m consumers through in home deliveries or collection points.
Malcolm Wilson, Managing Director of 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”.
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”.
Source: XPO Logistics
