Nisa bread distribution to be centralised

Nisa is to make bread available via its central distribution centre in Scunthorpe following a successful trial in North East England.

The trial, run with Hovis owner Premier Foods, gave Nisa members the opportunity to buy bread via central distribution and then sell it on for £1.

Prior to the trial, Nisa members wanting to source bread had to take a central invoicing option with the bread delivered by van sales, which provided standard pricing only.

The trial had achieved “encouraging” results, with members’ volumes increasing each month, said Nisa distribution director Jonathan Stowe.

“We are extremely happy with the initial success of the trial and are looking at rolling it out further early next year,” he said. “We have received much positive feedback from members, with bread sales increasing significantly since it was adopted.”

Stowe added that the bread was delivered via Nisa’s temperature-controlled delivery fleet. Extensive work had been carried out with Premier to see how long bread and morning goods could be exposed to chilled temperatures without causing any deterioration. A system was then adopted so bread received at Scunthorpe was handled and stored at ambient temperature and therefore only exposed to chilled temperatures on the delivery vehicle.