Müller Wiseman Dairies looks set to close its distribution depot at Pensilva in Cornwall, with 58 jobs under threat.
The company confirmed on Friday (16 May) it had begun a statutory 30-day consultation on the future of the depot following a reduction in the milk it supplied.
Changes in customer requirements – with large volumes of fresh milk increasingly supplied directly to regional distribution centres – had led the company to review the depot’s future, said managing director Carl Ravenhall.
“We have a very strong network of depots and dairies throughout the country but we must adapt to changes in the market which we serve,” said Ravenhall.
“Many individual stores continue to look to us to supply them with milk every day, but some customers now have the capability to manage distribution themselves using regional distribution centres, and no longer require us to deliver directly to each of their stores.”
The company has pledged to “work closely” with employees and union representatives at the depot during the consultation, while some staff would be offered the opportunity to transfer to distribution roles at the company’s Bridgwater depot in Somerset if and when the Pensilva site was closed.
“We operate in a very competitive environment and it is right that we properly review the viability of this depot,” said Ravenhall.
He added that the business intended to maintain its service to customers in Cornwall and Devon using its dairy and depot infrastructure in the south west of England regardless of the outcome of the consultation. Dairy farmers would be unaffected by any change.
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