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Gopuff has launched a distribution centre in West London adjacent to Waitrose’s online fulfilment centre.

The Gopuff site in Greenford is operated by Wincanton and serves as a hub for the rapid grocer’s numerous dark stores across the capital.

“Our strategic partnership with Wincanton has already had significant positive commercial impact in the short time we’ve been working together,” Bryan Batista, senior vice president of international markets at Gopuff told The Grocer.

“The scale of their distribution centres allows us to maintain consistent stock levels, helping us offer an unmatched range of products and top-quality service to customers across the UK. This enhancement in our supply chain also enables us to deliver more competitive prices for our customers, and continue engaging directly with local brands.”

It is understood the site allows Gopuff to accept bigger volumes directly from suppliers, rather than require them to distribute to each dark store or rely on wholesalers.

“Having launched just over a year ago, local UK partnerships are an important strategy for our continued growth,” Batista said.

Waitrose commenced operations at its CFC in March last year, with around 25,000 Waitrose.com orders being delivered from the site each week.

The Gopuff contract win was significant for Wincanton, contributing to 3.2% growth in revenue for its grocery and consumer online fulfilment business. Total online fulfilment revenue was up 19% in the company’s half year results in September.

Gopuff’s rapid rival Zapp launched its own distribution centre in Acton late last year, from which it forwards goods to its network of dark stores.