Whole of supermarket’s supply chain to fall under subsidiary’s umbrella
Supermarket Woolworths’ entire supply chain function will rebrand to Primary Connect as part of a move to evolve the subsidiary into an end-to-end service provider internally and for third parties.
The launch of the Primary Connect supply chain platform is not just for Woolworths Group retail businesses but an increasing number of external partners, Woolworths explains.
A key catalyst for the move is the proposed separation of liquor business Endeavour Group from Woolworths Group.
Primary Connect would become the full-service supply chain service provider to Endeavour brands BWS and Dan Murphy’s.
“Establishing the Primary Connect platform is a key step in our ambition to build Australia’s next generation supply chain,” Primary Connect MD Paul Graham says.
“We run the largest and most distributed retail supply-chain network in Australia.
“This size and scale provides us with a unique opportunity to deliver a lot of value to business partners both within our group and beyond.
“But it’s not enough to have a best-in-class network.
“To be successful in growing the platform, we need to deliver world-class customer service and build on our digital offering to deliver safer and smarter supply chain solutions for partners.
“We’ve never been better placed to do so.”
Woolies could add PFD Food Services to its supply chain operation
Woolworths’ existing Primary Connect transport business currently services more than 1,000 external customers, including Ingham’s, Kimberly-Clark, Marley Spoon and Diageo.
The transport arm works with more than 70 carrier partners “to optimise freight movements and improve utilisation across its end-to-end network”.
All team members within Woolworths Group Supply Chain will now form part of the expanded Primary Connect team and there are no changes to the existing management team as Primary Connect remains a key part of the Woolworths Group.