Logistics firm clinches three-year extension to nationwide distribution contract

From left: Simon Nelson, Robert Simon, Dave Cork

Macclesfield-based Kinaxia Logistics has signed a three-year extension to its nationwide distribution contract with a family-owned supplier of ambient foods.

The company’s contract with SPL Foods is managed by its Bay Freight depot in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester.

Bay Freight was Kinaxia’s first acquisition in 2012.

SPL Foods, which has its headquarters in Chadderton, Oldham, supplies pasta, rice, grains, herbs and spices, beans and pulses, sauces, condiments and other ambient items to a broad client base including food retailers, cash and carry depots, national food wholesalers, manufacturers and end-users such as industrial kitchen operations in prisons, schools and other locations.

The £30m+ turnover business, which has 60 staff, imports dried goods from across the globe and operates from a seven-acre site.

Managing director, Robert Simon, is the third generation of his family to head the business, following in the footsteps of his father Harold and his grandfather Maurice, the founder.

Fourth generation family members are also working in the company.

Kinaxia undertakes multiple daily collections of palletised goods using trailers branded with the SPL Foods livery, transporting full loads and utilising its internal K-Link trunking network for delivery to sites throughout England, Wales and Scotland.

Dave Cork, general manager at Bay Freight, said: “Our national infrastructure and depot network, combined with our local market expertise and dedication to service excellence, have been critical factors in developing our successful relationship with SPL Foods over the years.

“We understand the SPL Foods business well and provide a tailored service to meet all of its requirements in an efficient and hassle-free way.”

Robert Simon said SPL is seeing double digit growth in annual volumes and supplied more than 35,000 pallets of goods in 2023.

He said: “We like to work on a long term basis with our suppliers and contractors and we have a 20-year working relationship with Dave. Suppliers are as important to me as my customers.

“Without a strong and reliable supply chain, you cannot offer a good service to your customers, and it’s important for us to have continuity and consistency.”

Kinaxia’s chief operating officer, Simon Nelson, said: “This contract extension demonstrates our long term commitment to continually adapting and improving our service to customers.”

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