Kate Hollern MP absolutely loved her visit to Granby Marketing last month, writes UKWA CEO, Clare Bottle. Her poor official could hardly drag her away, to get to their next appointment. Visiting this warehouse in the heart of her Blackburn constituency was an inspiration for Kate and a cheering reminder to me, about why we have embarked on this mammoth expedition, to visit 80 warehouses in 2024 The Year of Warehousing.
These days Granby Marketing is an employee-owned business and a hub of employment and prosperity within its community. The business was launched in 1950 in the midst of Manchester’s ‘cotton quarter’, warehousing high quality, handmade suits from the local luxury tailors of the city’s Granby Row. Later they moved out to Blackburn, building up specialised skills in added-value services. Unusually, Granby has built its own warehouse management system (WMS), which is part of a suite of IT systems that give unrivalled transparency to their clients.
This visit recognised Granby’s own close relationship with the UKWA – their Head of Business Client Relationships and Business Development, Victoria Pittman, sits on our management board. It was wonderful to meet Granby’s charity beneficiaries during the visit too. Community & Business Partners provide business mentoring and help local firms manage obsolete stock. Speed of Sight allow visually impaired people and those with other disabilities to achieve the impossible, by driving cars. Their track days are a heartwarming and emotional reminder of the importance of collaboration.
Last month I was also privileged to meet the team at Birmingham Bond, another valued UKWA member company. Situated close to the airport they handle containerised imports and airfreight, with customs expertise that their customers really value. Specialist sewing equipment is used here, so imported clothes can be adjusted locally, for example if the wrong labels have been used.
Amethyst has a range of warehouses and I visited one of the most modern, alongside the airfield in Wellesbourne. We were delighted to welcome local councillor, George Cowcher, to meet us there. Picking toys is very seasonal, but Amethyst are balancing this with a diverse range of clients. Their shuttle racking and VNA make excellent use of the space, so long-term storage is also on offer.
All these warehouse visits have a common thread: from Blackburn to Birmingham, the customer is king. Only seventy-six more visits to go and I am looking forward to them all!
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