Tibbett & Britten Times #22 - Hayes Anderson Limited

times 

The customer newsletter of the Tibbett & Britten Group 

Issue 22 Autumn ‘99 

5 £100m-plus UK 

logistics contract 

8 World’s largest retailer’s 

German venture 

16 Building an 

intermodal future 

17 Breaking the 

£1 billion barrier 

18 Millennium 

bug tamed 

3 

High-tech logistics gains the high ground

Tibbett & Britten Times Autumn ‘99 

Tibbett & Britten Group at-a-glance 

Revenue by product group 

(1998 figures) 

Clothing & Textiles 

£165.4m (14%) 

Automotive 

£231.1m (20%) 

Consumer - non-food 

£301.7m (27%) 

Food & Grocery 

£438.7m (39%) 

Tibbett & Britten Group plc is a UK-based international group 

of companies that provides physical distribution and 

logistical support services for multinational manufacturers 

and major retailers. 

Working primarily within the food, consumer goods, 

high technology, clothing & textiles and automotive sectors, 

Tibbett & Britten delivers a wide range of logistics 

services, including: 

• International supply chain management 

• Inventory and information management 

• Warehousing and consolidation 

• Added-value and pre-retailing support 

• Transport and distribution 

• Intermodal (road-rail) distribution 

• Railport management 

• Development and planning 

• Logistics re-engineering 

• Customs warehousing 

What is logistics? 

In its simplest definition, logistics is the science – and art – of 

ensuring that the right products reach the right place in the 

right quantity at the right time to satisfy customer demand. 

Tibbett & Britten is one of the few major enterprises in the 

world wholly dedicated to the practice of this subject, 

focusing totally on the provision of logistics, physical 

distribution and related services. 

An international 

company 

The Group has grown rapidly by translating its specialist 

skills and experience into new geographical markets and 

product sectors. 

Today, Tibbett & Britten is active at 400 locations in 28 

countries on four continents, and directly employs 30,000 

people. It operates more than 8,500 commercial vehicles – 

mostly painted in clients’ livery – and around 2.8 million sq m 

(30 million sq ft) of warehousing.

Big Blue gives 

green light 

High-tech gaining high priority 

Multinational computer 

giant IBM – famously known 

as ‘Big Blue’ – is already 

outsourcing its UK physical 

distribution and logistics to 

Tibbett & Britten. Under a 

new five-year contract, the 

UK Manufacturing Logistics 

division is supplying import, 

distribution, delivery and 

added-value services, plus 

worldwide export of parts 

and finished goods, for IBM 

products ranging from small 

components to 

large mainframe 

computers. 

Tibbett & Britten 

has also acquired 

IBM’s 40% 

holding in the 

Hi-Tech Logistics joint 

venture, and has successfully 

integrated this specialist 

business into its expanding 

high technology 

logistics operations. 

In addition to its 

partnerships with IBM and 

Hewlett-Packard, 

Manufacturing Logistics is 

serving other prominent 

high-tech clients including 

Compaq and 

Daewoo Electronics. 

Major new logistics contracts from globally 

renowned computer companies reflect the growing 

importance of the high-technology sector to Tibbett & 

Britten. Already the Group is the premier logistics service 

provider for manufacturers of computers and electronic 

goods in the UK, and its expertise in this field is winning 

additional business across Europe. 

European news 


HP outsources retail logistics 

Hewlett-Packard is among the world’s largest manufacturers 

of computers and peripherals. The company’s Home 

Products Division, based in Grenoble, France, has recently 

appointed Tibbett & Britten Group to handle the physical 

distribution of PCs to retailers throughout the UK and the 

Republic of Ireland. 

Under this major contract, Tibbett & Britten UK’s 

Manufacturing Logistics division is now responsible for 

collecting PCs and monitors from Hewlett-Packard suppliers 

in Holland and other points in Northern Europe. The 

Group’s Dutch Metra division takes care of primary road 

transport into the UK. Merchandise is then cross-docked 

through the Tibbett & Britten distribution centre at Telford, 

before onward delivery to over 100 retail outlets and 

retailer distribution centres across the UK and Ireland. This 

rapid cycle, lean supply line system allows products to be 

delivered within 2–3 days of being ordered, avoiding the 

need for retailers to hold buffer stocks. 

Tibbett & Britten is handling administration and scheduling, 

and creating all documentation and labelling. Further 

added-value services are being planned, and it is expected 

that Hewlett-Packard will eventually focus purely on 

marketing and customer liaison, with every other 

distribution stage – from order receipt to delivery – 

outsourced to Tibbett & Britten. 

A jubilant Mark Strong, Managing Director of Tibbett & 

Britten UK Manufacturing Logistics, commented: “This 

contract confirms our position as the leader in the UK 

technology logistics sector, where our ability to deliver 

innovation, flexibility and added value is crucial to 

our success.” 

3

4 UK news 


The best Gillette can get 

Leading multi-national home and personal care products 

manufacturer, Gillette, has awarded Tibbett & Britten Group 

a major logistics contract. The five-year deal covers the 

warehousing and distribution of the complete Gillette 

product range in the UK, plus the transport of UK-sourced 

merchandise into mainland Europe. 

Tibbett & Britten UK’s Manufacturing Logistics division has 

taken over responsibility for operating Gillette’s existing 

9,300 sq m (100,000 sq ft) national distribution centre at 

Reading, Berkshire, and has established a brand new 12,000 

sq m (130,000 sq ft) supply warehouse at Hemel Hempstead 

in Hertfordshire. 

The 20,000-plus pallet Hemel Hempstead facility operates 

24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. It receives bulk product 

from manufacturing sites around the world, and goods are 

called-off for re-packing before despatch to the Reading 

centre or to overseas locations. 

Tibbett & Britten has also taken over the management of 

Gillette’s transport operations, and is delivering nearly six 

million cases of merchandise a year to approximately 720 

outlets throughout the UK and Ireland. It is also handling the 

transport of around 200,000 pallets annually to Gillette’s 

national distribution centres across mainland Europe 

and worldwide. 

The contract builds on the partnership between the 

manufacturer and Tibbett & Britten, which since 1994 has 

been providing total UK logistics services for Gillette’s 

recently acquired Duracell brand out of its multi-user 

distribution centre at Whitwood, West Yorkshire. David 

Howes, Chairman of Tibbett & Britten UK, comments: “This 

win consolidates Tibbett & Britten’s position as the UK 

market leader in home and personal care logistics.” 

Going up in the world: the view from 

a ‘manriser’ narrow aisle truck 

high up in the new supply 

warehouse operated for Gillette at 

Hemel Hempstead, Herts.

UK news 


Marks & Spencer puts 

its shirt on Tibbett & Britten 

New white vehicles 

are green under the skin 

Under its contract with Marks & Spencer, Joint Retail Logistics 

is operating a huge dedicated fleet of vehicles. Part of this 

comprises 54 new Leyland DAF tractor units and 54 Don-Bur 

trailers, delivered to Joint Retail Logistics during 1999 

specifically for Marks & Spencer operations. 

These vehicles run on the ultra-low sulphur diesel that was 

the subject of a long term trial for Marks & Spencer and 

which is now standard at all Joint Retail Logistics sites. 

Four of the new Leyland DAFs are also being evaluated with 

Continuously Regenerating Trap (CRT) exhausts, which are 

claimed to reduce emissions to exceptionally low levels. If 

successful, this technology will be used to help make the 

Marks & Spencer fleet one of the ‘greenest’ in the UK – even 

in that gleaming white livery. 

Pictured with one of the latest ‘green’ vehicles operated for Marks & Spencer 

are Joint Retail Logistics senior managers (l. to r.) 

Kerry Jones (Head of Planning), Richard Evans (Finance Director), Mike Heaven 

(Managing Director), Terry Gallagher (Operations Director) and Paul Isaac 

(Human Resources Director). Also present in spirit if not in body is 

Nigel Arkwright (Head of IT). Yes, they are all wearing St Michael shirts! 

Tibbett & Britten Group and Exel Logistics have been 

awarded a five-year contract by retail giant Marks & Spencer 

worth comfortably over £100 million. 

This significant new contract covers the provision of all Marks 

& Spencer’s general merchandise transport needs throughout 

the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It is being operated by a 

new joint venture company, Joint Retail Logistics, owned 

50:50 by Tibbett & Britten and Exel Logistics. 

Transport and logistics 

Joint Retail Logistics has taken over and integrated all the 

non-food transport operations previously undertaken by the 

Group’s Transcare division, Exel Logistics, BOC, Lex and 

Salvesen. The new company is handling the collection of 

Marks & Spencer general merchandise – including boxed and 

hanging garments and household goods – from suppliers 

nationwide. The products are delivered to Marks & Spencer’s 

regional distribution centres, and subsequently to the 

retailer’s 295 stores throughout the UK and Ireland. 

Based at Coventry in the English Midlands, Joint Retail 

Logistics is now responsible for around 1,000 employees, 300 

commercial vehicles and 900 trailers. In addition, it is 

introducing state-of-the-art management information and 

logistics technologies, giving improved visibility and control 

of suppliers’ performance and ensuring optimum vehicle 

utilisation and distribution economy. 

Unique partnership 

Commenting on this unique partnership, Tibbett & Britten’s 

Chairman & Chief Executive, John Harvey, emphasised: “The 

joint venture is a bespoke solution focused on delivering 

value to Marks & Spencer in the UK; the two participants will 

remain independent in all other areas of business. However, 

this form of close co-operation demonstrates the willingness 

of both companies to develop imaginative solutions to the 

benefit of the customer.” 

5

6 Middle Eastern news 


Trade-winds blow hot in the Gulf 

Into Egypt with J Sainsbury 

The establishment in mid- 

1999 of Transcare Gulf 

Logistics (Egypt) has marked 

a further milestone in 

International Supply Chain’s 

progress in the Middle East. 

Initially, its TGL joint venture 

is assisting grocery giant 

J Sainsbury to develop retail 

operations in the Egyptian 

market. TGL is currently 

managing a 14,000 sq m 

(150,000 sq ft) multitemperature 

distribution 

centre on the outskirts of 

Cairo, and handling onward 

distribution to three 

satellite warehouses and 

over 80 stores throughout 

the city. In addition, TGL is 

working with J Sainsbury to 

plan the logistics services 

required to meet 

anticipated retail growth in 

Egypt in the years ahead. 

Meanwhile, the 

international movement of 

a wide range of products 

imported into Egypt for 

Sainsbury’s is managed by 

ISC from its offices in 

Hertfordshire, UK. 

Issue 21 of Tibbett & Britten Times featured the operations 

of Transcare Gulf Logistics (TGL), the new joint venture 

between the Group’s International Supply Chain (ISC) 

division and Gulf Agency Company. In particular, it 

highlighted the part played by TGL in the launch of UK 

retailer Marks & Spencer’s first Middle East store in Dubai, 

United Arab Emirates. 

So successful has this enterprise proved, that further Marks & 

Spencer franchises have since been opened in Abu Dhabi, 

Bahrain and Kuwait. All these outlets are serviced from TGL’s 

multi-temperature regional distribution centre within the 

Jebel Ali Free Zone. The Dubai and Abu Dhabi stores are fed 

by road, while goods for Bahrain are carried by a 

combination of road, sea and air transport. 

Despite being 850kms across the Arabian Gulf, Kuwait 

benefits from some truly remarkable order response times. 

Thanks to a helpful air-freight schedule and a one-hour 

time-zone difference, goods are normally in the store less 

than 12 hours after receipt of a requisition at Jebel Ali. 

Now TGL is helping Marks & Spencer plan store openings in 

the Gulf states of Oman and Qatar. 

TGL blooms in the desert 

As well as strengthening its partnership with Marks & 

Spencer, Transcare Gulf Logistics has been winning business 

with other famous brands in the Middle East. 

The company has been appointed to handle logistics for 

Jawad, the franchisee for Adams, Miss Selfridge, Monsoon, 

Richards, Wallis and Warehouse Stores in Dubai, Abu Dhabi 

and Kuwait, and to supply a further Adams store in the 

emirate of Ajman. Stock is flown from the UK to the Jebel Ali 

regional distribution centre for onward transport to the UAE 

stores. In the case of Kuwait, however, the stores are 

supported by a local satellite warehouse, operated by TGL, 

and fed by air-freight direct from the UK. 

Leading sportswear manufacturer Adidas has appointed TGL 

to provide a consolidation centre – involving warehousing, 

order-picking, assembly and loading – for product received 

from suppliers in the Far East, prior to re-export from the 

Jebel Ali Free Zone to the Gulf, European and USA markets. 

Other new business gained by TGL includes warehousing and 

distribution for the Warner Bros Studio Stores franchise in 

the Gulf region, and logistics support for EPPCO Petroleum 

Corporation’s forecourt mini-marts.

Tibbett & Britten Group North America Inc. (TBGNA) 

continues its quest to be the leading logistics group 

servicing manufacturers and retailers of branded consumer 

goods in the USA and Canada. 

Member company SCM is now 

operating out of eight sites 

as it adds capacity to service 

Wal-Mart Canada's continuing 

growth. Wal-Mart appointed 

SCM to create a centralised 

distribution system spanning 

the country when it entered Canada in 1994 – the first time 

the world’s largest retailer had outsourced a major logistics 

function. SCM has worked in partnership with Wal-Mart 

ever since. 

SCM is now replacing this tactical network with three 

sophisticated new sites being built at Cornwall, Ontario; 

Calgary, Alberta (opening early 2000); and Brampton, 

Ontario (opening 2001). Each will be between 1 million and 

1.2 million sq ft (93,000 – 112,000 sq m) in size, and will 

contain over seven miles (11 km) of conveyors. 

Elsewhere, member companies Llano Logistics and Axis 

Logistics are building full-line composite grocery distribution 

centres for retailers United Supermarkets and Sobey's 

(formerly Oshawa). Located at Lubbock Texas, and Milton, 

Ontario, respectively, these facilities will cover all 

temperature ranges. Each will be around 500,000 sq ft 

(46,000 sq m) and will open in Spring 2000. 

With Pinnacle Logistics’ new site for Furr’s Supermarkets in 

El Paso, Southstar Logistics’ warehousing and transport 

operation for Kroger in Dallas, together with Countrywide's 

new fleet operation in South and West Texas and New 

Mexico, Texas is now the US State with the highest TBGNA 

headcount after California. 

But the North American success story is not confined to 

retailers. The manufacturing sector has also grown – 

spearheaded by Venture Logistics’ new 900,000 sq ft (84,000 

sq m) operation for Procter & Gamble in Ohio, the first on-site 

plant warehouse ever to be outsourced by P&G in the USA. 

TBGNA member companies are focusing on the new ‘Business 

Improvement Process’, designed to keep them at the 

forefront of the league for service quality and innovation. 

In addition, more than 1000 managers have now participated 

in Tibbett & Britten College courses – designed to ensure 

they remain the best management in the logistics business. 

USA & Canadian news 


Wal-Mart network expands 

in Canada 

7

8 European news 


Thinking big 

with Wal-Mart in Germany 

The world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of 

Bentonville, Arkansas, is seldom out of the news. Last year, it 

entered Europe in a big way with the acquisition of 95 retail 

units in Germany – 74 Interspar outlets and 21 Wertkauf 

hypermarkets. This year, the company has hit the headlines 

by acquiring the Asda supermarket chain in the UK – a 

massive acquisition which strengthens the developing links 

between Wal-Mart and Tibbett & Britten Group. 


supplies logistics services 

to Wal-Mart across 

Germany, where the 

retail giant’s acquisition 

of 95 Wertkauf 

hypermarkets and 

Interspar stores 

heralded its expansion 

into Europe. 

Tibbett & Britten has enjoyed five years’ successful 

association with Wal-Mart in Canada (see page 7). In the UK, 

the Group is a major supplier of logistics services to Asda, 

with distribution centres for home and leisure products at 

Corby and Ince, plus ‘George’ branded clothing at Brackmills. 

Now the links extend into Continental Europe. As Wal-Mart’s 

German venture gathered momentum, the company made 

the decision to appoint Tibbett & Britten Group 

subsidiary SCM Europe to handle its logistics operations 

throughout Germany. 

To service the Wal-Mart stores, SCM Europe has created a 

high-specification 30,000 sq m (300,000 sq ft) regional 

distribution centre at Kempen (above left). Here, 

sophisticated automatic sortation systems cater for a wide 

range of merchandise – including food, household and 

personal care products, petcare, motoring accessories, 

electrical products, DIY, clothing and textiles, shoes and 

hardware – and can process over 125,000 cases of 

merchandise a day. 

David Musgrave, Chairman of Tibbett & Britten International 

and Mike Wallis, Contract Director, are leading the SCM 

Europe operation for Wal-Mart. As Mike Wallis says, 

“Compared with the retail outlets’ previous direct-to-store 

delivery arrangements, the improved efficiency of our 

centralised warehousing, cross-docking and distribution is 

enabling Wal-Mart to pass on cost savings to its German 

customers while ensuring the right products are 

available fast.”

Major gain in Spain 

The Eroski Group – a top three retailer in Spain and the 

country’s largest domestically-owned hypermarket group – 

has appointed Tibbett & Britten Iberia to handle national 

warehousing and distribution of around 10,000 different 

lines of merchandise. Products involved include clothing and 

textiles, car accessories, camping equipment, DIY goods, 

books and CDs. 

Under a six-year contract worth more than £25 million, 

Tibbett & Britten is constructing a 20,000 sq m (215,000 sq ft) 

dedicated national distribution centre at Salvatierra, Vitoria 

in northern Spain. From here, it will provide central 

warehousing for Eroski’s 44 hypermarkets, 86 supermarkets 

and 663 other stores nationwide, and will also be 

undertaking deliveries to the larger outlets. 

Another key development in Spain is the construction and 

operation of a second dedicated warehouse near Madrid for 

Continente, part of French multinational, Promodès. While 

the existing warehouse focuses on the storage and 

distribution of textiles, the new centre is specifically for the 

company’s ‘bazaar’ products – including furniture, audio and 

video, electronics, hardware, household goods, garden 

products, stationery and car accessories. 

Iberian expansion 

Important new logistics contracts have been won by 

Tibbett & Britten Group in Spain and Portugal, marking an 

energetic expansion of business in the region. 

Sparkling 

in Portugal 

Tibbett & Britten has 

worked in partnership with 

the Unilever Group in 

Portugal since 1994, and is 

responsible for warehousing 

and distribution of the 

multinational 

manufacturer’s range of 

industrial health and 

cleaning products, plus 

Lever domestic detergents 

and Elida Fabergé personal 

care products. 

Following Unilever’s 

acquisition of the Diversey 

Group, Tibbett & Britten has 

been additionally appointed 

to supply logistics services to 

the renamed DiverseyLever 

business. The contract has 

involved the centralising of 

The clothing and 

textiles 

warehouse 

operated near 

Madrid on behalf 

of Continente. 

European news 


Inside the 

Carregado 

national 

distribution 

centre for 

Unilever 

products in 

Portugal. 

DiverseyLever warehousing 

at the 12,000 sq m (130,000 

sq ft) Carregado national 

distribution centre operated 

on behalf of Unilever some 

50 km north of Lisbon. From 

here, Tibbett & Britten 

oversees delivery to about 

8,000 outlets throughout 

Portugal, Madeira and 

the Azores. 

A 10,000 sq m (108,000 

sq ft) temporary warehouse 

has also been brought into 

play a few kilometres from 

Carregado, to cover the 

increase in stock levels 

required under Unilever’s 

Year 2000 contingency plan. 

9



Reefer 

swapbodies on 

road and rail. 

Spy-in-the-sky 

temperature monitoring 

Haulmark’s state-of-the-art 

Reefer service takes multimodal 

transport to new 

heights, for it uses rail and 

road plus a little extra help 

from seven orbiting 

satellites. Fresh or chilled 

foods are rushed by rail 

from Italy to the Tibbett & 

Britten operated Daventry 

International Railport – then 

on by road to the customer’s 

warehouse – with full 

temperature-control 

integrity all the way. The 

specially designed swapbodies 

incorporate Thermo 

King refrigeration units with 

continuous satellite 

temperature status and 

location monitoring. If any 

variations from the pre-set 

temperature or power/ 

refrigeration unit conditions 

occur en route, the 

monitoring system alerts the 

Reefer control centre and a 

Thermo King service 

engineer is despatched to 

rendezvous with the unit 

and take appropriate action. 

Try doing that with 

air-freight! 

New platform for 

rail freight 

With the acquisition of Haulmark European Transport, 

Tibbett & Britten has signalled its commitment to the 

development of multi-modal distribution in the UK and 

mainland Europe. 

Haulmark specialises in intermodal services between 

Continental Europe and the UK, combining road, rail and sea 

transport to create optimised through-route solutions, and 

using both Channel Tunnel and short-sea links. Its operations 

have been integrated with Tibbett & Britten’s expanding 

intermodal business under the leadership of Bill Waddington, 

Director of Rail and Intermodal Logistics – further 

strengthening the company’s capabilities in this area. 

Mike Sweet, Tibbett & Britten’s Group Planning Director, told 

Tibbett & Britten Times: “We are already a major user and 

provider of multi-modal distribution, both within the UK and 

across Europe, and rail freight is now a key element in our 

service offering.” He added: “One of the keys is ‘roundtripping’ 

– the provision of return loads. For instance, we 

bring fresh fruit and other produce from Italy to the UK, 

then take chocolate on return journeys back to Italy.” 

Door-to-door services 

Haulmark collects goods from the factory or warehouse and 

takes complete responsibility for their fast, secure delivery. Its 

integrated, timetabled services can be used on either a 

contractual or a spot-hire basis to suit customers’ particular 

traffic patterns, and offer excellent value for money. The 

company also supplies a range of containers and swapbodies 

– including temperature-controlled equipment. 

Haulmark containers being transferred from rail to road vehicles, for the next 

stage in their multi-modal journey across Europe.

Track One Logistics speaks 

Linguaphone’s 

language 

Magnifique! 

Wunderbar! 

Prodigioso! 

Linguaphone, the 

internationally renowned 

producer of languagelearning 

materials, has 

appointed Track One 

Logistics to handle the 

warehousing and exclusive 

UK distribution of its tapes, 

books and catalogues, and 

to manage their shipment 

worldwide. Track One 

Logistics is also providing 

product assembly and 

packaging services – 

a formidable task, as 

Linguaphone offers around 

3,500 different courses. 

Sega Dreamcast 

is dream start 

for joint venture 

Tibbett & Britten’s leadership of the high technology 

logistics sector goes from strength to strength. Sega UK has 

appointed Track One Logistics, the new joint venture 

between Tibbett & Britten Group and the startle division of 

The Telstar Entertainment Group, to manage the 

warehousing and international distribution of its newgeneration 

Dreamcast computer games system. 

Track One Logistics is handling the warehousing and primary 

distribution of Dreamcast consoles, peripherals and software 

to multiple retailers in the UK. Additional services include 

quality assurance, product assembly, packaging and labelling. 

Sega UK’s managing Director, Michael Sherlock, commented: 

“Dreamcast is one of the biggest launches the entertainment 

and consumer electronics industries have ever seen. We 

appointed Track One Logistics for their ability to deliver 

Tibbett & Britten’s distribution excellence and Telstar startle 

division’s understanding of the entertainment business. 

This is a key appointment for us.” 

The Track One Logistics distribution 

centre at Telford, UK, operates in a 

virtually paperless environment, 

thanks to the bar-coding, scanning 

and RF data transmission capabilities 

of its state-of-the-art Pkms 

warehouse management system. 

Facing the music at Track One 

Logistics are (right) David Kirkwood, 

Managing Director, (centre) Tony 

Burley, Operations Director and (left) 

Tony Baxter, Commercial Director. 

Track One Logistics was formed in January 1999 to specialise 

in the warehousing and worldwide distribution of 

entertainment software and related products, and to cater 

for the rise in direct consumer shopping – in particular, the 

projected explosion in e-commerce sales – through the 

provision of rapid-response home delivery services. The joint 

venture is already managing all warehousing and 

distribution for two of the UK’s largest independent music 

wholesalers, startle Distribution and Lightning Export, 

involving over 25,000 different music and video tapes, CDs 

and computer games. 

UK news 


Centenarian 

Scottish 

company 

joins Group 

With the acquisition of 

Glasgow-based firm 

Arbuckle, Smith & Company, 

Tibbett & Britten UK has 

significantly strengthened 

its presence in Scotland. 

Founded in 1898, Arbuckle, 

Smith is one of Scotland’s 

largest logistics contractors, 

providing bonded 

warehousing, conventional 

and high-bay storage, UK 

primary distribution, 

secondary distribution in 

Scotland, trunking and 

international freight 

forwarding services. Clients 

include major suppliers of 

soft drinks, breakfast 

cereals, snack foods 

and confectionery. 

The company’s proud 

century-old name has been 

retained, and the business 

has become a trading unit 

within Network Logistics, 

Tibbett & Britten UK’s 

shared-user division. 

11

12 Far Eastern news 


Joint venture solves 

Chinese puzzle for 

Procter & Gamble 

The puzzle for multinational 

manufacturer Procter & 

Gamble? How to distribute 

its toiletries, personal 

products and snackfoods 

ranges across almost 

three-quarters of the vast 

expanse of the People’s 

Republic of China? 

The solution? Call in 

Hutchison Tibbett & Britten, 

the 50:50 joint venture 

between Tibbett & Britten 

Group and 

Hutchison Whampoa. 

July 1999 saw the 

commencement of 

operations in Shanghai on 

the first major third-party 

contract secured by the joint 

venture since its formation 

last year. 

As David Musgrave, 

Chairman of Tibbett & 

Britten International, 

explains: Hutchison 

Whampoa is one of the 

largest and most successful 

companies in South East 

Asia. The joint venture 

brings together two 

complementary skills – 

Tibbett & Britten’s 

experience in retail and 

manufacturing contract 

logistics, and Hutchison’s 

strong China knowledge 

and connections.” 

Merger on 

the orient 

express 

Tibbett & Britten Group’s 

joint venture, Unique 

Logistics, has merged with 

fellow international freight 

forwarder, Rical Express UK. 

The merged business, 

named Unique Logistics 

International, is 50% owned 

by Tibbett & Britten Group 

and has immediately joined 

the front rank of Britishbased 

forwarders in the Far 

East-to-UK and Indian 

Ocean-to-UK markets. 

Unique Logistics 

International is retaining 

the two former companies’ 

trading names, and is 

continuing to serve existing 

client portfolios, primarily in 

the clothing and textiles 

sector. However, a confident 

Tommy Lau, Managing 

Director of Unique Logistics 

International, explained: 

“We now have the scale to 

develop new products and 

new sectors – you can 

expect a major 

announcement in the 

high technology 

area shortly.” 

South Africa scores 

The world of sport is familiar with the wealth of talent 

within South Africa. In the world of logistics, however, it is 

much the same story – with Tibbett & Britten South Africa 

leading the way. 

National distribution 

centre acquired 

For international foods and pet food producer, Colman 

Foods, Tibbett & Britten Network Logistics handles the 

nationwide distribution of around 7.1 million cases of 

product annually. The partnership with Colman Foods has 

proved so successful over the past five years, the company 

has decided to outsource the operation of its Cape Town 

national distribution centre to Tibbett & Britten SA. 

The contract, which focuses on the storage, cross docking 

and despatch of direct-to-customer and depot replenishment 

orders from across South Africa, involves optimising 

operations at two warehouses in Cape Town and includes 

implementing a state-of-the-art warehouse 

management system. 

Colman Foods’ national distribution centre, Cape Town.

East African business 

reaches new heights 

Tibbett & Britten Group has been celebrating 

the fourth anniversary – and continuing rise – of its 

East African operations. 

In 1995, Tibbett & Britten became the first contract 

distribution company in East Africa when it opened a 

national distribution centre in Nairobi for Unilever subsidiary, 

East Africa Industries. Since then the company’s client 

portfolio has grown to include BAT, Bata Shoes, 

CarnaudMetalbox, East African Breweries, East African 

Packaging Industries, Kimberly Clark and United Distillers 

& Vintners. 

Principally established to distribute foodstuffs, toiletries and 

household goods for East Africa Industries, Tibbett & Britten 

now delivers annually around 15 million cases of domestic 

goods, 8 million cases of beer, 7 million pairs of shoes and 22 

million cigarettes. It also transports 40,000 tonnes of tobacco 

from 85,000 smallholdings, 85,000 tonnes of crude palm oil 

and 20,000 tonnes of miscellaneous imports. 

The company operates from 28 sites across East Africa, 

including depots at the feet of Africa’s highest mountains, 

Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro. As Brian Bennell, 

Tibbett & Britten International Operations Director, says: 

“Bob Geldof may have sung ‘there won’t be snow in Africa 

this Christmas’, but he couldn’t see the view from our depot 

windows!” There are also depots at Jinja at the source of the 

Nile, and in the coastal resorts of Dar es Salaam and 

Mombasa. All forms of transport are used, from air cargo to 

Arab dhow (which takes beer to the Indian ocean island 

of Lamu). 

As well as building a fastgrowing 

client base, Tibbett 

& Britten Kenya is gaining a 

reputation for sporting 

prowess. Driver Saul 

Odihambo has represented 

Kenya at boxing – winning 

his bout against Great 

Britain. The company also 

boasts six international 

rugby football players, with 

Branco Ng’inja, Titus Okuku, 

Michel Okutoi, Neal MaCrae 

and Anthony Childs all 

representing their country 

at various levels, and Tolbert 

Onyango leading the pack 

with appearances at full 

international level. Tolbert 

has also represented Kenya 

in the Middlesex Sevens, 

and was in Kuala Lumpur to 

take part in the 1998 

Commonwealth Games. 

Tolbert Onyango, 

one of six rugby 

internationals on 


Kenya’s team. 

African news 


Concrete 

action in 

South Africa 

Tibbett & Britten SA is now 

responsible for the bulk 

stockholding of personal 

care products for 

multinational manufacturer, 

Lever Ponds, thanks to the 

successful completion of a 

joint development at 

Tibbett & Britten’s Congella 

depot. The project seemed 

straightforward enough – 

until enormous concrete 

foundations, column 

footings and even an old 

railway line were 

unearthed. Durban’s largest 

concrete breaking “pecker” 

had to be brought in to 

demolish these daunting 

obstacles, which were relics 

of the Congella Power 

Station that once occupied 

the site. 

All was soon back on 

schedule, and 8,000 pallets 

of Lever Ponds soap stocks 

are now housed at Congella. 

With these additional 

volumes, Tibbett & Britten is 

now handling bulk depot 

replenishment, local and 

national bulk deliveries to 

customers and export 

container packing for 

Lever Ponds. 

13



Winning 

the double 

in Ireland 

Tibbett & Britten Group 

(Ireland) is now working in 

partnership with competing 

multinational manufacturers 

Colgate-Palmolive and Elida 

Lever, a part of Unilever. 

The separate five-year 

contracts – both won at 

competitive tender – each 

involve the provision of 

logistics services throughout 

the Irish Republic and 

Northern Ireland, centred 

on existing Tibbett & Britten 

shared-user warehouse 

facilities. 

For Colgate-Palmolive, 

Tibbett & Britten is handling 

all warehousing and 

distribution from Dublin of 

the company’s wide range 

of personal care products. 

The Elida Lever contract 

covers the warehousing at 

Ballymount of all the 

company’s household and 

personal care lines. 

Unilever subsidiaries are 

now served by the Group in 

11 countries worldwide, and 

Colgate-Palmolive in four. 

Fast forward for 

clothing logistics 

in Holland 

Following the acquisition of German-based clothing 

manufacturer Peek & Cloppenburg’s distribution centre in 

Zoetermeer, Holland, Tibbett & Britten BV has created a new 

clothing logistics company in Benelux called Tibbett & Britten 

Avance. 

Already the operation is living up to its forward-looking 

name. Tibbett & Britten Avance is serving about 25 Peek & 

Cloppenburg stores in The Netherlands, including the 

company’s expanding chain of Anson’s stores. It is also 

re-engineering Peek & Cloppenburg’s supply chain along 

fast-response lines, to ensure high service levels with 

minimum stock. 

In addition, Tibbett & Britten Avance has won a long-term 

contract to supply logistics and distribution services 

throughout Benelux to leading Swiss clothing retailer, 

Charles Vögele. 

Kimball tagging is 

one of many 

added-value 

services offered by 


Avance. 

“Yes, we do have 

your size at 

Zoetermeer!” 

DSL helps 

Marks & 

Spencer put 

the ‘lux’ 

in Benelux 

Britain’s leading retailer, 

Marks & Spencer, has 

opened its first branch in 

Luxembourg. The new store 

joins established Marks & 

Spencer outlets in Holland 

and Belgium as part of the 

company’s expansion 

programme in the Benelux 

countries and Germany. It 

also adds to the list of 

Marks & Spencer stores in 

mainland Europe serviced by 

DSL, part of the Tibbett & 

Britten UK Textiles Division. 

Orders for replenishment 

stock are placed 

electronically by the stores 

on DSL’s dedicated Marks & 

Spencer non-food 

warehouse at West 

Thurrock, Essex, and are 

despatched via the Channel 

Tunnel for arrival before 

the start of the next 

day’s trading. 

In addition to supplying the 

stores in Germany, Holland, 

Belgium and Luxembourg, 

the West Thurrock site 

serves 16 Marks & Spencer 

stores in south-east England 

– including the company’s 

massive outlet at 

nearby Thurrock Lakeside 

retail park.

Üllo 

“ 

– a Magyar new 

distribution centre 

Summer 1999 saw the 

official opening of Tibbett & 

Britten Hungária’s new 

distribution centre at Üllo, “ 

25km south-east of 

Budapest. It is the largest 

facility of its kind in 

Hungary, and one of the 

biggest in Central Europe. 

Centrepiece of the site is a 

magnificent 30,000 sq m 

(325,000 sq ft) shared-user 

composite warehouse, 

providing ambient, chilled 

and frozen storage – and 

using advanced technologies 

including radio frequency 

data transmission for 

inventory control. 

The opening is an important 

milestone in the developing 

partnership between Tibbett 

& Britten and Unilever. In a 

ten-year agreement, the 

Group is now handling all 

the food, personal products 

and household goods 

manufacturer’s central 

warehousing and 

nationwide distribution, and 

managing transport. Around 

500 different product lines 

are carried at Üllo, “ 

ranging 

from detergents and 

cosmetics to ice-cream and 

quick-frozen food. Deliveries 

are made to thousands of 

outlets throughout Hungary, 

in one of the first logistics 

operations in Central 

Europe to maintain total 

temperature integrity 

across the supply chain for 

frozen food. 

In addition to the logistics 

partnership with Unilever, 

Üllo “ is also the focus of 

Tibbett & Britten’s 

Hungarian operations on 

behalf of German-based 

food manufacturer, 

Stollwerck. The company is 

Hungary’s leading producer 

of chocolates and cakes, and 

has appointed Tibbett & 

Britten to provide central 

warehousing services for its 

Hungarian and Eastern 

European markets. 

Around 200 staff 

are employed at 

the Üllo“ 

Distribution 

Centre. The 

wearing of this 

traditional 

costume is not a 

requirement! 


Hungária’s new 

flagship 

distribution 

centre, on an 

85,000 sq m site 

near Budapest. 

The marquee to 

the left of the 

warehouse is 

where guests 

gathered to see 

John Harvey, 

Chairman of 


Group, declare 

the centre open. 

European news 


Catering to 

Austria’s 

restaurateurs 

Tibbett & Britten Hungária is 

part of the Group’s 

expanding Central European 

business unit. 

Colleagues in Tibbett & 

Britten Austria have been 

celebrating the acquisition 

of GV Logistik, which 

specialises in the 

warehousing and 

distribution of ambient, 

chilled and frozen products 

to the catering sector 

throughout Austria. 

Meanwhile, Tibbett & 

Britten has a developing 

business in Slovakia. It has 

recently taken over a multitemperature 

warehouse at 

Mostenec, Northern 

Slovakia, from where it will 

be distributing chilled and 

frozen foods throughout 

the country. The Group also 

has a growing presence in 

the Czech Republic and 

in Poland. 

^ 

15

16 UK news 


International distribution centre 

built on 

intermodal lines 

Merchandise being stored in the 

46,500 sq m (500,000 sq ft) five-floor 

mezzanine at the DIDC includes 

hanging garments, boxed clothing 

and other goods. With a throughput 

of 22 million garments a year, the 

new facility will help C&A achieve a 

48 hour replenishment cycle. 

Creating a ‘tardis’ for C&A 

Dr Who would surely be 

impressed with the project 

Tibbett & Britten has 

undertaken at DIDC on 

behalf of leading fashion 

retailer, C&A. 

Fashion Logistics, a trading 

unit of Tibbett & Britten 

Network Logistics, has been 

awarded a major five-year 

UK warehousing and 

distribution contract by 

C&A. Under the agreement, 

a five-floor mezzanine 

structure has been 

constructed within part of 

the warehouse, using 1,000 

tonnes of steel. The 

mezzanine has the tardislike 

effect of providing the 

equivalent of 46,500 sq m 

(500,000 sq ft) of automated 

garment handling and 

storage space, and is now 

operating as a dedicated 

replenishment centre 

for C&A. 

A major rail-connected warehouse has been built by Tibbett 

& Britten within the giant Daventry International Rail 

Freight Terminal (DIRFT) in the heart of England. The centre 

is adjacent to Daventry International Railport – also 

operated by the Group. 

The new Daventry International Distribution Centre (DIDC) 

was officially opened by Group Chairman and Chief 

Executive, John Harvey CBE, in the presence of some 100 

senior executives from the UK fast-moving consumer goods 

(FMCG) manufacturing and retail sectors and the 

rail freight industry. 

DIDC is the first rail-connected warehousing facility to be 

constructed at the 4 million sq ft DRIFT logistics park. It 

signals Tibbett & Britten’s confidence that intermodal (roadrail) 

logistics has a major part to play in domestic and 

international FMCG distribution. 

The new centre, which is operated by Tibbett & Britten UK 

Network Logistics, offers customers a direct rail link to 

Continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel and is also 

conveniently close to the UK motorway network. As Paul 

Ludlow, Chairman of DIRFT Ltd, pointed out: “Tibbett & 

Britten’s £30 million investment underlines the strategic 

importance of DIRFT as a key logistics centre for the UK 

and Europe.” 

Endorsing this view, Ken Butt, Chairman of Tibbett & Britten 

Europe, said: “We believe that combined movements by 

whatever means – container, piggy-back, bi-modal or 

conventional rail – will grow substantially over the next few 

years. The new warehouse at DIRFT forms a vital link in our 

domestic FMCG distribution network. And, like the 

rail-connected warehouse we operate at Neasden in North 

London, we expect DIRFT to be handling a substantial 

amount of cross-channel rail traffic.” 

The 22,000 sq m (239,000 sq ft) DIDC 

could accommodate 10 full size 

football pitches or 2,300 doubledecker 

buses. It is equipped with 33 

vehicle loading bays, plus four 8m 

wide doors on the rail side. The 

250m long rail canopy is sufficient to 

take a full third of a Continental 

train under cover. In keeping with 

Tibbett & Britten's 'green' policy, 

almost 12,000 shrubs were planted 

after construction. 

John Harvey, Chairman and Chief 

Executive of Tibbett & Britten Group, 

is seen in conversation with Paul 

Bateman of Tesco, during the official 

opening of the DIDC. Behind them 

are pallets of grocery product, while 

the dedicated C&A mezzanine with 

its automated garment-handling 

system forms the backdrop.

Group breaks 

billion-pound 

£ 

barrier 

1998 was a milestone year for Tibbett & Britten Group. In 

achieving its fifteenth successive year of growth, the Group 

generated annual revenues exceeding £1 billion for the 

first time. 

Group turnover for the year ended 31 December 1998 rose 

23% to £1136.9 million, with operating profit rising 7% to 

£33.7 million. UK consumer and clothing logistics performed 

especially well, contributing almost half of the increase in 

revenue. Other highlights included strong trading by the 

automotive and consumer logistics operations in Continental 

Europe, a solid second-half performance in North America 

and significant expansion in the Far East. 

Growth continues in 1999 

Interim results for the half year ended 26 June 1999 show 

this growth to be continuing. Turnover rose by 11% over the 

period, and pre-tax profits improved by 6.9%. Over 80% of 

the sales growth was organic rather than acquisition-related, 

with North America, mainland Europe and Axial automotive 

logistics all recording particularly strong performances. 

• Copies of the 1998 Annual Report and Accounts and 1999 

Interim Report are available by dialling the automated 

telephone request line: +44 (0) 208 362 3559 

• The Reports can also be viewed on the Tibbett & Britten 

website at: www.tibbett-britten.com 

✪ 

Tibbett & Britten is star performer 

Tibbett and Britten is the top performer in its sector in the 

1990s, according to Plimsoll Decade Edition – Road Haulage. 

In an analysis of 381 companies, this new report places 

Tibbett & Britten first for sales growth and financial strength 

over the past seven years. 

New faces, 

new 

strengths 

Reflecting the Group’s 

continued expansion, key 

appointments have been 

made over recent months as 

the senior management 

structure takes shape for the 

new Millennium. 

Mike 

Arrowsmith 

has been 

appointed 

Group Finance 

Director, based at the Group 

head office at Enfield, UK. 

Zimbabwe-born Mike, who 

is 46 and has relocated to 

England from Hong Kong, 

will be a prime mover in 

taking the business forward 

into the next century. 

His strong international 

corporate financial expertise 

includes particular 

knowledge of the 

electronics and 

pharmaceuticals sectors. 

Mike Arrowsmith succeeds 

Mike Stalbow, who has left 

after no less than 28 years 

with Tibbett & Britten, 

during which he contributed 

immensely to the 

development and success of 

the Group. Insisting that he 

is “not retiring but 

evolving”, Mike promises 

that there is much to come 

from “Stalbow 2000”. 

Tim Harding 

has joined 

Tibbett & 

Britten UK in 

the newly 

created position of Director 

of Change. For the past 

three years, 47-year-old Tim 

has been a Visiting Fellow at 

Cranfield University 

specialising in human 

resource development and 

Group news 


culture change. His primary 

task now is to enable all 

staff to work towards the 

goal of becoming a world 

class company, measured 

against the European 

Foundation for Quality 

Management’s “Business 

Excellence Model”. Tim has 

already kick-started the 

programme with a new 

mission statement and 

logotype as a rallying-cry 

for TBUK. 

Tom A. Brown 

has become 

the first 

Operations 

Director at 

Tibbett & Britten Group’s 

Continental Europe business 

unit. At the age of 44, Tom 

is already a veteran of the 

logistics industry, with 

extensive experience 

including setting up and 

managing logistics 

businesses in Spain and 

Poland. More recently he 

was responsible for business 

development throughout 

Latin America and 

South Africa. 

Patrick Perrin 

is the new 

head of 

Tibbett & 

Britten Group’s 

non-automotive logistics 

interests across France. 

Patrick, 51, has joined after 

many years’ experience of 

senior management with 

logistics operations in both 

France and Benelux. His 

appointment is part of a 

strategy to strengthen the 

Group’s FMCG logistics 

business in France, where 

Tibbett & Britten is already 

the country’s leading drinks 

logistics specialist. 

17

18 Group news 


Taking the sting out of the 

Millennium Bug 

1st January 2000 is only a matter of weeks away. Will it be a 

cause for celebration, or a doomsday wake as huge numbers 

of computers crash and IT-driven applications fail? 

There is evidence that thousands of businesses around the 

world are still failing to address the issue dubbed ‘the most 

expensive industrial accident in history’. So, what action is 

Tibbett & Britten Group taking on the so-called Millennium 

Bug? Tibbett & Britten Times questioned Bill Cunningham, 

Director of the Group’s special Project 2000 team, and 

received some reassuring answers. 

T&BT: How seriously is Tibbett & Britten Group taking the 

Year 2000 problem? 

BC: Very seriously. Project 2000 was launched in October 

1997 to tackle what was initially viewed as an IT problem, 

but which was soon recognised as a broader business issue. 

The Project has been actively sponsored by the main board, 

who have committed more than £2.4 million, excluding 

hardware and software upgrades. 

T&BT: What resources have been allocated to Project 2000? 

BC: At its peak the dedicated team consisted of over 28 

people, plus of course the staff involved at every site across 

Europe. Given the progress made, the team has now been 

reduced to 11, and will reduce further to a base team to 

cover the millennium period itself. 

T&BT: What are the main problems the Project has faced? 

BC: It is comparatively straightforward to test that IT 

hardware and operating systems are Y2K compliant – 

although the sheer scale of applications to be tested has 

presented a challenge. But with embedded systems, 

identifying relevant equipment and then ensuring 

compliance, has been much more difficult – as in many cases 

it has not been simple to test. Specialist engineers were 

employed to complete this process successfully. 

T&BT: Is the deadline midnight, 31st December 1999, in 

every case? 

BC: No, problems could occur any time from now on 

through the millennium change, and even as far ahead as 

2004 – the next leap year after 2000. Testing has therefore 

focused on a wide range of dates. 

T&BT: So is the Project on schedule? 

Bill Cunningham 

pictured in the 

main machine 

room at Group 

Information 

Services, Welwyn 

Garden City, UK. 

BC: While the Project has experienced significant delays to 

the original schedules – a common experience across many 

businesses – all work will be completed ahead of the 

millennium date. 

T&BT: Are you developing contingency plans? 

BC: Having virtually completed all the testing, we believe 

the risk of failure of our own systems and equipment is low. 

However, we are very much reliant on businesses and 

infrastructure outside of Tibbett & Britten. To manage this 

risk, every site is completing detailed contingency plans to 

tackle any problems, along with specific plans for testing on 

1st January 2000. 

T&BT: Has the process been audited in any way? 

BC: Yes, we have recently been audited by Action 2000 as 

part of a process to assess the general readiness of the 

“essential food supply” in the UK, and were assessed as 

“blue” – meaning that no risks of material disruption were 

identified. Also, all our processes were audited in mid-1988. 

T&BT: What is your closing message to Tibbett & Britten’s 

customers and shareholders? 

BC: Quite simply, that we are on target to achieve Year 2000 

conformance in advance of the most significant key dates, 

and that we are doing everything we can to ensure it will be 

‘business as usual’ as we move into the new millennium.

Group news 


Group Facts 

1999 in six 

languages 

19 

• Tibbett & Britten Group 

operates 8,500 commercial 

vehicles & trailers, and 

manages around 2.8 million 

sq metres of warehousing. 

• 30,000 people are 

employed at 400 sites in 

28 countries on 

four continents. 

Like to know more? For a 

pocket-sized digest of 

financial and operational 

data, see the latest edition 

of Group Facts, the Tibbett 

& Britten mini-brochure. 

Group Facts 1999 is 

published in six separate 

language versions. 

So, whether you speak 

English, French, German, 

Austrian-German, 

Hungarian or Slovakian, you 

can be fluent in Tibbett & 

Britten information. 

• For a free copy, please 

contact Meeta Gour at 

Ross House (see back page). 

Dynamic Group 

on the web 

www.tibbett-britten.com 

is the address of the Tibbett & Britten Group site on the 

worldwide web – an unrivalled source of information about 

the company’s origins, operations, capabilities and clients. 

The site is constantly being updated and upgraded, 

exploiting the communications potential of the technology. 

Whether you wish to check the Group’s latest news, look up 

its current share price, refer to financial reports, link to other 

Group sites worldwide, or merely unravel a puzzling logistics 

acronym, the website puts the power dynamically at your 

fingertips. 

Some of our clients 

CLOTHING & TEXTILES 

Allders 

Arcadia Group 

Asda 

Au Coton 

Austin Reed 

Baird Group of 

Companies 

Bata Shoes 

Beau Brummel 

Bentwoods 

Boxfresh 

Brooks Brothers 

C&A 

Charles Vögele 

Mode 

Claremont 

Coates Viyella 

Continente 

Corporate Image 

International 

Courtaulds 

Daisy & Tom 

Daks Simpson 

De Baer 

Debenhams 

Dewhirst 

Dolcis 

Dunnes Stores 

Etam 

Farah 

Falmer 

Foothold 

Fred Perry 

Fruit of the Loom 

Gap 

Hennes & Mauritz 

Jacques Vert 

Jaeger 

Jawad 

Jigsaw 

Knickerbox 

Lee Cooper 

The Legendary 

Joe Bloggs 

Lloyd Shoes 

Mackays 

Makro 

Mansfield 

Marks & Spencer 

Next 

Nike 

Peek & Cloppenburg 

Prada 

Ralph Lauren 

Reebok 

River Island 

Royal Bank 

of Scotland 

Savile Row 

SF Cody 

Slimma 

Talbots 

Ted Baker 

Timberland 

TK Maxx 

Windsmoor 

Woolworths 

Wrangler 

PERSONAL PRODUCTS 

Bayer 

Lever-Ponds 

Ciba Geigy 

Colgate-Palmolive 

Elida Fabergé 

Fisons 

Gillette 

Glaxo 

Hoechst 

Hoffman La Roche 

HPCE 

Jergens 

Johnson & Johnson 

Lever Brothers 

Procter & Gamble 

Sara Lee 

Shoppers Drug Mart 

SmithKline Beecham 

GROCERY 

Alberta Liquor 

Control Board 

Asda 

Bahlsen Biscuits 

Billa 

Cadbury-Schweppes 

Carrefour 

Casino 

Chivas & Glenlivet 

Colman Foods 

CPC 

Co-operative 

Danone 

East African 

Breweries 

E & J Gallo Wines 

Eskimo-Iglo 

Federal Marine 

Frigo-Frudesa 

Furr’s Supermarkets 

Horizon Biscuits 

Iceland 

Kelloggs 

Kroger 

Leclerc 

Lever 

Lipton 

Mars Pedigree 

Metro 

Monoprix 

Nabisco 

Nestlé 

Neilson Dairy 

Overwaitea 

Park N’ Shop 

Perrier 

Premier Brands 

Promodès 

Reckitt & Colman 

Roto Smeets 

de Boer 

Safeway 

J Sainsbury 

San Miguel 

Seagram 

Sobey’s 

Stollwerck 

Système U 

Tesco 

Unilever Gulf Express 

United Distillers 

United Supermarkets 

Van den Berghs 

Whitbread 

Whitworth Foods 

OTHER NON-FOODS 

Aiwa 

B&Q 

Black & Decker 

CarnaudMetalbox 

Compaq 

Disney Stores 

Duracell 

Eroski 

Hewlett-Packard 

IBM 

Jerry’s Home Store 

Kimberly Clark 

Linguaphone 

NEC 

Sega UK 

Tandy 

VNU 

Wal-Mart 

AUTOMOTIVE 

Alfa Romeo 

BMW-Rover 

Daewoo 

Daihatsu 

DaimlerChrysler 

Ferrari 

Fiat 

Ford 

General Motors 

Honda 

Hyundai 

Jaguar 

Lada 

Lancia 

Mazda 

Mercedes Benz 

Mitsubishi 

Nissan 

Peugeot-Citroën 

Porsche 

Renault 

SsangYong 

SEAT 

Suzuki 

Toyota 

Volkswagen Audi 

Volvo

WORLDWIDE HEADQUARTERS: 

Tibbett & Britten Group plc, 

Ross House, 1 Shirley Road, 

Windmill Hill, Enfield, 

Middlesex EN2 6SB, 

United Kingdom 

Tel: +44 208 367 9955 

Fax: +44 208 366 7042 

E-mail: info@tandb.co.uk 

Web: www.tibbett-britten.com 

REGIONAL HEAD OFFICES: 

AMERICAS 


North America Inc., 

91 Skyway Avenue, Suite 200, 

Toronto, Ontario, 

Canada M9W 6R5 

Tel: +1 416 674 1600 

Fax: +1 416 674 1407 

BENELUX 

Tibbett & Britten Group BV, 

Zeelandhaven 6, PO Box 2050, 

3430 CG Nieuwegein, 

The Netherlands 

Tel: +31 30 60 83 707 

Fax: +31 30 60 83 747 

Axial Belgium, 

Zoning Industriel, 

Seneffe/Manage, Zone C, 

B-7180 Seneffe, 

Belgium 

Tel: +32 64 51 68 11 

Fax: +32 64 54 06 76 

CENTRAL EUROPE 

Tibbett & Britten Austria GmbH, 

Pasettistrasse 76, 

A-1200 Wien, Austria 

Tel: +431 33 705 1112 

Fax: +431 33 705 1119 

Web: www.tbce.com 

EAST AFRICA 

Tibbett & Britten Kenya Ltd, 

Nanyuko Road, Industrial Area, 

P.O.Box 78609, Nairobi, Kenya 

Tel: +254 255 7811 

Fax: +254 254 4661 

FAR EAST 


(Asia Pacific) Ltd, 

Suite 1901, Tower One, 

China Hong Kong City, 

33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 

Kowloon, Hong Kong 

Tel: +852 2314 8283 

Fax: +852 2314 8711 

FRANCE 

Tibbett & Britten France SA, 

1 rue Charles Heller, 

94400 Vitry sur Seine, France 

Tel: +33 1 45 73 49 00 

Fax: +33 1 46 80 90 91 

Axial France, 

Zone Industrielle, BP 109, 

60881 Le Meux Cedex, France 

Tel: +33 3 44 90 58 58 

Fax: +33 3 44 90 58 59 

GERMANY 

Tibbett & Britten Deutschland GmbH 

Weicherstrasse 5 

63741 Aschaffenburg 

Germany 

Tel: +49 6021 343123 

Fax: +49 6021 343125 

IBERIAN PENINSULA 

Tibbett & Britten Iberia 

Parque Empresarial San Fernando 

Edificio Francia 

San Fernando de Henares 

28830 Madrid, Spain 

Tel: +34 91 655 9800 

Fax: +34 91 655 9801 

Web: www.tibbett-britten.es 

Axial Spain & Portugal, 

Avda de Castilla, 

San Fernando de Henares, 

28850 Madrid, Spain 

Tel: + 341 677 4957 

Fax: +341 677 1172 

IRELAND 


(Ireland) Ltd, 

Unit D1, Airport Business Park, 

Dublin Airport, Co. Dublin, 

Ireland 

Tel: +353 1 844 5545 

Fax: +353 1 844 5640 

MIDDLE EAST 

Transcare Gulf Logistics, 

Jebel Ali, Dubai, 

United Arab Emirates 

Tel: +971 4 805 9302 

Fax: +971 4 818 687 

SOUTH AFRICA 

Tibbett & Britten (South Africa) 

Pty Ltd, 

Block A3, Gateview House, 

Constantia Park, 

Cnr 14th Avenue & Hendrik 

Potgieter Street, 

Weltevreden Park 1709, 

South Africa 

Tel: +27 11 471 7200 

Fax: +27 11 475 9266 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Tibbett & Britten UK, 

4-6 Church Walk, Daventry, 

Northants NN11 4BL, 


Tel: +44 1327 303700 

Fax: +44 1327 879833 

Axial, 

Judd House, Ripple Road, 

Barking, Essex IG11 0TU, 


Tel: +44 208 592 6666 

Fax: +44 208 517 0030 

Tibbett & Britten Times is published twice a year (Spring and Autumn) for 

customers, prospective customers and associates of Tibbett & Britten Group plc. 

Please send any material for the next edition to The Editor, Tibbett & Britten 

Times at the Worldwide Headquarters address above – to be received no later 

than 31 January 2000. Don’t forget to include your name and address. 

Produced by Hayes Anderson Ltd, London. 

New competition 

It’s a short and deceptive competition this time. Another bottle 

of bubbly is ready to be sent to the supplier of the first correct 

solution out of the hat on 31 December 1999. 

On leaving the company, Stalbow decides to split himself into a 

number of shares and give them all away to three friends. He 

gives 28 each to Alpin and Butt. How many does he give to 

Howes? (How many shares are there altogether?) 

Mark your solution “Tibbett & Britten Stalbow Competition” and 

send it to: The Editor, Tibbett & Britten Times, Tibbett & Britten 

Group plc, Ross House, Windmill Hill, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 6SB, 

United Kingdom. Entry is open to all – whether connected with 

the Group or not. 

? 

What’s in a name 

Yes, it is time for another dip into the Tibbett & Britten postbag, 

revealing the latest batch of orthographically challenged 

correspondence... 

Before retiring, Mike Lunn received a letter addressed to ‘Tiped 

& Britain Group’ at ‘Ross House, 1 Shirley Road Windmill’. This 

can apparently be found in ‘Enfield, Essex.’ As the letter came 

from a firm of travel consultants, we hope that Mike checked his 

tickets carefully before setting off for the airport! 

Perhaps his itinerary included the hotel at Schiphol, Amsterdam, 

which reserved a room for a visitor from ‘Tibet & Trinton’ or the 

Dutch hotel chain that was seeking business from ‘Tibbet & 

Beitler Group’. Our thanks to Hans de Haas, Managing Director 

of Tibbett & Britten in The Netherlands, for sending several 

variations on the familiar theme – we particularly liked 

‘Metra Dibbert en Britten’. 

We doubt if Mike Sweet was overly impressed by a letter sent to 

‘Tipperton Britten’ at Ross House, since it was promoting sales 

and marketing software featuring “full potential customer 

profiling”. 

This edition's raspberry for ineptitude goes to the New York 

securities firm who sent a letter to Tibbett & Britten UK which 

the Post Office did pretty well to deliver. Not only were there 

errors in the street number, street name and post code, but the 

addressee was an organisation coyly named 'Tipideu Limited'. 

A £25 Marks & Spencer voucher to Caroline Burrell for sending in 

this appealing entry, and our thanks to everyone who submitted 

contributions. Keep them coming! 

‘Logistico’ 

Competitions 

In the last edition of Tibbett & Britten Times, we launched our 

new series of ‘Logistico’ brain teasers. The Tibbett & Britten Tribe 

puzzle clearly appealed to many readers, attracting a strong 

entry from all over the world. 

Although there were many correct answers received, by no 

means everyone got it right. The solution we wanted was: 

Maximum value of G R O U P = 13 

Therefore, value of T R I B E = 35 

The sender of the first correct answer drawn from the Editor’s 

bulging hat was Irmgard Kott of Tibbett & Britten Austria in 

Vienna. Well done, Irmgard; a bottle of champagne is on 

its way.

Tibbett & Britten Times #22 - Hayes Anderson Limited

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