Barker and Stonehouse hands contract to Teesport (From The Northern Echo)
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Barker and Stonehouse hands contract to Teesport
8:00pm Monday 4th March 2013 in Business News
By Andy Richardson
DEAL AGREED: Teesport
A FAMILY-owned furniture company has agreed a deal to import its goods via Teesport instead of a rival port on the south coast.
Middlesbrough-based Barker and Stonehouse has appointed PD Ports to manage the handling and distribution of up to 15 containers, housing 3,000 pieces of furniture, every week.
Consignments of cabinet, bedroom and upholstery ranges will now come into Teesport instead of Southampton which has handled Barker and Stonehouse shipments for the last two years.
The deliveries will arrive in the North-East before being distributed to the company’s eight stores which includes branches in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Nottingham.
Barker and Stonehouse, the UK’s biggest independent family-owned furniture retailer, was set up in 1946, in Stockton, by two ex-RAF men, Charles Barker and Alex Stonehouse. Current managing director James Barker, said the initial three month trial, which could lead to a long term deal, was part of a strategy to support North-East businesses and boost the regional economy.
He added: “Our loyal regional customer base is the reason we’ve been able to trade for over 65 years. We like to champion local industry whenever possible and by partnering with PD Ports we’re supporting jobs within the community.”
PD Ports business development director, Geoff Lippitt, said: “We are delighted that Barker and Stonehouse has recognised the benefits of using Teesport to import their northern bound goods.
“This strategy, known as portcentric logistics, is changing the face of UK logistics. As a result it places growing emphasis towards Teesport as a key logistics and distribution hub for goods destined north of Birmingham.”
The partnership between Barker and Stonehouse and PD Ports supports the wider port-based logistics activity at Teesport, following the recent £17m infrastructure investment in upgrading the container handling facilities to support a significant increase in volumes.
In the last seven years about 3,500 direct and indirect jobs are estimated to have been created as a result of PD Ports’ activity at Teesport and this is expected to grow by a further 1,000 over the next five years.
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