Retail Grocery Logistics in the UK

There has been a logistics transformation in British grocery retailing during the last 30 years. Initially, the transformation was revolutionary as retailers gained control over the supply chain, but more recently change was evolutionary as efficiency improvements were enacted. Another step change in managing the retail supply chain is envisaged as established networks are being modified to accommodate e‐commerce initiatives and environmental factors such as recycling and traffic congestion. This paper reports on a survey of 342 senior executives representing grocery retailers, manufacturers and logistics service providers to assess the factors which will impact upon the grocery supply chain within the next few years.