The distributing used by ASDA
ASDA is the second biggest supermarket in the UK. ASDA will need a successful distribution system because they are a busy supermarket and they will get delivery a couple of times a week. Because ASDA sell their products so cheap then this means that they will sell out of their products quite quickly so they will need a good amount of stock in their warehouse. Most of ASDAS products will get supplied by road because this is cheaper. ASDA will get the products form all over the UK and Europe also they will try and buy off their local suppliers because this will gain for the environment and also it would be cheaper. ASDA were the number one home delivery supermarket in the UK and this means that they will have different distribution channels for the delivery systems. ASDA and Tesco would have the same system team that pick, pack and deliver millions of customer’s orders to the right place at the right time.
ASDA warehousing and vehicles
ASDA need to have a distribution system chain with a capacity for frozen, chilled and fresh goods as well as ambient packaged products. ASDA have to know exactly how much they are going to sell so that they sell their products and so they aren’t left with too much stock that they cannot sell. This would help ASDA maximise their sales to their full potential. Because fresh food doesn’t not last that long it has to be handled and delivered to the shops in a rather quick manner.
ASDA home delivery
ASDA was known to have the best deliver system for a supermarket in the UK. ASDAS delivery system is highly utilized. This means ASDA have a whole new set of logistics and distribution channels. ASDA have a fleet of delivery vehicles with the facilities to store fresh, chilled, frozen and ambient goods. ASDA would have a separate distribution centre for the deliveries so that it is simple and clear. ASDA will have to have their distribution centre for deliveries well organized to pick pack and deliver millions of orders across the UK at the right place at the right time.
Food retailing responsiveness
This would be where the food is fresh and would need to be timed right and the accurate amount of quantity would have to be delivered. This food would not be shipped because it would take too long. For example if they were to ship fruit form Africa in to the UK then it would be off by the time they got it because fruit only last for a short period of time. Food retailers would have to get the seasonal demands right because in the summer more fruit will grow and they would have to take advantage of this so that they can make their profits. This would maximise their sales.
Being current
Being current with food retailing is selling items such as BBQ Equipment in the summer because more people have BBQ. Also you would be current with such items as salad because this only lasts for a very short period of time and it does not grow all year long so it is key for customer demand. For example in the summer there is more fruit and you would have to supply more to other countries in the hot weather because more people will eat it.
Providing choice
By providing choice you offer customers more to meet their demands. Because customers want products all year round retailers now have to source form all over the world to throughout the year to supply their customers with these products. For example strawberries were only available in June a few years ago but now you can get them all year round. Also retailers would have to ship round the world for items such as watermelon and coconut because they do not grow here. By retailers doing this they are providing more variety for their customers and this enables them to maximise their profits and also meet the demands of the customers.
Cost effectiveness
Retailers have to be crucial with their costs because they won’t be able to afford to air all of their products in so they will use road transport and air transport for the disruption. Air is the most expensive way of transport and will needed to be used only when strictly necessary for items such as fruit or fish because these are fresh products and will needed to be provided to retailers as soon as possible. This requires careful planning and balancing the costs so that you bring in the right products at the right time.
Similarities between food and clothing distribution
The similarities between food and clothing is that they will both needed to be delivered quickly because there will be a high demand for both. When a popular brand of food or clothing comes out then they will need to supply it a soon as possible. Both food and clothing will be sourced from all over the world and it will be expensive to distribute both of them. Both food and clothing will be supplied in large quantities because it is cheaper this way.
Differences between food and clothing distribution
The differences between food and clothing is that they will air food in and they will not for clothing because food needs to be fresh and the clothing retailers get more time to bring products in so they ship them in. With clothing the designs come out a while before they go on the selves so they get time to get the distribution right. Also food will need to be distributed quicker than clothing because of foods products needed to be fresh. With food they are always flying in the same kind of fruit and fish so they don’t have to get the distribution as right as they do with clothing because it takes longer to ship cloths in and you have to wait for the designs to be made so that the retailers can copy them and make their own style.