MHW Magazine News and stories from the Materials Handling Industry
Derbyshire-based family butcher J W Mettrick & Son has doubled online sales thanks to efficient "Handled with Care" next day deliveries from APC Overnight. Awarded Best Online Butcher by Good Housekeeping magazine, J W Mettrick & Son works closely with the local APC Overnight depot to ensure fresh, pristine delivery of locally sourced and produced meats for customers throughout the UK.
Through its website, J W Mettrick & Son can offer all the advantages of a local butcher supplying quality products while reaching the entire nation via the Internet and the APC Overnight network. This service has proved a big hit with customers nationwide – particularly in the south of England where there are fewer local butchers because of the domination of supermarkets.
John Mettrick, director, says: "You may be a good butcher, but you also need a good courier and an efficient system to expedite deliveries to your customers. APC Nationwide Express Parcels provides us with an excellent service that ensures our customers get their meat orders when they need them and in first class condition. Our customers are very happy with the APC Overnight "Handled with Care" delivery service and it has been instrumental to the growth of our Internet sales. We see it very much as a 50:50 relationship essential to our award winning business."
Getting fresh meat and meat products to the customer in time, every time, requires a slick supply chain strategy. Customers order online and these are logged immediately into the NetDespatch web-based booking and tracking system, which in turn is connected directly with APC Nationwide Express Parcels in Glossop to book collections. The system also prints the shipping labels and these are attached to the environmentally-friendly insulated cardboard packages ready for collection by the courier.
"The NetDespatch online booking and tracking system enables rapid response. It is extremely easy to use and streamlines order fulfillment. It combines and automates collections and parcel labelling – and, should we ever need to, we can track parcels throughout the APC Overnight network to the point of delivery. In addition it provides us with proof of delivery. It is a good system that makes for efficient procedures and administration," adds John Mettrick.
J W Mettrick & Son has its own abattoir and meat cutting and processing operation. The company works with local meat producers, including farmers in the Peak District National Park who hold the Peak District Environmental Quality Mark for actively supporting good environmental practices in the Peak District National Park.
