Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) has extended its contract with DHL Supply Chain for the operation of the Heathrow Consolidation Centre (HCC) until October 2012.
The contract is worth around £9m (US$15m) a year and involves the consolidation of deliveries to all the 323 retail and catering outlets, pubs and restaurants within the airport.
DHL has managed the HCC since 2001 and said the new contract had almost doubled in size, supporting significant investment at the HCC, including a new mezzanine floor that will increase capacity.
Retailers deliver inbound goods to the facility, 2km from the airport, where DHL cross-docks merchandise, manages a booking system and security screening process and delivers to both landside and airside stores.
By consolidating 700 in-bound deliveries a week into 300 outbound, the centre achieves significant environmental and operational benefits.
In 2008, a total of 218,000km were saved from the consolidated deliveries on the DHL fleet, including an electric vehicle, which amounted to 158 tonnes fewer carbon emissions and a significant reduction in congestion.
