Making it specialist

Global logistics firm Norbert Dentressangle is able to further meet its clients particular needs with a fine wine bonded warehouse sited in Buxton.

Norbert Dentressangle’s bonded warehouse in Buxton, UK

With a presence in 23 countries around the world, Norbert Dentressangle offers customers all the benefits and perspective of a major global logistics specialist. At the same time, this is a company that cultivates a very local focus, bringing with it a flexibility to serve the very specific needs of sectors such as the fine wine market. A prime UK example of this can be seen in the firm’s bonded warehouse facility in Buxton, Derbyshire, which is set up to offer ideal storage conditions for the growing number of customers involved in today’s buoyant fine wine market.

Operating as a bonded warehouse for over 20 years, this former munitions depot offers underground storage with the capacity for receiving, processing, storing and despatching over 200,000 cases of wine. In addition to the high security and high quality storage offered at this Buxton site, which is fully equipped with the latest warehouse and transport management systems, the company has also invested in a skilled, ISO 9001-accredited workforce to understand the specific needs of the fine wine market and its clientele. And of course, this local service enjoys the further logistical back up of a truly global firm.

Explaining the attraction of a fine wine division that is, after all, “definitely a smaller scale of business” for the company, Martin Palmer, business development director for Norbert Dentressangle, highlights the growing opportunities within this sector. “Wine is increasingly something that people are looking to invest in,” he observes. What’s more, he finds, “The service tends to be relatively local – people like to have that product physically nearby.” As a result, despite the numerous competitors within this sector around the UK, Norbert Dentressangle has been able to establish a strong footing in the heart of the country.

This Buxton facility represents just one part of an armoury that puts the company in a strong position to achieve its mission to win an increased share of the UK drinks logistics market. With existing clients such as Maxxium and Carlsberg, Palmer confirms: “We’re looking at a number of new drinks customers this year across all ranges – medium-sized companies and also large ones.”

Despite the competitive nature of this sector, he argues: “I don’t think the market is very well served,” explaining: “In the UK a number of logistics companies have grown up as a joint venture on the back of an existing network, but it’s all predicated on the needs of their base client.” By contrast, he highlights the “very entrepreneurial culture” at Norbert Dentressangle, summing up: ”We are trying to work with clients to understand their needs and tailor our service to meet these and offer a dedicated solution.” Thanks to top of the range facilities such as this fine wine bonded warehouse, the company is confident in its ability to take on the specialist end of the market, while retaining all the benefits of its international expertise.