Thomas Ridley achieves BRCS certification and upgrades fleet

Members of the transport and operations team celebrate gaining BRCS certification.

Following a prolonged period of investment across Thomas Ridley’s 100,000 sq ft storage and distribution site, which includes 20,000 sq ft of frozen warehouse space, the Suffolk-based foodservice company has now achieved the BRCS globally-recognised certification for storage and distribution.

Described as the most rigorous third-party certification of its kind, this standard is designed to build confidence in the supply chain and assure customers that all products are safe, legal and of high quality.

Mark Murphy, executive logistics manager at Thomas Ridley, commented: “We’ve been doing a lot of work over the last year to really review and modernise our operation and improve how we do things here at Thomas Ridley, so to be able to add BRC to our list of accreditations now is really great news. We pride ourselves on the level of service we provide our customers, and certifications like this really help to show that we’re doing everything right, and as our customers would expect.

“We work with a high proportion of schools, hospitals and care homes, as well as hospitality and leisure customers, so being BRC certified will help to provide that extra peace of mind that we’re working to the highest, global standards for food storage and distribution. I’m confident that this will open up new opportunities for us going forward, with regards to securing new, larger contracts, which require this certification as standard.”

The news coincides with an upgrade to Thomas Ridley’s delivery fleet – six new DAF LF trucks have just arrived at its Bury St Edmunds site.

Fitted with enhanced environmentally-friendly technologies, these vehicles are much greener than previous models as well as safer and more comfortable for the drivers. The new additions to the Thomas Ridley fleet can also carry much larger multi-temperature delivery loads, meaning that delivery routes can be streamlined and optimised even further to reduce the wholesaler’s carbon footprint.