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Metro continues French expansion

Expanding Metro’s road freight coverage and service offerings in France adds further capability to the company’s strong network and enhances closeness with customers in the region.

For retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, distributers and all types of shipper, our French import and export services support your deadlines consistently, to make your supply chains more efficient and support your cross-Channel relationships. 

Reacting positively to customer demand, Metro is expanding coverage in France to serve 80 locations across the country, with daily groupage services to/from Paris, Lyon and surrounding areas, providing the ideal balance of lead-time, capacity, frequency and cost.

In addition to daily groupage services, our road freight team offer express, part load and full load services, with equipment for every type of cargo, including refrigerated, hanging garments, outsize and hazardous goods.

Cargo is received continuously at our freight centres for daily groupage departures to and from destinations across France and for urgent shipments we provide an all-in price, transit time and booking for Express van shipments, including guaranteed next day delivery. 

To ensure that your cargo has a smooth and hassle-free Channel-crossing our driver’s customs compliance documentation is barcoded for swift and seamless ‘Smart Border’ transition. Along with dedicated ETSF (External Transit Shed Facility) in the UK and France for document discharge and customs control of inventory consignments.

And because your French customer may not want to arrange import clearances we have solutions which mean you can complete transactions with them as simply and seamlessly as if it were a domestic transaction.

The Delivered Duty Paid or ‘DDP’ Incoterm means the exporter takes responsibility for the transport of the goods and customs formalities in France, and by clearing the goods into free circulation in France and the EU you have taken the burden away from your customer.

Leverage our extensive knowledge, local expertise and unrivalled customer service to enjoy efficient, tailored solutions that meet your supply chain needs, with end-to-end supply chain visibility and milestone tracking.

Metro’s road transport solutions incorporate dedicated vehicles moving on set routes for security, with defined delivery deadlines and use GPS tracked trucks to provide full transparency on transit schedules throughout the UK and France.

Our road freight teams are located close by major manufacturing and transport hubs in Birmingham, Desford and Wythenshawe. To explore the potential of French services EMAIL Richard Gibbs to begin a conversation.

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Supporting the Monsoon Accessorize Trust

The Monsoon Accessorize (MA) Trust was formed in 1994 to give back to the communities that the business source from. It has financed 262 sustainable development projects around the world, to deliver life-changing support to over 240,000 people and with your support it could do even more.

Helping women and children through education, health and income generation, the MA Trust has also supported emergency relief campaigns in India, Ukraine and most recently the Earthquake in Turkey and Syria, as well as for charities in the UK, such as  Grenfell.

The genesis of the MA Trust came after founder, Peter Simon’s overland journey to Asia, where he developed a strong compassionate interest in supporting women and underprivileged children, by tackling the key issues of healthcare and education.

Over the last 25 years MA Trust have worked with over 200 partners to deliver some life-saving and impactful developmental projects; from supporting survivors of domestic and sexual abuse by building a refuge centre to creating a sustainable livelihood for elderly women.

Since its formation in 1994 the MA Trust has raised over £7 million, providing grants for education, tackling poverty and community healthcare, while also running charitable projects that generate income and empower people.

This year, The Monsoon Accessorize Trust turns 30 and to celebrate this milestone and especially their projects and people on the ground, they are running a charity week from Monday 20th to Sunday 26th May, with a target of £150,000 to give back to vulnerable communities.

As a valued partner of Monsoon Accessorize we have contributed towards their target and would like to invite you to celebrate with us by making a contribution to the Monsoon Accessorize Trust. Simply click HERE to make a donation.

From raffles and pub quizzes, to sponsored marathons and charity bike rides, there are many ways you can help contribute to the cause. Click HERE to get the MA Trust Fundraising Pack.

 

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Strengthening global partnerships: India

Metro’s main board recently completed a multi-city tour across India, as part of a strategy to fortify existing partnerships with key suppliers and to carve out new avenues for growth, by direct engagement with prospective customers.

The visit spanned several major cities including Mumbai and Bangalore, with multiple engagements and discussions focused on exploring opportunities within this key market.

The carefully curated itinerary and interactions were aimed at reinforcing the supply chain robustness, quality and continuity of the products and services offered.

Positive engagement with Jeena, Speedmark, 20Cube and Hapag-Lloyd strengthened existing relationships and laid the groundwork for future collaborations. The agenda was clear: to reinforce Metro’s commitment to its partners and to explore avenues for mutual growth and development.

India, with its vast industrial landscape, is a pivotal market in key verticals including automotive, industrial, retail, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and it is the potential for growth in these areas that triggered discussions on long-term strategies and partnerships that would benefit all parties.

Signalling the board’s intent to expand Metro’s regional footprint, meetings were held with several large prospective customers, which focused on understanding their needs and aligning the business to support their success in the longer term.

The visit is a testament to the company’s proactive approach to business development and recognition of the importance of strong partnerships. By investing time and resources into these face-to-face interactions, the company is setting the stage to drive continued growth and success in the economically vibrant market in India and the wider sub-continent.

As a business we have several promising leads and look forward to further developing these opportunities through strengthened relationships that solidify Metro’s presence in these key global markets. The road ahead is promising, and with the insights gained from this tour, the company is well-positioned to navigate the complexities of this market with confidence.

We look forward to sharing future updates.

Our commercial and operations teams work closely with our partners across India and surrounding regions, processing air, sea and sea/air shipments.

If you have any questions, rate requests or would like any further information on our capability in India, please EMAIL our Chief Commercial Officer, Andy Smith.

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Metro is a certified Great Place to Work

Metro has been officially certified as a Great Place to Work, in an accreditation that recognises our commitment to create an outstanding, rewarding workplace, with a strong focus on building a positive culture and supporting individuals.

Great Place To Work (GPTW) Certification recognises employers who create an outstanding employee experience and is dependent on the successful completion of a two-step process that includes surveying employees and an audit of their workplace.

Anonymous employee feedback, independent auditing and expert analysis determine the certification outcome which, if successful helps job seekers identify an employer that genuinely offers a great company to work for.

The Great Place to Work team applies data from thousands of organisations to gain deeper insights, with targeted feedback and benchmarking to encourage continuous improvement. 

We wanted to see how we compared to industry peers and other businesses, but also to listen to where we can improve, so that we can be the ’employer of choice’ for the next generation of logistics and supply chain professionals.

Going through the GPTW certification provides a comprehensive measure of employee engagement, trust, wellbeing, HR and management practices, with Metro’s combined scorecard 40% above the threshold required to become Great Place to Work certified.

Metro’s Managing Director, Grant Liddell said “This is another important milestone in Metro becoming the employer of choice in our industry and I am personally delighted to know that my colleagues enjoy our work culture, feel safe, valued and treated fairly.” 

“I know that Metro is a great company to work for and this certification will attract new talent to share that experience, because it gives our HR team a recruiting advantage. They can demonstrate a globally recognised and research-backed verification of positive employee experiences that define a Great Place To Work.”

If you, or someone you know, would like to work with a progressive colleague-focused business, please EMAIL Paul Moss a CV, with covering letter.