A significant reduction in supermarket deliveries during the week and reduced congestion on Britain’s roads in the peak Monday-Friday period is all thanks to Sunday Trading.

There has been a considerable increase in goods deliveries to retailers’ regional distribution centres at weekends as a result of Sunday trading - resulting in a reduction of up to a quarter in deliveries during the week, according to a major survey of food and drink deliveries conducted by SCALA logistics consulting on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT).

As part of the survey, drivers and managers of almost 9,000 goods vehicles, from 109 commercial fleets, carefully monitored on an hourly basis the performance of their vehicles on the road.

The DfT will be publish this survey in full in the near future, but a summary of some of the key findings was presented by SCALA managing director John Perry at the SCALA Annual Logistics Debate on July 12. The subject of the debate was “Will environmental issues force us to think the unthinkable?”

Perry said that deliveries to the on-trade, plus small independent traders still received most of their deliveries Monday to Friday. “Another major contribution to reduction in goods deliveries during peak times is the growth in 24 hour retail operation. Primary delivery fleets make considerable use of night time deliveries but it is virtually non-existent for deliveries to the on-trade, pubs, restaurants and small independent traders,” he said.

Speakers at the SCALA Annual Logistics Debate included from a retailer, food manufacturer, logistics service provider and a spokesperson from Friends of the Earth.

The debate’s key outcome was that more environmental logistics strategies and operations will come, but that this will be as a result of consumer pressure and will require collaboration between supply chain partners and a culture of trust.