Jarrolds acquires next day delivery courier RDM Distribution

Norfolk-based department store chain Jarrolds has acquired next day delivery courier RDM Distribution “to extend its top class customer service from the moment a product is chosen from the website”.

It signals the start of Jarrolds’ investment in logistics solutions, with a planning application underway to redevelop a warehouse on Bessemer Road in Norwich.

As well as enhancing Jarrolds’ own e-commerce service, it will also provide warehousing space to other local manufacturers and suppliers – offering storage and logistics solutions to support their growth.

Nick Steven-Jones, CEO of Jarrolds, said: “This is an exciting move for the business on many levels – it enhances our offer to our customers, it provides a valuable service to our Norfolk business community, and we’re delighted to welcome RDM’s team of 20 logistics colleagues to the Jarrolds team.”

The deal has been struck following the retirement of RDM Distribution’s directors, with the two companies “quickly identifying a mutual fit”.

RDM is part of the APC network, a nationwide next day delivery service. Tom Burdett, Group Director of Finance and Strategic Operations at Jarrolds, commented: “We have been struck by the alignment between our own values and the commitment to high quality service which is the hallmark of the APC brand.”

Jarrolds in an independent family-run business which was founded as Jarrold & Sons Ltd in Suffolk in 1770, by John Jarrold, before relocating to Norfolk in 1823. Its flagship store is at 11 London Street in the heart of Norwich.