The United Kingdom Warehousing Association has released news of a new membership category. As part of this expansion by the Association, businesses that manage their logistics or supply chain operations in-house will be welcomed as part of the Warehousing Association.

The companies that are among the first to make the most of this new category created by the UK Warehousing Association are John Lewis, Homebase and Claire’s Accessories. The UKWA was created as a trade body for third party warehousing and logistics companies, and until this most recent change, the Association has only been open to businesses that deliver third party logistics services, and the suppliers of equipment and other products to this warehousing sector.

Peter Ward, the Chief Executive Officer of the Association, Peter Ward has said that the creation of a new category for membership has come after an increased demand for the knowledge services and best practices available from the UKWA. Retailers and manufacturers are wanting to gain access to the information on offer from the UKWA more frequently, showing the demand for the Association to widen their membership opportunities.

With the upcoming changes in the logistics sector, aside from Brexit, will have significant impact on the sector. Developments are expected in this sector that are unprecedented and occurring quickly. Therefore, it is important to allow businesses from the retail and manufacturing sector are involved in the UKWA and with their other members in order to shape the supply chain and make the most of these developments, while also protecting against any risks these changes may pose.

With the expansion of the UKWA a space has been created that will encourage discussion between retailers, manufacturers, third party logistics and their suppliers. The opportunity for communication that has been created by the new UKWA category is expected to benefit the management of the modern supply chain significantly.