Averitt Express targets retailers

Hoping to tap into the distribution needs of retailers, Averitt Express is launching a new business unit focused on flow-through, customized delivery services.

The unit, Averitt Retail Distribution Services, will initially focus on retailers in large Southern markets such as Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC, Miami and Lakeland, FL., Houston and Dallas. The service will be expanded into other areas, Averitt said.

“Averitt’s been providing transportation for retailers for more than 40 years now. However, over the past few years, we have begun to make a name for ourselves in the retail arena as we’ve demonstrated our ability to provide the customized service and information required by the world’s largest retailers and their vendors,” said Phil Pierce, Averitt’s executive vice president of sales and marketing.

The company will add “retail distribution sites” equipped with the state-of-the-art conveyor systems and scanning technology necessary for modern distribution services.

“Even as we have become a leader in retail transportation, we have always known there are several segments of the retail supply chain that have fallen outside of our traditional core competency. There are certain services retailers need that we simply have chosen not to pursue because they would require a different model than what we have in our existing LTL, truckload and supply chain operations,” added Pierce. “That’s why we have spent the last several months designing an entirely new unit that allows us to blend our retail knowledge with our distribution expertise and concentrate on this segment of retail distribution.”

To talk more about the service, Averitt officials will be attending the Retail Industry Leaders Assn. (RILA) Retail Supply Chain Conference in Dallas, Feb. 19-22.