Proxima Selected by Dairy Crest for Long Term Outsource Contract

LONDON, July 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Partnership sees Proxima revamp and manage £250 million of spend 

Proxima, the global procurement services provider, announces today that it has been appointed on a multi-year contract to manage the costs of all indirect categories at Dairy Crest, the leading British dairy products company.  

Proxima will manage approximately £250 million of spend for Dairy Crest, whose brands include Cathedral City Cheddar cheese, Clover, Country Life and FRijj. The company delivers milk to around 750,000 households via their "milk&more" doorstep delivery service and is listed on the London Stock Exchange as a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Starting from June 2014, Proxima has been enlisted to assist with all indirect costs, in areas such as fleet and logistics, corporate services and supply chain.

Proxima's role includes identifying and implementing initiatives to enhance the commercial value of Dairy Crest's supplier relationships as well as the management of indirect categories in support of the company's wider long term strategy.  At the heart of this approach is the objective of improving performance and aligning the benefits of success across the entire organisation and supply chain.

Simon King, Procurement Director, commented: "Proxima demonstrated expertise across all categories of indirect spend at Dairy Crest. Coupled with the ability to deploy specialists in a quick and flexible way and a pure focus on procurement, we are looking forward to working together to deliver significant results."

Matthew Eatough, Chief Executive Officer of Proxima added: "We are proud to be working with Dairy Crest and help this successful company achieve greater commercial value. With such heritage to draw upon, we see fantastic opportunities for Dairy Crest and Proxima to work together to deliver outstanding results, which will enhance value for the company and its partners for years to come."

About Dairy Crest 

Dairy Crest is the number one British owned dairy business, employing 4,500 people. Our four main consumer brands are Country Life, Clover, Cathedral City and FRijj.

As well as our branded business, we are one of the UK's largest purchasers of fresh milk, buying around 1.9 billion litres every year.  We source our milk directly from around 1,100 British dairy farmers.  

Dairy Crest is the leading doorstep milk delivery business in England and Wales delivering to over 750,000 households.  milk&more is a flexible, on-line service, delivering fresh, local and organic produce to the doorstep.  

About Proxima: 

Proxima, a leading global procurement services provider, is the alternative approach to the conventional in-house procurement function. We focus on aligning an organisation's third party costs with their corporate aims and helping companies spend well and maximise value from their operations. We address one of the most complex problems facing modern businesses - the extent to which most operations are now carried out by suppliers, and the lack of control associated with that - and turn it into a massive opportunity.

Proxima manages over £6 billion in operational spend from clients across a broad range of industries including consumer products, financial services, healthcare and media and entertainment. Proxima is headquartered in the U.K. with U.S. offices in Chicago and Los Angeles along with a significant European footprint. For more information, please visit http://www.proximagroup.com.

Notes to Editors
Dairy Crest
Olivia Seccombe, External Communications Manager  
Olivia.Seccombe@dairycrest.co.uk    
+44(0)1372-472249

Proxima
Chris Gayner                                    
+44(0)20-3465-4546
chris.gayner@proximagroup.com

FTI Consulting, for Proxima
Jamie Robertson
jamie.robertson@fticonsulting.com                        
+44(0)20-3727-1444

Francesca Boothby
francesca.boothby@fticonsulting.com                        
+44(0)20-3727-1054