Mercedes on the menu for Creed
Creed Foodservice hit on a tasty solution to problems with unreliable vans – by switching to Mercedes-Benz.
The Cheltenham-based company invested in three Mercedes Sprinter 315CDI Long vans, supplied by Mudie-Bond, Tewkesbury.
And they have performed so well, says Operations Director Philip de Ternant, that an order for another seven Sprinters may soon be on the menu.
'We run a fleet of 50 vehicles, from our headquarters in Cheltenham and a second depot in Nottingham,' he explains.
'Many of those are trucks, at various sizes up to 15 tonnes gvw. They’re from a variety of different manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, which has supplied three 12-tonne Atego.
'Our 10 3.5-tonne vans, however, were previously all from one manufacturer. We stuck with them for a while but finally lost patience with their poor reliability, and an unsatisfactory level of back-up when things did go wrong.
'The three Sprinters, in contrast, are proving to be much more reliable and, importantly, Mudie-Bond provide excellent parts, servicing and breakdown cover should we need it.'
He continues: 'My background is in the distribution industry and I know from experience that Mercedes-Benz build high-quality vehicles. That reliability is the key aspect for us, as it’s vital to help keep our promise of a first-class level of service to our customers.'
Creed’s vans cover up to 100,000 miles a year, delivering a wide range of foodstuffs to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools and the like all over the country.
'So they are tested to the limit,' says Mr de Ternant. 'Sprinters are built to take that kind of punishment and at the same time offer a safe and comfortable workplace for our drivers – and the high-quality brand image portrayed by the three-pointed star certainly helps convey the right message, especially when we’re delivering to five-star hotels and renowned restaurants!'