My blog post yesterday about reports I had heard about NDD discussing moving their deliveries to First Fleet resulted in calls from various people who did want to be named. Some were wanting to find out what I had heard, others want me to name my sources and others had extra information.
I am confident that the report is accurate and that NDD is considering or has considered in this past week a commercial relationship with First Fleet. Whether it happens or not is another thing. I would have thought that newsagents and publishers would be against such a move as NDD and First Fleet would be the only stakeholders to benefit. For example, without the opportunity to share costs, newspaper publishers and others using trucks currently used by NDD would have to either pay more or make alternative arrangements.
While I accept that NDD must put its business needs first, the experience of 2004, when Gotch and Network moved to First Fleet, and the resulting fall in the quality of distribution services must concern them. In making the move they would lose a point of difference.