New contract wins and disposals have helped logistics giant Wincanton return to the black and post a £13m profit for the six months to 30 September - despite lower sales.

Turnover fell by 11% to £551.2m after it sold its struggling operations in mainland Europe and withdrew from lossmaking foodservice activities.

However, it made almost as much profit as the £13.6m it lost in the same period last year when it incurred £23.7m exceptional costs from the foodservice disposal.

During the most recent period, Wincanton won a five-year multimillion pound contract to operate Morrisons’ first dedicated convenience DC in London. It also picked up a contract to support B&Q’s multi-channel operations and added Ella’s Kitchen and Unilever to its shared user warehouse clients.

“Our strategy to achieve a clear leadership position in the UK and Ireland supply chain market continues to gather momentum,” said chief executive Eric Born.

Wincanton also announced group finance director Jon Kempster was leaving to pursue other opportunities. He will leave when a successor is in place or by 31 January at the latest.

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