Weber Distribution, a leading third party logistics and supply chain management provider for 85 years, announced today that it has signed an extended multi-year contract with Applica Consumer Products, Inc., a marketer and distributor of appliances including leading brand names Black & Decker' and George Foreman', Juiceman', Breadman', Russell Hobbs' and Littermaid', to take over the management of facilities based in Little Rock, Arkansas; Toronto, Canada; and to continue overseeing its facility in Redlands, California, effective immediately.

Under the new contract, Weber is handling existing operations of Applica's 560,000 square foot facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, and 100,000 square foot facility in Toronto, Canada. Weber is managing all of Applica's storage, warehousing operations, label generation, inventory control, and retail compliance requirements throughout the United States and Canada.

In 2008 Weber assumed responsibility for Applica's 993,986 square foot facility in Redlands, California that handles all inbound containers from the Port of Los Angeles. At the facility Weber manages Applica's products for shipment to retailers nationwide, including Walmart, Target, Sears and Kmart. The Redlands facility also serves as a replenishment center for Little Rock, which services retailers such as Macy's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kohl's, and Toronto services all Canadian retailers including CTC, Walmart Canada, and Sears, to name a few.

According to David Harris, Vice President Supply Chain Americas, Applica had a successful relationship with Weber Distribution at the Redland's facility so this was the obvious next step. 'Distribution operations are not a core competency of Applica and we did not want to make that investment. This was a strategic decision to work with Weber Distribution and leverage their expertise. We wanted to move to a more variable pricing model and partnering with Weber will allow us to do that."

Weber also manages Applica's retail compliance for all of the major retailers' specific routing, shipping and labeling requirements.

'Weber's relationship with retailers allows us to grow our customer base more quickly and better manage our expenses and inventory levels,' said Harris.

'Applica is a leading provider of household appliances and they have an exciting growth plan ' we are proud to be managing their North American supply chain,' said Bill Butler, Weber's President and CEO.

'From Southern California to the Midwest to Canada, we are committed to meeting Applica's needs with dependable and innovative logistics solutions. And, we are very excited about managing their facility in Toronto ' a major hub for Canada.'