In recent years, traditional urban distribution systems have undergone major structural changes as a result of the increasing power of customers demanding greater variety of quality products at a low cost. This has increased the competition between businesses and at the same time more complicated and longer supply chains have emerged as a result of the globalization of many businesses in their search for low cost production locations and access to new skills. In response hub-and-spoke systems are increasingly used to deal with product flows from numerous origins and to many destinations. As a result, a growing number of studies examine the establishment of various forms of inter-modal transshipment centers to minimize the road use in city centers and support the frequent and rapid replenishment of goods at retail and catering outlets. To this end, this paper examines the establishment of a consolidation center servicing nearly 100 businesses that operate in an urban shopping mall in Southampton U.K. Through the review of numerous existing U.K. and international consolidation schemes and the examination of their operational characteristics, this paper aims to identify potential strengths, weaknesses and risks that would impact its operation. Various operational scenarios considering different business take-up combinations, vehicle delivery mixes, fill rates and back-load practices are examined to elucidate the potential transport and environmental effects of the consolidation scheme. To accurately quantify and verify these effects, a multi-stage analysis framework is developed including data collection, map routing, emissions assessment and scenarios building activities.
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