The contract will involve Mitchell's managing the delivery of IRSAP's radiators and heating appliances to a chain of hundreds of leading DIY stores across the country.

The deliveries will be made via the Palletways national distribution network, of which Mitchell's of Mansfield is a key member.

Oliver Hynes, IRSAP's Sales & Marketing Director for the UK & Ireland, said, "Our decision to choose Mitchell's of Mansfield and the Palletways network was based on a number of criteria including levels of service and cost.

"However, being an Italian company, relationships are of the utmost importance to us, and it was the people at Mitchell's that really clinched the deal.

"We are looking forward to growing our business in the UK with the help of Mitchell's and Palletways."

Andy Morris, Sales and Marketing Director at Mitchell's of Mansfield, explains, "When we pitched to IRSAP, we knew they were looking for deliveries to DIY stores across the country and we were actively involved in the company's meetings with the DIY retailer.

"We are delighted that a key factor in IRSAP securing the contract was the logistics solution they put forward to their client."

IRSAP's products are distributed from Italy to Palletways consignment stockholding facility Stargate Logistics in Lichfield, West Midlands, where they are stored.

When the customer places an order, the products are picked accordingly and moved to Palletways national hub, which is adjacent to Stargate Logistics.

From here the Palletways network delivers the products to the DIY stores around the UK.

As Stargate Logistics is situated close to the national hub, the customer can place orders late into the evening for next day deliveries to individual or multiple locations.