GPS tracking tech leads to successful court action

The latest ruling, from Northampton County Court, follows a pattern of repeated misuse despite having previously signed an undertaking in 2017 not to use the company’s equipment without permission. The court was presented with evidence that Barkers Bakery had unlawfully retained and repurposed baskets and dollies belonging to Bakers Basco and its member companies to store and distribute their own products.

Despite prior undertakings, it is reported that Barkers continued to misappropriate the property across multiple locations, picked up by Bakers Basco’s investigation team, who uncovered extensive evidence of misuse, backed by photographic, video and GPS tracking data over seven visits.

Emily Gizzi, investigations officer at Bakers Basco, who led the recovery efforts, said: “We recovered our equipment directly from Barkers’ premises and even discovered our baskets in use at third-party customer sites, such as a catering location in Cambridge, which had received deliveries from Barkers using our equipment Despite multiple visits and clear evidence, the defendant continued to ignore warnings, insisting some equipment was theirs – despite having no ownership rights.”

The defendant’s actions date back to March 2023, when the first charge was issued after site visits revealed Omega, Allied and Hovis baskets were being used to store Barkers’ own products, despite clear markings indicating ownership. Two further charges followed in June and October, with more misused and unreturned equipment discovered on-site and in delivery use.

“To date, we have not received any payment in respect of the 3 charges despite sending out chaser letters for the first two… They appear to believe they have the right to use our equipment for their own purposes which they simply do not,” Gizzi added.

Stacey Brown, national investigations manager at Bakers Basco, explained further: “This was not a one-off misuse. In direct contravention of their undertaking to us they continued to cause us considerable expense both financially and practically. They knew the rules but chose to flout them. This is why we took legal action.”

Brown added that Barkers Bakery remains indebted to Bakers Basco in the sum of £7498.98 (inclusive of the Court fee and legal costs on issuing) plus further interest accrued since the claim was issued.

Bakers Basco’s equipment is marked with clear legal warnings and fitted with GPS technology to aid its investigations team in tracking down equipment that drops out of the supply chain. Site visits, supported by video evidence and recovery efforts, formed a key part of the case presented to Northampton County Court.

Bakers Basco operates a nationwide pool of over five million baskets and 500,000 dollies, shared by 25 UK bakery licensees including Warburtons, Hovis, Fine Lady Bakeries, Allied Bakeries and Frank Roberts & Sons. Its mission is to manage reusable assets that reduce waste, cut costs, and lower the environmental footprint of bakery logistics.

Brown continued: “Our members invest heavily in this equipment to transport fresh bread efficiently and safely. When companies misuse it, it increases costs for everyone – bakeries, retailers, and shoppers. We won’t hesitate to escalate matters when our property is taken or abused.”

bakersbasco.com