10 March 2006 | Anusha Bradley

Tesco is considered to have the best retail supply chain, while the supply chain run by Procter & Gamble is the most admired in the manufacturing sector, according to grocery think-tank IGD.

The results were published last week in a study entitled Managing International Supply Chains: Identifying best practice across borders.

IGD asked 50 senior executives to vote for the retail and manufacturing companies they thought had the best supply chains.

It found successful companies see supply chain efficiency as central to competitive advantage. These businesses take a holistic approach and have integrated their supply chain functions, which means they include staff from sales, marketing and customer services teams, not just those from purchasing, manufacturing and distribution.

Tesco topped the chart, followed by Wal-Mart, Ikea and supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl. Peers considered Tesco to always be "one step ahead".

Respondents believed the best manufacturers were innovative, had effective brand management, were quick to market and had agile supply chains.

Procter & Gamble was admired for its supply chain's "leading edge and scale", while other global manufacturing success stories Dell, Müller and Unilever were also named.

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