Church Establishes Purchasing Office in England

Saints in the British Isles will no longer have to send requisitions to Salt Lake City for Church supplies—an office of the Church Central Purchasing Department was recently established in the Church office building in Litchfield, England.

Heading the new office, one of three outside the United States, is Dougald C. McKeown, former president of the London Temple.

According to Brother Walter B. Cottle, manager of area offices for the Church Central Purchasing Department in Salt Lake City, the British office was opened “to provide a purchasing service and see that the purchasing needs of the Church are met at the local level rather than having all requests sent to Salt Lake City.”

Brother Cottle stressed the improvement in service to the Saints in the British Isles. “The service will be prompt, and our local purchasing staff will be able to answer questions rather than having to wait for an answer from Salt Lake City. We are developing a catalog for the British Isles that will list items available locally.”

Two factors emphasized the need for the center in England, Brother Cottle added. One was the number of dollars the Church in the British Isles was spending, and the other was the distance from Salt Lake City and the time needed to send orders and materials back and forth.

Other Church purchasing offices outside of Salt Lake City are located in Provo, Utah; Rexburg, Idaho; Auckland, New Zealand; and Mexico City.