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Instore: Boots creates new shelf life
Boots creates new sheld life
Boots will soon be revealing the results of a year-long project to revolutionise their shelf filling processes. The project is expected to save the company £80million in efficiency savings. Gavin Chappell, Supply Chain Director at Boots, will present details at the IGD Retail Logistics Summit in London on 2 November 2005.
"The health and beauty retail sector is highly driven by new products and big promotions," said Tarun Patel, Supply Chain Programme Manager at international food and grocery think-tank IGD. "It is important that stock gets on to the shelf quickly and efficiently. Any new innovations that help with the speed of delivery and re-stocking are always going to make savings for the company. Boots will be giving us an excellent example of just what can be done with a bit of investment in time and resources."
The project focused on ‘fit-to-shelf', store delivery and backshop stock minimisation. Most of Boots' products now arrive at stores in large re-usable plastic trays and can be stacked directly onto shelves rather than being squeezed onto the shelf in the cardboard tray they arrived in. These reconfigured deliveries are much more store-friendly, eliminating the need for excess outer packaging like the cardboard trays and plastic shrink-wrap. The responsiveness of the supply chain has also been speeded up to make sure products arrive quickly and shelves get restocked.
"As well as achieving considerable financial savings, Boots has also shown the potential for reducing packaging and waste," continued Tarun Patel. "Stores are now receiving deliveries in bulk outers, which is significantly reducing packaging materials, leading to cost savings for both Boots and its suppliers."
11 October 2006