CHEP helps wholesaler utilise empty vehicles

The aim of this partnership is to find new opportunities for improvement in logistics efficiency, worker safety, sustainability and sales performance. Henderson Wholesale supplies over 400 stores from its warehouse near Belfast.

Henderson Group warehouse manager, Alan Abraham, said: "CHEP is more than a pallet company to our business. They act more like a facilitator between retailer and supplier, joining forces with our entire team to find ways to make the supply chain work better for us all.

"They’ve done the research to understand our operations and now they’re bringing us solutions that can help improve areas such as health & safety and supply chain efficiency, which are crucial to the way we operate our business. For example, CHEP identified an opportunity to maximise our transport fleet by utilising empty vehicles. This reduced our carbon footprint and created a revenue stream for us.”

Henderson Wholesale distributes food and grocery-related products to a network of independent retail partners and company-owned stores throughout the country. Working together with CHEP, they identified a potential benefit for their convenience shopping store format by introducing the benefits of easy-to-handle display pallets. These half and quarter pallets are typically used as pre-packaged platforms for promotional displays on the retail sales floor. The platforms provide retailers with flexibility in product placement, better stock control and reduced stock outs, as well as higher sales.

The Henderson Group is an organisation with a strong company ethos. The company’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy sets out a clear vision and goals to continue the development of the business in a way in which it benefits its customers, employees, the environment and society as a whole.

Alan Abraham concluded: "CHEP pooled pallets fit into our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, ‘Tomorrow Matters’. This strategy focuses on People, Place and Planet – three areas that the Henderson Group strives to enrich through various initiatives. Reusable pallets meet our sustainability position. Plus, I know CHEP pallets are durable and reliable. I know that when our suppliers use blue pallets, the flow of goods is not going to be inhibited in any way.”