About Company Shop
Providing surplus product solutions, the Yorkshire based, Company Shop Limited, has been working alongside retail, branding and manufacturing industries for almost 50 years helping them reduce waste and see a return on items that may have been devalued. Such items can end up in the hands of Company Shop for countless reasons including seasonal stock changes, package re-branding, products nearing their sell by date or slight damage to packaging, all of which would be hard to justify the total waste of those items. Company Shop buys or receives donated surplus stock, which include food and drink products and household goods from their industry partners before redistributing them. The service Company Shop provides generates an economically viable solution whilst helping to protect our environment by helping reduce landfill waste.
From their head quarters and distribution centre in Barnsley, South Yorkshire the surplus stock is re-distributed to member-only Company Shop superstores, where the items are purchased at largely discounted prices. Solving problems for society, the planet and their partners, Company Shop offers one simple solution with multiple benefits. Over the course of a twelve month period, Company Shop handled 70 million items, created 56 million meals and redistributed 23,607 tonnes of surplus items.
Expansion
As the world becomes increasingly aware of the need to protect our planet, demands for the surplus services provided by Company Shop has risen. The business has spent the last five decades gradually expanding and opening more stores, however a new 55,000sqft purpose built Distribution Centre and super-store in Leicester is an exciting new opportunity for Company Shop to expand their services in the South. This second distribution centre is the company’s largest investment in the last ten years and is part of a long-term growth plan with further distribution centres and super-stores in the forecast.
The Requirement
Company Shop’s Head of Operations, David Jackson was looking to implement a suitable pallet racking solution ahead of the opening of the Distribution Centre. The need for a simple solution combined with flexibility, immediate access and cost effectiveness Davidwanted to evaluate all options available. Our technical designer David Hollieswas able to provide several configuration options all uniquely designed to match the needs of the business and its operations. Even when requirements changed including the decision to include additional chilled and frozen storage sections David was able to look at the plans again and quickly incorporate these changes. The various pallet racking options most suitable included wide aisle pallet racking (APR), push back pallet racking, drive-in pallet racking and mobile pallet racking all of which were easy to amend so that any additions requested by the client could be incorporated.
Our designer David Hollies said“Assessing the space and obtaining a clear understanding of the client’s requirements meant I could present multiple options in the form of plans and drawings to illustrate how each configuration would work within the Distribution Centre. Seeing the solutions in this form gave the client a clear visual insight to each configuration and potential storage capacity”
The Solution
After considering the many options, David opted for the cost effective, highly versatile wide aisle pallet racking solution also known as standard APR. This is a very simple yet dynamic system with plenty of flexibility. It can be adjusted quickly and easily to suit the changing needs of the business, making it the optimal choice for Company Shop. Designed to perfectly suit the space, this pallet racking solution offers close to 2,000 pallet spaces within Company Shop’s warehouse and has the ability to store all product types including chilled and frozen items. The profiled steel structure consists of end frames, beams and uprights with additional safety protection components including upright protectors and end of aisle barriers. These are designed to safeguard the warehouse by protecting the structure from moving handling equipment such as fork lift trucks. The system offers great visibility and direct access to every pallet using the assistance of a fork lift truck to reach above ground rack levels.
Once the order was placed, the project was handed over to WSL’s Project Manager Sam Rowley who began planning for the installation of the new storage solution.
The Installation
On the 24thof August, Project Manager Sam met the installation team on site. The project began with Sam overseeing the delivery of the pallet racking component parts and plant equipment to ensure nothing was missing. Our installation team worked alongside Company Shop warehouse staff to ensure goods already in the warehouse supporting the live store on site were unaffected by the build. As the build progressed, loaded pallets were moved away from the construction areas whilst ensuring they were still fully accessible when needed. Without disruption to the operational store within the same building, the distribution centre was completed by just three installers within ten working days and Company Shop now has enough pallet racking storage spaces for 1,996 pallets.
The end result
WSL were prompt and accurate during every stage and completed the project within the agreed timescale which allowed Company Shop to begin distributing their surplus products much quicker than they were originally expecting. As they continue with their growth plan, we wish them every success and look forward to working with them again in the future.
To view the video case study for this project, click on the video link at the top of this page.
If you’re considering a new storage system, like Company Shop were and would like to learn about the options are available to you, call our team today on 0113 204 5350 or email sales@wslmail.co.uk. We will arrange a site visit by one of our designers who will assess your space and take time to understand your business operations, your goals and requirements before taking you through all available options before providing plans with a free no obligation quotation.
