Supporting UK Retail at Christmas

Christmas, the peak selling season, brings along shoppers in droves. In the UK, over 40% of Christmas shopping is now done online. According to IMRG e-Retail Sales Index, GBP 21.6bn is now spent on eCommerce websites eight weeks before Christmas. These seasonal peaks in demand bring with them a unique set of challenges which need to be carefully planned for or retailers risk experiencing problems which could have big reputational knock-on effects. So what do retailers need to do to cash-in rather than crash-out at Christmas?

If you are a retailer you need different stock levels at different times of the year, and if you need more stock fast from your suppliers, you need a reliable and quick-moving freight forwarding company to manage the process without delay.

What is a Freight Forwarder?
A freight forwarder is a company that organises shipments on behalf of an individual or corporation to get goods from the manufacturer to a customer or final point of distribution.

What does a Freight Forwarder do?
1. Customer clearance:
This information is needed to enable goods to pass through customs.

2. Insurance:
This will be required to protect your goods during transit.

3. Inventory Management:
This is to ensure that the correct items are collected, securely stored and delivered.

4. Documentation:
Documents such as Bills of Lading or Airway Bills may be required by the bank in order to release payment for the goods.

5. Negotiating freight charges:
As freight forwarders ship a high number of goods they tend to get a better rate for transportation on your behalf.

6. Warehousing:
With the ability to run their own warehouses in several locations, freight forwarders are a great investment. They can even lease space in locations that they don’t service themselves.

7. Booking cargo space:
Freight forwarders have the knowledge to know which carriers are the best at serving which location, so can handle the booking of cargo space for you.

Advantages of using a Freight Forwarder:
Using a freight forwarder, whether directly or via your transport and logistics company, can save a lot of time and allows you to concentrate on other areas of the business.

Other benefits include:
Logistics industry knowledge
A global network of freight forwarding agents
Leverage of volume to reduce costs

To find out more about Freight Forwarding or how Uneek Forwarding can help your business, please contact us on 020 8984 0425