Tag: UK

DHL & Home Retail Group win European Retail Solutions Award

Posted by | Jul 2, 2007 | |

DHL Exel Supply Chain and Home Retail Group (Argos/Homebase) have been awarded the Project Implementation of the Year title at the European Retail Solutions Awards 2007 in a joint submission for the implementation of Manhattan Associates’ PkMS (Pick Ticket Management System) Warehouse Management Solution.

The implementation at the Argos Direct site in Marsh Leys, Bedfordshire, was the second phase of a long term collaborative project between Home Retail Group and DHL. The purpose of the project was to replace the older paper based warehouse management system for ’two man’ deliveries, with a modern radio frequency one.

The warehouse at Marsh Leys, Bedford, is a 670,000 sq ft facility that can hold the equivalent of 70,000 UK pallets of stock. Every day, DHL make around 6,000 deliveries of large items such as beds, white goods, upholstery, furniture, TVs and gym equipment from this site.

Changing to the Manhattan Associates solution has increased the accuracy of stock management through the ‘two man’ delivery supply chain from receipt of supplier stock to the point of delivery (and of subsequent returns) and has significantly improved productivity.

The implementation was planned over an eight-month preparation period and two-months of phased transition. Transition problems would have impacted customers and incurred significant expense so an approach was devised that would allow the two systems to run parallel.

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Royal Mail in negotiations with postal union leaders for guaranteed deliveries of Harry Poter

Posted by | Jul 1, 2007 | |

Royal Mail in negotiations with postal union leaders to appeal to them not to disrupt deliveries of J.K. Rowling’s latest novel.

Royal Mail chiefs are using Harry in negotiations with postal union leaders to appeal to them not to disrupt deliveries of J.K. Rowling’s latest novel.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the seventh and last in the series, is due to be published on July 20 and Royal Mail has promised next-day delivery to thousands of retailers across the country.

But with postal workers threatening a series of walkouts in a dispute over pay, bosses have asked the Communication Workers Union to ensure that millions of children are not disappointed.

In a letter seen by The Mail on Sunday, Royal Mail human resources director Kevin Green has pleaded with CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward to abandon any plans for industrial action in the week of the book launch.

Mr Green’s letter says: “J.K. Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is due to be released on Friday, July 20, for delivery on July 21, and we will be providing a next-day delivery service for many major book retailers.

Royal Mail has not heard back from the union. But when asked if the CWU would give an assurance that it would not strike on a certain day, a union spokesman replied: “No.”

Royal Mail is also concerned about the launch of millions of Harry Potter stamps on July 17.

On last Friday the union’s 180,000 workers were called out, bringing chaos to the postal service.

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Wales’s minister looks to ban junk mail

Posted by | Jul 1, 2007 | |

Wales’ minister is looking to ban junk mail as part of the Assembly’s commitment to green issues.

The move to boot unwanted competitions, loan offers and credit card applications off our doormats forever would rank alongside the smoking ban as another bold piece of legislation introduced here in the wake of devolution.

The Environment Agency estimates junk mail from households and businesses helps to create 4.6 million tonnes of landfill in Wales every year. In 2004 a National Audit Office report predicted Wales will run out of space for dumping rubbish by 2010.

Ms Davidson’s words echo her proposal last month to ban or enforce a levy on plastic bags in Wales. It is a reflection of the rising importance of environmental concerns among voters.

But any such move would face opposition from Royal Mail, which makes millions every year from contracts with private firms to deliver junk mail.

Responding to the Welsh Minister’s idea, a Royal Mail spokesman spelled out how vital junk mail is to its business.

“Our future depends on it competing effectively in all parts of the market and that includes unaddressed mail. The revenue from unaddressed mail helps keep Royal Mail’s stamp prices among the very lowest in Europe and we believe our customers would prefer our uniformed postmen and women to deliver this mail rather than someone else,” he said.

Figures from industry body the Direct Marketing Association claim junk mail accounts for 814,000 jobs in the UK. In 2005 alone, it generated business worth GBP 107bn.

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Market forces raise the bar for delivery

Posted by | Jul 1, 2007 | |

While retail web sites work to differentiate themselves from stores with web-only features, personalized services, detailed imaging and other tactics, there always will be one thing that separates sites from their braicks-and-mortar counterparts: a reliance on delivery services to fulfill online customers’ orders.

And as shoppers have become more accustomed to online retail, their expectations of timely and reliable delivery services—across a variety of delivery options—have only increased. A comprehensive shipping policy has become a crucial part of e-retailing, experts say.

“A critical component of the online checkout process is the determination and selection of a shipping option,” says Rob Garf, vice president of retail strategies at research and advisory firm AMR Research Inc. “Retailers must offer multiple delivery methods, including overnight, ship-to-store and split shipments, and be crystal clear regarding cost and timeframe.”

For Internet retailing, the average postal rate increase comes to about 6 pct, says David Marinkovich, senior vice president of sales and marketing at DHL Global Mail. “The cost of fuel is having a big effect on retail shippers, but the Postal Service rate change that went into effect May 14 is the most dramatic postal rate change ever,” he says. “Some retail organizations that sell products like CDs, video games, books and apparel are looking at rate increases of about 54 pct.”

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Post workers’ union claims 95% support for walkout

Posted by | Jun 30, 2007 | |

Union leaders have clashed with the Royal Mail about the scale of support for the first national postal strike in more than a decade, which has crippled deliveries across the country.

The Royal Mail said backing for the walkout was “patchy”, claiming that up to 60 per cent of its staff were working nationally and up to 22 per cent in London. But the Communication Workers Union said 95 per cent of its members joined the stoppage, making it the best ever supported strike.

“The Royal Mail’s figures are as ridiculous as their pay offer,” said Bill Hayes, the union’s general secretary, yesterday. “The Royal Mail has been in denial about its workforce rejecting a 2.5 per cent pay offer and is now in denial about the overwhelming support for the strike,” he added.

Picket lines were mounted outside mail centres and sorting offices across the country from 3am. Workers at Crown post offices were also on strike until midday in a separate row over plans to transfer postal services into WH Smith stores.

The CWU warned of a fresh round of industrial action at the Royal Mail unless the deadlocked dispute over pay and modernisation is resolved, but it hopes to restart peace talks.

Managers delivered special delivery items and collected mail from post offices. A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The strike is simply ignoring the reality facing everyone in Royal Mail – that we are no longer a monopoly.” He added: “The dispute is about the whole future of Royal Mail and the absolutely urgent need to modernise, as our rivals have already done.”

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