Reusable Packaging for Store Replenishment and Site Logistics

Store Replenishment & Site Logistics

The same route every week - so why new cardboard boxes every week? Store and site replenishment runs on fixed routes: head office to stores, warehouse to sites, wholesale to specialist stores.

With the reusable packaging from hey circle this turns into a loop: goods out, return leg filled with returns or folded flat and bundled.

Typical replenishment loops

  • Head office to stores

    Goods and POS material to the shop floor - no cardboard waste in the store. That is how WMF does it.

  • Wholesale to specialist stores

    As at pricon with around 6,200 optical specialist stores - details on eyewear and optics.

  • Warehouse to sites (intralogistics)

    Stock transfers and regular supply across a network of sites.

  • Suppliers to plants

    Components in fixed rounds - see Industrial Suppliers & Component Manufacturers.

  • Chains in the health crafts

    Medical supply store chains supply their branches from head office - see Orthopaedic technology.

How the loop works

The packaging runs on the same route - around 50 cycles on average. Because the shipment always heads for the same sites, the return leg is predictable, and that is exactly what makes the loop so easy here.

  • Pack & close

    • Place goods and POS material safely inside the packaging
    • Close the packaging with the all-round zip for tamper-evident protection - no tape needed
    • Optionally secure the shipment with a security seal

  • Ship

    • Stick the shipping label onto the label holder
    • Hand the parcel over to your parcel carrier as usual
    • Conveyor-ready: the packaging runs through the normal sorting process at parcel hubs, with no bulky goods surcharge

  • Send back

    • Return leg filled with returns and empties - or folded flat and bundled
    • Peel off the old label without residue, stick on the new one
    • Ready to go again for the next round as soon as it is back

Store Replenishment & Site Logistics & reusables: a dream team

  • Fixed routes

    Fixed routes, high frequency - ideal conditions for a loop. The more often the round runs, the bigger the advantage over single-use.

  • No waste at the store

    Stores no longer dispose of mountains of cardboard - the packaging goes back into the loop. The return leg works twice over: filled with returns and empties, or folded flat and bundled.

  • Save three times over

    Reusable packaging avoids up to 94 % of waste and 76 % of CO2 emissions. Packaging costs drop by 53 % on average, too.

  • Robust & conveyor-ready

    Tested at up to 400 kg stacking load, running through the normal sorting process at parcel hubs - with no bulky goods surcharge. Traceable via the IT system with GRAI code, keeping stock and cycles per store in view.

  • Regulation

    With the PPWR, reusables move from nice-to-have to requirement. Build the loop now and you are prepared.

Matching packaging

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WMF: store replenishment in a loop

WMF supplies its stores with goods and POS material in reusable boxes from hey circle - the return leg runs filled or folded flat and bundled. Another reference: pricon supplies around 6,200 optical specialist stores, with 90 % of deliveries already reusable.

With the reusable boxes we are taking an important step towards sustainable and future-proof logistics processes.

Dominik Drögmöller | Logistics Consumer Projects & Process Manager, WMF

Frequently asked questions

How does store replenishment with reusable packaging work?

The central warehouse ships to the stores in reusable boxes. The return leg runs either filled (returns, empties) or empty: fold the boxes flat, collect them and send them back bundled - an average of 50 cycles per packaging.

Is reusable shipping suitable for store replenishment in medical supply store chains?

Yes: goods travel from the central warehouse to the stores, and the return leg runs either filled or folded flat and bundled - one reusable loop for all locations.

Is reusable shipping worth it for small businesses?

What matters is shipping frequency, not company size: if you work with the same partners regularly, you benefit from the first loop onwards.

How much can you save with reusables?

Our team is happy to advise you on the benefits of reusable shipping packaging for your shipping loop.

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