Christmas 2021 is fast approaching. Typically, autumn is when the materials handling sector starts gearing up to stock for the coming holiday season. This year, although the shops are open following the easing of the COVID lockdown restrictions, many people are still buying online and we are anticipating another strong digital shopping period.
With the expected increase in inbound and outbound goods, you may need to revisit your store or warehouse layout to accommodate extra shelving and extra stock. This means planning ahead now and stocking early to ensure you have enough supply to satisfy the anticipated rush, in spite of the disruptions in deliveries. It also means that you probably need to expand your storage capabilities to help you be prepared.
Expanding Capabilities with Storage
That is precisely where we come in! As the UK’s largest manufacturer and supplier of storage and shelving systems, we expand your capabilities with storage. Our products are installed in all sectors and industries and our comprehensive range of storage solutions continue to meet the demand for flexible, rigorous and effective storage management.
We recently engaged with some of our customers who are adapting their available space with additional shelving to create that necessary extra storage. From retail to offices, stores and warehousing, our products have expanded their capabilities with much-needed storage.
One of our most popular shelving systems is Longspan, ideal for storage areas stocking boxed products of various sizes. Our Whittan Apex and Link51 Longspan shelving or widespan shelving is designed for hand-loaded storage of heavy, large or awkward items - perfect for where product holding changes regularly. A beam system which fastens securely onto uprights, it has wider aperture bays which can be tailored to fit exactly within your storage requirements. Add-on accessories are based on a modular design, and allow for simple amendments or future system relocation. The storage system can also be designed as a multi-tier structure and can be used in collaboration with mobile systems.
As Nick Thompson, National Sales Manager at Whittan Group said, “A number of companies like to pick products directly out of boxes rather than decanting and picking from boxes and picking individual products off shelves. In this case, Longspan shelving is a popular solution as it incorporates large runs to hold large boxes that are full of products.”
Nick continued, “At Whittan, we can easily offer additional shelving if you need that extra storage. We can also group different types of shelving together depending on best practise and use things like dividers for smaller picks.”
Our work fits seamlessly with different industry sector requirements. For customers who already have our products installed, we have a great range of accessories available:
- For those in ecommerce fulfilment, Link51 has everything you will need to expand your storage capabilities, improve your inventory control and increase the speed of put away and pick processes.
- We offer shelving with SKU numbers to differentiate products easily. This can be very useful when you’re busier than usual and have more inbound and outbound products.
- With high-end retailers, we know they like to display designer and expensive garments, so we have garment-hanging accessories from Euro Shelving precisely for that retail environment.
- For the general clothing and fashion retailer, Link51 Stormor Shelving also allows for different sized products to be placed next to each other using part-height shelf dividers. This means that if you have a broad range and variety of products, for example t-shirts and toy cars, they can still be stored next to each other using these dividers.
- Our replenishment trollies are perfect for efficient storing and restocking in a retail environment. Designed for safe mobility on the shop floor it is ideal for point-of-sale changeovers, price change ticketing and efficient re-stocking of loose items.
- Our mobile shelving systems, also known as roller racking systems or mobile racking systems, maximise storage capacity and free up valuable working space. They can increase your storage capacity by 70%, when compared to conventional static shelving options.
- Our lockable storage is ideal for valuable items. They are easy to assemble and will help to cope with temporary staff that you might need to bring in during the busy periods.
Adding Temporary Cost-Effective Shelving
Whittan’s storage solutions are so popular because they are flexible and durable. Our specialists can easily adapt basic shelving to suit your needs. If you are considering temporary cost-effective shelving, the Stockrax range is elegantly simple, with single bays that can be assembled very quickly.
Stockrax shelving is ideal for medium to heavy-duty load storage, offering an economic solution for the many everyday simple storage problems. As an adjustable shelving unit, it can be assembled quickly and easily with a simple tap from a rubber mallet providing a purpose shelving system that offers unrestricted access from all sides.
One of our customers using the Stockrax system is a pop-up store on the high street. This summer, they needed additional bays to accommodate extra stock, and they chose Stockrax shelving. It proved to be the ideal solution and was easily assembled as a stand-alone bay. It was also very affordable, and they are now looking to add even more bays as they ramp up their stock for Christmas.
Scaling Up Fulfilment Centres
Another customer operating a fulfilment centre in Northampton recently completed the assembly of 600,000 sq. ft of operational space with Whittan storage systems to help brands scale up and meet the expected increased demand in the coming sales period.
Never Too Early to Start Planning
It is never too early to start planning - this year more than ever. As Nick stresses, “Start thinking now about adapting your space to be prepared for those seasonal peaks such as the Cyber Sales week, Black Friday and the Christmas peak. More work means more people in your operations and more product moving in and out of your stores!”
We know our UK-manufactured solutions work well in any environment. We can also work with you on any larger projects you may be planning such as refitting of warehouses and new fulfilment centres. Alternatively, our one-stop-shop Storage Direct offers great solutions for smaller businesses. So why not get in touch with our experienced team who can help bring you the power of storage this Christmas? Contact us today on 01952 682251 or visit our new rebranded website www.whittan.com!
