Between two sites in Thrapston and
Rushden, Northamptonshire, the company’s 300,000 sq ft of warehousing employs 180 people and specialises in services to the footwear and fashion industries. “We are unique in that we offer our
customers the full range of services – import forwarding, warehousing, order fulfilment, national and International distribution, specifically for the shoe trade,” Mr Gibson claims. “We can handle full cartons or single pairs, customers can choose one or a full range of the services available to provide a perfect fit to meet each customers needs” He says that the DSV Group has significant
buying power to ensure the best freight rates whether customers are sourcing footwear from the Far East, Eastern Europe or elsewhere. And it also has state of the art logistics
management software systems. “But we recognise that each customer is
different and so we sit down and talk to them to see what they need and how we can help them cut costs and improve service to their own customers.” Working with one customer, DSV
recommended that, rather than transfer stock
directly between stores when there were shortages in size options, it was more efficient in terms of both costs and availability to send the pairs back to Thrapston for redistribution to the branches. Mr Gibson understands that for the smaller
and medium-sized customers, investing in a full EDI interface between the two companies to transfer order and inventory information is not necessarily wise. “We continue to develop tools that are a realistic investment for the level of automation each customer needs. We offer flexible pricing structures that also recognise seasonality and other changes in capacity and demand.” DSV is also handling more e-fulfilment work:
delivering to home addresses for people who have placed orders over the internet. “The smaller independent retailers especially like this service as we do all the order processing for them through our system,” he explains. Mr Bramwell sums it up. “DSV is often our
face to our customers. Our reputation – and business growth – depends, in no small part, on DSV delivering what we have promised. You must have a good strong relationship to give someone that trust.”
Cara Shoes Case Study “It’s not just a matter of shoving a
carton on a truck in Romania and lifting it off in the UK,” says Jim Somerville of Cara Shoes, which has seven branches in the UK.
“It’s about information,
understanding our needs and problem- solving,” he explains when describing his ideal warehousing and distribution partner. “You need reliability, you need to communicate.”
The fact that he has been using the
same logistics supplier since the early 1980s when he set up his business speaks volumes, especially as the company has changed owners on several occasions during that time.
Now, at the Thrapston warehouse of
DSV Solutions, Derek Gibson and his team handle all imports for Cara Shoes, as well as warehousing and delivery to both Cara’s own warehouse, shops and other retailers.
Jim says: “The staff don’t change.
They are good at their jobs and understand the industry and my business. They get to know us and our customers. It is very nice to be able to rely on that stability and expertise.”
Cara Shoes has shops in
Cheltenham, Reading, Bristol, Shrewsbury, Wokingham, Richmond (Surrey) and Henley-Upon-Thames.
DSV Solutions Ltd
+44 1832 736 000
www.dsv.com
MAY 2011 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
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