Combined in a 250,000-square-foot depot Corby and representing a UK fulfilment sector first, iForce's e-fulfilment and multichannel returns service for Sainsbury's new non-food offering is now live.
Combined in a 250,000-square-foot depot Corby and representing a UK fulfilment sector first, iForce's e-fulfilment and multichannel returns service for Sainsbury's new non-food offering is now live.
iForce, the UK's leading multichannel logistics specialist, went live to the general public on 25th July with its service for Sainsbury's exciting new non-food online offering, following the national launch of the leading retail chain's new non-food website.
The service iForce is providing is a first for the UK fulfilment sector as it combines online fulfilment, online returns and retail returns processing for Sainsbury's non-food goods under one roof.
For the first time shoppers can now buy non-food ranges from sainsburys.co.uk– anything from toys to televisions, cups to computers. The newly improved site will initially offer 4,500 non-food products, rising to 8,000 by September 2009 – a step-change in the number and variety of products that can be purchased online from sainsburys.co.uk
iForce is providing its comprehensive fulfilment service for online orders (e-fulfilment) at Corby, managed by its in-house SMaRT software, while the company's Intelligent Routing System (IRS) provides carrier management routing of parcels by weight and value to provide the most cost-effective delivery solution.
The multichannel returns processing service consolidates returns of non-food products bought from retail stores and online. Using another in-house system, called ReSCU, iForce manages the dispersal of the returns via routing perfect condition goods straight back to stock in Corby or the onward sale of raw returns and discounted lines via its Buy-Force platform, which sells single and bulk pallets of all types of customer returns to business-to-business (B2B) customers and the general public. iForce will also recycle obsolete items in accordance with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive to all but eliminate waste going to landfill.
Since announcing the contract in January 2009, iForce said it has partnered closely with Sainsbury's to integrate and configure the Corby facility, with iForce delivering its solution on time by following its established integration process that has achieved consistently good results for all its retail clients.
A number of iForce colleagues were promoted and transferred from iForce's other sites to Corby to create an experienced nucleus for the management team, with additional recruiting of colleagues and supervisors from the local area. iForce forecasts that at peak circa 200 jobs will be created on the site in the coming year.
David James, head of Sainsbury's logistics non-food commented: "We are very pleased to be working in partnership with iForce on this new and exciting venture for Sainsbury's. They have helped us develop an effective and efficient e-fulfilment operation that is fully customer focused and also accommodates our returns operation."
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