Warehousing and Distribution: RMS's Partnership with Owens Group

Behind many installation and construction programmes is a significant logistics operation: receiving equipment, storing it safely, identifying where it is required, repacking it and getting it back out to teams and stores when they need it.

Through RMS’s partnership with Owens Group, this has developed into an important extension of RMS’s retail transformation service.

Connecting Logistics with Store Delivery

The warehouse operation provides RMS with a central facility for project equipment and materials supporting programmes across multiple retail clients.

Rather than treating warehousing, transport and installation as completely separate stages, RMS can coordinate the movement of equipment around the requirements of the live project.

This has supported programmes for major retailers including Tesco, B&Q and Sainsbury’s.

The facility has been used to receive anything from individual display components to several articulated vehicle loads of equipment, providing RMS with the flexibility to manage both planned programmes and changing requirements from stores.

Supporting Nationwide Retail Programmes

For B&Q, the operation has supported several recent programmes including kitchen displays, kitchen selector stations and the nationwide kitchen sink transformation.

As part of the kitchen sample station rollout across smaller format stores, RMS coordinated equipment from central delivery through to its final installation in store, connecting the logistics operation directly with the installation programme.

During the sink programme, products unavailable during initial store visits were identified and outstanding requirements recorded.

Replacement display stock was then received centrally, sorted against individual store requirements and allocated to mobile RMS teams. Teams collected the required products before completing a coordinated programme of store revisits.

This removed the need to treat each outstanding store as a separate logistical problem and allowed RMS to manage the completion programme centrally.

Reuse and Redistribution

The service also creates opportunities to move existing retail equipment more effectively.

On Tesco programmes, RMS has supported the removal of equipment from stores, temporary storage and redistribution to other locations where required.

If a retailer identifies an existing fixture or piece of equipment that can be reused elsewhere, RMS can coordinate its collection, storage and onward movement rather than requiring a new item to be sourced.

This provides another layer of flexibility to complex refurbishment programmes where requirements can change throughout delivery.

Receiving, Picking and Repacking

The operation has also supported programmes involving several vehicle loads of project equipment.

Equipment can be received centrally before RMS teams identify individual project requirements, repick and repack the relevant components and coordinate their onward distribution.

Stock can be prepared and allocated to specific stores, installation teams or onward transport, ensuring different project requirements can be managed from one central location.

This creates a controlled point between supplier and store, helping ensure installation teams receive the equipment they require when they require it.

Flexible Distribution

Depending on the size and requirements of the project, RMS can coordinate onward transport using dedicated vans or Owens Group’s wider distribution network.

This provides the flexibility to support everything from small quantities required for individual store revisits through to palletised equipment moving across a nationwide programme.

One Joined Up Retail Transformation Service

For retailers, the benefit is a more connected approach.

RMS can support:

Central receipt of project equipment
Warehousing and temporary storage
Inventory and project stock coordination
Picking and repacking by store or project
Equipment redistribution and reuse
Dedicated van deliveries
Nationwide pallet distribution
Installation and retail construction
Store revisits and completion works
Project management and programme coordination

By connecting these services with RMS’s nationwide installation, merchandising and retail construction capability, equipment can be managed around the needs of the project rather than in isolation from it.

Whether a programme involves a complete store transformation, an installation rollout or targeted completion works, this integrated approach allows RMS to coordinate the right equipment, people and services around the requirements of each project.

It means RMS can support a retail transformation before the first fixture is removed in store and continue through to final installation and completion.

RMS – Leading reliable retail transformations.

Warehousing and Distribution: RMS’s Partnership with Owens Group