BonCulina UK is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Smalley as Head of BonCulina Anywhere, the company’s newly established consumer and home delivery division. With a distinguished career spanning over ten years in the UK’s frozen meal home delivery sector, Smalley brings a wealth of experience to this strategic initiative.

 

Andy Jones, Director & Head of Service Development at BonCulina UK, commented:

“Our mission has always been to make nutritious, affordable, quality meals accessible to as many people as possible. With Mark joining our team, we’re poised to extend our reach directly into consumers’ homes, ensuring that more individuals can benefit from our culinary expertise.”

 

Mark Smalley has held pivotal roles, including Head of Category and later Head of Business Development, within a leading £130 million frozen food home delivery organization in the UK. His extensive background uniquely positions him to lead BonCulina Anywhere’s nationwide distribution strategy.

 

Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Smalley stated:

“I’m thrilled to join BonCulina and embark on this exciting journey. Drawing from my previous experiences, I aim to develop an innovative solution for nationwide B2C distribution of BonCulina’s plated meals, reaching households across the UK. Stay tuned as we craft a service that will set new standards in home meal delivery.”

 

The home delivery market for meals catering to the elderly is experiencing significant growth. As of 2024, the UK food delivery market was valued at approximately £11.4 billion, with a projected annual growth rate of 7.5% through 2028. This expansion is driven by an aging population and increasing demand for convenient meal solutions. Projections indicate that by 2034, individuals aged 65 and over will comprise nearly a quarter of the UK population, underscoring the importance of accessible, nutritious meal options for this demographic.

 

BonCulina Anywhere is set to leverage these market dynamics, offering a diverse range of high-quality, frozen, portion-packed meals tailored to the needs of consumers nationwide.

 

It is time to think about returns again. The need to process items sent back by increasingly fickle customers has become an all-year-round burden across all sectors for third-party logistics (3PL) operators. But there is no doubt that Christmas and the New Year are still the peak periods. The volume appears to be growing. One report put the total UK value of returns at £7 billion as recently as 2022, while a newer report just a few months ago predicted the UK total will be around £27 billion in 2024. Around half of UK online shoppers have returned goods in the past year.

 

These headline figures are doubtlessly driven by the significant rise over the last decade in the number of e-commerce businesses. For these, making it easy to make returns is part of their proposition but is in any case demanded by the rules and regulations that govern online sales. At the same time the majority of larger and established retailers, who are generally served by traditional 3PLs, are also seeing increasing volumes of returns. Some of this will be the result of growth in their own e-commerce activities but is also likely to be because these retailers are offering similar terms for items bought in store because that is what customers expect. At the same time, traditional suppliers of all kinds of product (think building products, car parts, engineering components, gardening supplies etc) that were previously focused on business customers (and are mostly likely served by 3PLs) are now also selling direct to the public through some kind of e-commerce platform. Whether or not business returns have become more common, although it is entirely possible because customers no doubt prefer this option, this blurring of the lines is also contributing to the volumes that 3PLs need to handle.

 

Managing returns – known more generally in the supply chain as reverse logistics – can significantly impact both the financial health and operational efficiency of businesses. The ability to manage reverse logistics effectively is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty and is therefore essential for long-term success. What does this mean for 3PLs and their warehouse operators, and are they using the full capabilities of their warehouse management systems (WMS) to manage this vital process?

 

First and foremost, reverse logistics is going to be a significant factor in the future. Making sure an order is correct and delivered to the customer at the right time and without additional problems will remove one obvious reason for a return. Having an efficient WMS can definitely help with that. The challenge for 3PL warehouse operators is to have processes that can deal with returns efficiently and economically, whatever the reason or source, while at the same time meeting customer expectations. Many businesses offer a seamless service where items can be returned under broadly the same conditions to any location. From a supply chain point of view, it probably matters little whether the item was supplied from an online or real-world location or how or why it was returned. The item will need to be processed in much the same way once it arrives back at the warehouse.

 

Returns management, or reverse logistics, is different to dealing with new stock. Original stock is typically supplied in bulk and delivered into the warehouse in predictable formats with optimised processes. Returns represent a different logistical challenge because they are unpredictable in terms of the timeframe, volume, and condition of the items. This unpredictability can create bottlenecks in the warehouse, slowing down the overall supply chain process. Furthermore, each returned item must be individually inspected, processed, and either restocked, repaired, or disposed of, adding to the complexity. A WMS can play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges by streamlining the returns process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

 

Dedicated Returns Management: a specialised returns function within the WMS can support efficient processes and decision making and provide an effective interface with staff, automated systems, and other business applications, sales order processing, accounts, and more. Many modern WMS offerings include these facilities as standard and have numerous tools to simplify the necessary integrations.

 

Automated Data Collection: technologies such as barcodes, QR codes, and RFID can record and track returned items accurately as soon as they arrive. This reduces the need for manual data entry, minimising errors and speeding up the process. Many suppliers have extended this so that, for example, items returned in-store or collected from the customer’s premises, are scanned at the same time. The information is automatically fed back into the WMS to help with warehouse planning while also providing enhanced tracking and status information to the customer.

 

Efficient Processing: a WMS can automate many of the decisions involved in processing returns. For example, it can automatically determine whether an item should be restocked, sent for repair, or disposed of based on predefined criteria. This reduces the need for human intervention and ensures that returns are handled consistently and efficiently. It can also reduce, and possibly eliminate, the need for wasteful, costly, and time-consuming handling and storage processes. For example, making decisions as soon as (or even better before) an item arrives in the warehouse can remove the need to store it until further action is taken, thereby ensuring valuable space is used instead for revenue-generating activities.

 

Optimised Warehouse Layout: using built-in analytics and other tools, the WMS can suggest ways to configure the warehouse to handle returns more effectively. This might include setting up dedicated areas for receiving and processing returns or suggesting how existing areas can be reconfigured for greater efficiency. Making this sort of change can help streamline the workflow and reduce congestion in other parts of the warehouse.

 

Resource Allocation: leading WMS products support sophisticated task management to optimise the operations of warehouse staff and infrastructure such as lift trucks and automated handling devices. Dynamic and rules-based task allocation ensures staff are always given those with the highest priority, which can change throughout the shift. Dealing with incoming stock and returns might be a priority as deliveries arrive in the morning but preparing outbound orders is likely to be more important as cutoff deadlines approach later in the day, let alone dealing with the immediate demands of same-day deliveries. Warehouse operators can maximise their capacity and ability to deal with the maximum number of tasks by using these dynamic features. They can be particularly important during peak returns season because maximising efficiency and productivity can help to remove the need for additional, temporary staff.

 

Enhanced Internal Visibility and Tracking: a WMS provides real-time visibility into the status of returned items. This transparency allows warehouse operators to track the progress of each return, identify bottlenecks, and make informed decisions to improve efficiency.

 

Integration with Other Systems: WMS can interface with other business applications, sales order processing systems, and accounting software. This integration ensures that all relevant information is updated in real-time, facilitating seamless communication across different departments and improving overall efficiency.

 

By leveraging the capabilities of a WMS, 3PL warehouse operators can significantly improve the efficiency of their returns process. This not only reduces costs but also enhances customer satisfaction by ensuring that returns are handled quickly and accurately. In a competitive environment, the ability to manage returns effectively can be a key differentiator, helping businesses to build stronger relationships with their customers and drive long-term success.

 

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A partnership between Oakland International and Better Pathways has seen remarkable success with the first cohort of participants, and with one participant receiving an offer of permanent employment.

Total supply chain solutions provider Oakland International and mental health charity Better Pathways started working together early last year with Oakland initially sponsoring two people on the Better Pathways LIVE Vocational Pathways Programme as of September, with a total of four participants agreed to be sponsored annually.

Oakland’s Head of Talent Management Kate Hewitt commented: “We were excited to begin this journey with Better Pathways and didn’t expect our relationship with the charity to be as rewarding as it has been to date.

“It is incredibly humbling and heartwarming for all involved to witness how much value it has added to our initial participants, Lee Jennings and Mark Bettam. To see their confidence grow and to be involved in something that really brings joy whilst adding to their self-esteem is incredible. The time that Lee and Mark spent on site was hugely successful and they were a real joy to host.”

After initially sponsoring Lee and Mark, Oakland is now sponsoring two additional places on the Programme as of January 2025, with Lee now employed with Oakland’s catering team two days per week.

Added Kate: “Whilst we are absolutely delighted that Lee accepted our offer of employment, we don’t have expectations that this will be repeated. If it is, we will be delighted.

“Supporting Better Pathways is about giving back and giving people experience of a real work environment. The most important aspect for us is being able to give participants work exposure and supporting them to help build their self-esteem and confidence.”

Mental health and neurodiversity needn’t be a barrier to returning to the workplace with Oakland planning to train several carefully identified team members as mental health first aiders and first responders as part of their support of MHFA – Mental Health First Aid training with their philosophy being to treat mental health in the same way as they do first aid.

Chief Executive at Better Pathways Sue Roberts commented: “We are enormously grateful to have the support of Oakland International for the important work we do, supporting people with disabilities and complex needs into employment, enabling them to live their best lives.

“Corporate partnerships of this nature are an excellent way of involving employees and the broader community in the work of local charities, growing an awareness of the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, and building crucial support networks.”

A Certified B Corporation business Oakland International is a total supply chain solutions specialist and a leader in direct to consumer, case consolidation, contract packing, storage and distribution, food tempering and brand development support for all types of food, servicing diverse markets across the UK and Ireland. They are also experts in saving food and non-food products from going to waste via their distress load management service and aiming to be the first business within their sector to reach Net Zero.

The Better Pathways LIVE Programme (Learning, Independence, Volunteering, Employment) is an innovative and bespoke vocational programme that supports individuals with mental health challenges, learning difficulties, learning disabilities and neuro-diverse conditions and is designed to provide person-centred upskilling and employment support to Birmingham-based participants aged between 18-65, inclusive of people from ethnic minority or socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Brakes, the UK’s leading foodservice supplier, has enjoyed spectacular success at the Cash & Carry Management Chefs’ Own Brand Awards, scooping a massive 22 awards, including the much sought-after Star of the Show for its Portico Pan Ready Cornish Sole.

 

The company, which won around half of the categories available, took home 18 category awards as well as three Best of the Best awards for its Sysco Classic Mighty Pea Croquettes, Sysco Classic Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Medley and Sysco Simply Plant Based Veg & Harissa Chickpea Tart, along with the Star of the Show.

 

Paul Nieduszynski, Chief Executive of Sysco GB, said: “Winning so many awards highlights the depth of our new product development and how hard we are working to drive innovation across the sector.

 

“Our product development teams have done a fantastic job creating products that support customers in developing standout menus which deliver quality dining experiences.”