Delivering a knockout fulfilment service

Aston Villa are a Premier League football club with a rich and a continuing legacy. With their fans at the club’s heart, Aston Villa looked for an innovative fulfilment supplier to streamline merchandise processes and prepare for the launch of the new flagship “Villa Store” megastore at the stadium.

Streamlining the fulfilment process

Aston Villa approached Linney ahead of the launch of the megastore. To ensure the in-store demand could be handled efficiently, Aston Villa wanted a new fulfilment process in place. Understanding that speed was of the essence, Linney provided a dedicated onboarding team to manage more than 200,000 units of merchandise.

Optimising stock management with customised processes

Once they were delivered to our fulfilment centre, we catalogued all SKUs using our bespoke warehouse management software (WMS), ensuring stock levels were up to date and products were ready for shipment into store. We carried out additional pre-retailing processes for garment items, with hanging and security tagging completed as standard before they were put in a dedicated garment hanging area, further streamlining Aston Villa’s supply-chain process. When shipped to the store, all garments were transported on hanging rails, making despatch and replenishment as efficient as possible. Once the stock was logged in our WMS, Aston Villa were able to access real-time reporting through our MyCentre reporting software.

Prioritising security measures for high-value merchandise

The high value of stock, meant security was paramount. The SKUs delivered to our fulfilment centre included embargoed items like new-season kit. The secure facility we offer is ideal for Aston Villa’s requirements. By understanding the sensitive nature of the megastore launch and any kit reveals, our fulfilment team established standard security of information protocols to ensure that the physical stock and intellectual property would be secure.

Exceeding expectations with rapid turnaround times

Turnaround times from our fulfilment centre to Aston Villa’s megastore were crucial. As visits to the on-site megastore peak during the football season, the behind-the-scenes fulfilment process needed to match this speed to ensure stock was replenished quickly. Our on-site fulfilment team, is well equipped to deal with high volumes and short delivery windows and can quickly locate and despatch stock. We can offer a 24-hour turnaround for any items ordered before noon, and some items can be shipped and delivered on the same day. These turnaround times gave Aston Villa the confidence to launch their store within the intended timeframe, knowing fulfilment needs would be met.

Scoring quick turnaround times

Keeping up with fans’ expectations means working with an agile fulfilment supplier that can deliver accurately to tight turnaround times. Thanks to Linney, Aston Villa can now be confident that their season sellouts won’t stay sold out for long.

Contact our team today to talk about how we can support your brand’s fulfilment challenges.