Over the past two decades, returnable transit packaging (RTP) has become a familiar feature in supermarkets up and down the country. With more than 18 million Maxinest® trays sold in the past two and half years, it now comes in 20 different varieties and represents a core part of produce merchandising for all the major supermarket chains. Its success means that typically you will see Maxinest® merchandising between 80 and 90 per cent of grocery produce in store.
A recent study with one supermarket chain showed how LINPAC Allibert bread trays helped to achieve replenishment of stock 10 times more quickly than previously leading to an increase in sales of 17 per cent. From an aesthetic point of view the trays can be arranged in neat rows giving aisles a clean, crisp outlook and offer better display utilisation, meaning products can be seen and selected easily, which is valued by customers and a boon for sales.
Never complacent about the success of these products, LINPAC Allibert continues to innovate to help retailers achieve sustainability goals, cut operating costs and deliver environment benefits, while still aiming for one-touch replenishment in-store with containers that will look good for the consumer next week, next month and next year.
If you consider that typically a plastic container goes through the grocery supply chain cycle around 24 times a year for as many as seven or eight years, then a lot of focus goes on making sure that it can still work as hard as a merchandiser as it does in the supply chain.
The next generation Maxinest®+, has been designed and developed to meet the demands of automated warehouse environments, and we are now working with retailers on the next generation of folding trays, which will deliver even greater savings in the supply chain while being able to hold and present goods even more effectively.
The potential for RTP as a merchandiser is very exciting and new applications are being considered all the time. For instance, plastic beverage stacking trays for large bottles of fizzy drinks deliver packaging savings and for distribution are stackable to a height of four pallets, but are also safe and easy for consumers to access while presenting the product in a neat and stylish way.
It is the simplicity and practicality of RTP that makes it so appealing, and increasingly LINPAC Allibert is working on solutions for the rapidly growing segment of small format supermarkets and home delivery as the grocery supply chain continues to evolve.
LINPAC Allibert
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