Planning a pre-retail packing project requires careful consideration and collaboration with your chosen fulfilment partner. When working with the team at CBF Fulfilment:
Pre-retail packing is the unsung hero of retail readiness — the final step before your products hit shelves, go live online, or land in the hands of your customers. Whether you're prepping for a seasonal launch, a promotional push, or a new retail partnership, outsourcing this process to a trusted third-party logistics (3PL) provider can save time, reduce costs, and elevate your brand presentation.
At CBF Fulfilment, we’ve helped countless brands streamline their pre-retail packing operations. Here are our top tips to help you plan and outsource your next project with confidence:
1. Define Your Packing Objectives Early
Before engaging a 3PL, clarify what success looks like:
- Are you aiming for retail compliance (barcodes, swing tags, shelf-ready packaging)?
- Do you need kitting, bundling, or promotional inserts?
- Are there sustainability goals or brand presentation standards to meet?
Clear objectives help your 3PL tailor the process to your needs — and avoid costly rework.
2. Audit Your Inventory and Packaging Assets
Ensure your stock levels are accurate and your packaging components are ready to go:
- Confirm SKU counts, variants, and delivery timelines.
- Share dielines, artwork, and packaging specs with your 3PL in advance.
- If you’re still sourcing packaging, ask your 3PL — CBF can help with procurement and print management.
3. Choose a 3PL with Retail Expertise
Not all fulfilment providers understand the nuances of pre-retail packing. Look for:
- Experience with major retailers’ compliance requirements.
- Flexibility to handle bespoke packing instructions.
- A collaborative approach to problem-solving and quality control.
CBF Fulfilment’s team is fluent in retail standards and agile enough to adapt to your brand’s quirks.
4. Build in Time for Testing and Sign-Off
Don’t leave packing to the last minute. A good 3PL will:
- Run sample packs for approval.
- Test barcode scans, label placement, and packaging integrity.
- Allow time for feedback and iteration.
We treat every project as a partnership — your feedback drives our precision.
5. Plan for Returns, Reworks, and Replenishment
Pre-retail packing isn’t just about outbound logistics. Think ahead:
- Will you need rework services for damaged or non-compliant stock?
- Is there a returns flow that needs unpacking and repacking?
- Can your 3PL support ongoing replenishment or seasonal refreshes?
CBF’s fulfilment ecosystem is built to flex with your brand’s growth and retail cycles.
6. Demand Visibility and Reporting
Transparency is key. Your 3PL should offer:
- Real-time updates on packing progress.
- Inventory tracking and reconciliation.
- Post-project reporting for performance review.
CBF’s portal gives you full visibility — because trust is built on data.
Ready to Pack with Confidence?
Whether you’re launching a new product line or scaling up for peak season, CBF Fulfilment is here to make your pre-retail packing seamless, compliant, and brand-perfect. Let’s turn logistics into a competitive advantage.
Hand Finishing / Packing Distribution
We can take receipt of goods from multiple suppliers/manufacturers to fulfil your projects. We look after kit builds, subscriptions, marketing pushes and batch releases.
Getting your orders finished and packed correctly is only half our job; we fully respect that knowing how to pack for various channels, including retail, online shopping portals, multiple sites, distributors and agents, as well as e-commerce processing for your customers to have their goods delivered securely and on time.
Keeping you in control, our online tools can help you plan and manage all product preperation, kit building and subscription processing. We give you live inventory levels, solid processes and the capability to build kits online to structure your workflow with us as an extension of your business.
Our team can hand-build, collate and pack your orders according to your agreed spec.
Don't forget we can store your products so you can manage your finished items to be distributed across all channels. Using our software, you can place and integrate your orders for us to ship your goods to your customers anytime, night or day. Our technology, well-documented processes and checks that we have in place working with CBF should be an extension of your business.
Keeping it simple and efficient.
We guarantee a same day dispatch of your goods.
WE STORE
Securely and efficiently in our heated Warehouse
Our warehouse is our own, We have a large space able to securely store pallets, boxes and goods on pick/pack bays ready for your customers to order. Come and see us.
WE PACK
Contract Packing or Order Fulfilment. We are ready!
Daily order processing or contract packing projects, we work with them all. Receiving orders from all sales channels we can pick/pack and dispatch the same day of order regardless of volumes.
WE DISPATCH
Any size of consignment, anywhere in the world.
Our teams work with all packing suppliers as well as the National Couriers, Royal Mail and Pallet Networks all day every day. Talk to them about how to ship your orders securely and efficiently.
Need help getting your packaging right?
We store hundreds of different types of packaging from padded envelopes and postal boxes to mailer bags and larger boxes. We can help you choose the right eco-friendly and sustainable filler options from starch loose fill, air sacs, to branded brown paper fill.
Our suppliers can brand tape for you and produce branded boxes if you need them. Let's work together to get your customers' shipments delivered safely and in style.
Your 3PL Ecommerce Fulfilment, Distribution Centre and Contract Packing partner. Planned, Integrated, Packed and Delivered.
T: 01242 802140
CBF Fulfilment
1-11 Alvin Street
Gloucester
GL1 3EJ
UNITED KINGDOM