Supply chain firm CHEP has worked with suppliers to a number of UK retailers in order to reduce the number of store-built cardboard display units and introduce more of its quarter pallet platforms into stores.

The quarter pallet is used primarily for store promotions and offers enhanced product visibility and easy replenishment at the point of sale. It’s hoped that increased usage of these platforms can help tackle some of today’s retail challenges, reducing waste and achieving ambitious sustainability goals.

In the three-month run-up to Christmas, there was 414,000 movements of quarter pallets to grocers, which is up 12.1 per cent year-on-year. While the demand for CHEP’s quarter pallets tends to increase during the festive period as brands have more promotions in stores, this major upswing demonstrates the importance grocers and retailers are now placing on improving their sustainability credentials, claims the company.

Sean Field, CHEP’s UK & Ireland store solutions category manager, said: “It’s encouraging to see that the UK’s major grocers are making a commitment to sustainability and switching to our reusable, retail-ready solutions. From many years of knowledge gathering and through in-depth discussions with our customers, we know that the Christmas period is potentially the most challenging time of the year for grocers, with resources, staffing and products stretched to the limit.

“In offering our quarter pallet solution, we’re hoping to maximise sales across the shop floor by bringing our customers’ products to the front and centre of stores and essentially deliver a more sustainable Christmas with more shopper impact and lower damage rates to stock. We hope to continue growing this trend in the coming years – and for quarter pallets to become a permanent fixture in all modern grocery stores.”

CHEP is part of the Brambles Group and operates in more than 55 countries, with its largest operations in North America and Western Europe.