Feel good fulfilment

Ethical Superstore, which became part of the Whistl Group in 2019, gives consumers an eco-friendly alternative for purchasing everyday items that do as little harm to the environment as possible. Whistl Editor Rina Patel Maisuria talks to General Manager Peter Hall to find out a little more about their operation and why Whistl Fulfilment proved to be the right partner for their business.

What’s the idea behind Ethical Superstore?
We wanted to provide an outlet where ethically oriented consumers could go to buy organic, fair-trade and ethical products, from gifts and gadgets to groceries, clothing, cosmetics and cleaners. In other words a one-stop shop for sustainable shopping with products available both online and via mail order through our catalogue.

What’s been the secret of your success so far?
We’ve never lost sight of our eco-friendly ethos and we always try to source the best possible products that help consumers minimise their impact on the planet. We strive to build trust with our customers by consistently delivering the quality hey expect from an ethically-conscious company.

As an ethically-conscious company, do you support any community or charitable initiatives?
Absolutely! Making a positive impact on society is at the heart of what we do and that’s why we support a number of charitable causes. For instance, in 2015 we launched Food Bank Friday, an initiative that we now run every year on Black Friday where, for every order we receive over £30, we donate a grocery product to Newcastle West End Food Bank.

Last year we sent over £13,000 worth of food and essentials to the Food Bankin time for Christmas. Our customers play an important part in our fundraising. We  know they care about supporting good causes just as much as we do, and that’s why we also give them the option to make a small donation at the checkout to the charities we support.

And from a business perspective, how does Whistl Fulfilment support your e-commerce operation?
Whistl provides a range of fulfilment services for the orders we receive via our online store and through our mail order catalogue. They handle everything from storage and warehousing to providing
customer services and support for our loyal customer base. The great thing about partnering with Whistl Fulfilment is that it gives us that added flexibility to manage peaks and troughs more efficiently and offers the scalability that allows our business to grow. 

And why did you partner with Whistl? 

We have almost 200,000 items in stock at any one time in our warehouse so when we have huge spikes in customer demand we need to be confident that our fulfilment provider has the agility to handle high volumes of orders quickly and efficiently.

Having seen the type of customers that Whistl has on its client list, it proved to us that they must have a vast amount of experience in dealing with peak activity, particularly through the cyber-week period, so the partnership proved to be a perfect match.

What are the daily challenges the Whistl Fulfilment team face?
The average order contains over 15 items which can include anything from large multi-packs of kitchen rolls to bottles of juice and very small spice jars. It takes skill and experience to ensure that every order is picked and packed correctly.

We’re proud of the quality service we provide so ensuring every order arrives in perfect condition and on time is really important to us. When we have huge spikes in demand that commitment can really be put to the test, but I’m pleased to say that Whistl’s Fulfilment team delivers the speed, accuracy and high standards of service that we expect of them every time.

Read the Ethical Superstore Case Study

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