Logistics

Companies in retail and wholesale heavily rely on efficient transport and logistics to move freight from their shipping point all the way down to the stores. Along the way, there are a number of challenges which can compromise the quality and the timing in which goods are expected to be delivered.

These challenges are related to the security of the cargo during transport, the specific requirements of deliveries in urban areas, the reduction of costs for transport and the elimination of existing barriers or administrative burdens in order to achieve a truly internal market for transport.

Key messages:

1. Sustainable transport: Retailers, wholesalers and traders have already incorporated green efficiency into daily operations and continue to search for efficient, low-impact solutions.
    
2. Multi-modal transport: Retail and wholesale is willing to use all modes of transport. Retailers and wholesalers are keen to improve the efficiency of their logistics operations by using each mode accordingly, depending on availability, competitiveness, and efficiency.
    
3. No one size fits all: It is vital to develop and maintain a large array of solutions since circumstances of deliveries vary. Greening the logistics chain requires choice of technologies and modes, as well as the development and sharing of good practices.
    
4. Harmonisation of legislation: Underpinning this flexibility, a minimum level of policy harmonisation is desirable, to optimise efficiencies and encourage investment in low impact operations.