Tesco reviews its shelf-ready packaging

Tesco is reviewing all its shelf-ready packaging (SRP) following pressure to reduce packaging waste and after accepting that much of the packaging was introduced too quickly, generating inappropriate designs and applications.

“A review is going on to say ‘is it fit for purpose’, because you can’t get more stock out as you did before,” said Tesco supply director Tony Mitchell. “It will be more careful and considered in looking at reducing packaging in SRP.”

Speaking at a recent supply chain summit organised by grocery think tank IGD, Asda supply chain director Andy Ellis agreed that SRP was introduced too quickly and in some cases had caused difficulties. “It’s got to be the right package in the right place,” he said.

Although retailers had been discussing SRP themselves for many years, Procter & Gamble’s customer logistics director Graeme Carter claimed their suppliers were expected to launch it too quickly. “We could have collaborated more effectively and delivered a better solution,” he said. “Not everything needs to be in a tray. Things have moved on, for example: how to deal with packaging waste.”

Part of the problem, said Carter, was that retailers didn’t understand multinational suppliers’ difficulties in rapidly changing packaging for the UK alone to perhaps 50 lines of products sold across the continent.