UKREiiF connects people, places, and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformational investment.
This 3-day event is the perfect storm. Bringing together a spectacular array of key decision-makers from every area of the built environment, including the public sector, with every core UK city and region involved, alongside government, investors, funders, developers, housebuilders, and more.
UKREiiF has become the must-attend event in the industry
The sheer number of regional combined authorities, local councils, and government departments that attend UKREiiF every year – as well as the largest investors, developers, and end-users from across the UK (and internationally) – supports this statement.
Get your tickets to be amongst all the key players, influencers, and decision-makers within the investment and real estate markets who are preparing to gather in Leeds. mission statement: UKREiiF connects people, places, and businesses to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformational investment.
As the 2025 event looms closer, the organisers are excited by the sheer size and potential of what’s on offer.
This 3-day extravaganza is a perfect storm – bringing together a spectacular array of key decision-makers from every area of the built environment: the public sector – with every core UK city and region involved – alongside government, investors, funders, developers, housebuilders, and more.
The UK needs this platform for the public sector to showcase the scale of development progress and profile future investment opportunities to investors, developers, and occupiers from around the globe that are based right here in the UK – this event does just that.
There is a $367B ‘Second Hand’ opportunity hiding for parcel locker networks, argues Francesco Tribuni (pictured below), Sales Manager and Industry Expert for Bloq.it
One of the joys of being part of the parcel industry is that innovation is continuously in the background: there’s no day, week or year without radical changes. Those changes are more often exogenous, therefore always enabling new opportunities in the first and last mile.
The most promising one I see nowadays is coming from circular economy: second hand, peer to peer, resale, repair services (…) call it whatever you’d like. It is a growing market, with global second-hand apparel market likely to reach $367B by 2029.
Francesco Tribuni
So, what makes this so appealing?
It is not the ‘resale’ in itself as we’re all accustomed to it, but rather the fact that we can upgrade from a neighbourhood market level, which takes place once per week and with limited local reach, to online platforms connected with hundreds of millions of users. At this moment in time, we can now buy and sell online to a worldwide audience in a few clicks, buying a shipping label for a few €/$/£/¥, and also building a private business that could escalate to a 6 figure level.
How can Logistics support it and add value?
From a customer perspective, and especially for private users, online sales/purchases will start from the usual checkout, where logistics is perceived as an integral and not separate part of the process. Amazon has accustomed us to feel the shipping process as an easy thing, consumers like EASY processes. Also, don’t forget that +90% of private sales will have an average order value lower than the original price, due to this shipping cost must be cheaper, to be cheaper it must be self-service and with fewer steps.
Parcel businesses have the potential to support and add value through C2C services where the standard ‘A to B flow’ (A = Pickup Address, and B = Delivery Address) is radically different. Let me list some below:
– Instead of ‘addresses’, A and B are Parcel shops & Parcel Lockers. – Shippers will buy labels on demand, no account needed. – Labelless and boxless shipments: Parcel shops or Drivers will label and box products to be shipped. – Parcel Lockers can be a temporary storage space. – A to B is valid for both outbound deliveries & returns. – Shipment will be prepaid, and Shipping Costs will tend to be cheaper. – One Delivery Driver can potentially handle 500 to 1K parcels per Day. – Cross Border is the New Normal, consumers are more open to buy abroad if the product is made available at an affordable price and transit time.
The forecast is quite clear: parcel and postal business can ‘extend’ its portfolio and revenue stream by accessing the mass of citizens (consumers) that are willing to resell their preloved things gathering dust in their homes. The potential market of C2C is enormous. And how should we logistics operators ‘deliver’ this change?
I see 2 ways: – First – develop as fast as possible what’s above with a reliable and updated tech stack (people value convenience) together with an extended OOH Network where Parcel Lockers can play a crucial role. – Second – ‘transform’ the Logistic Arm of a Second Hand Marketplace. This is what Amazon, Alibaba and most recently Vinted have done in recent years, after using Couriers as suppliers for years.
Lastly, a final thought about parcel lockers. It’s easy to call them ‘machines of bent metal’, but the real truth is that a smart parcel locker is the tech and logistics upgrade of a delivery driver (that won’t end nor replace their job): – More deliveries per day. – Little to no failed attempts. – Customized UX while picking/returning a Parcel. – Savings on Shipping Costs. – Modularity can enable additional parcel capacity for peak periods
I’m biased on this topic, I know. But it’s safe to say that the future of every online order is already here.
The Port of Dover has welcomed the UK-EU deal announced today, which represents a significant and positive step forward in resetting and strengthening the vital cross-Channel economic relationship. As the UK’s primary gateway for trade with the European Union – handling approximately one third of all UK-EU goods trade – Dover is uniquely placed to see the tangible benefits that reduced border frictions will bring.
“We particularly welcome commitments to simplifying trading and travel arrangements and removing barriers such as Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks on animal and plant products, which we hope to see implemented as quickly as possible,” said a Port spokesperson.
Short Straits
“This deal directly reflects the priorities discussed at our recent Short Straits Summit, where leaders across maritime, logistics, infrastructure, government, and business called for frictionless trade, regulatory cooperation, and a shared commitment to innovation and decarbonisation. An improvement in border processes will not only restore confidence for businesses and investors but also drive economic growth and supply chain resilience, and we are pleased to see these objectives recognised in today’s agreement.
“Looking ahead, we are committed to working with the UK Government, French Government and European Commission to implement this deal effectively and maximise shared prosperity either side of the Channel. Today’s announcement marks a fresh chapter in UK-EU collaboration, and the Port of Dover stands ready to deliver the full potential of this renewed partnership for the benefit of communities, businesses, and economies on both sides of the Channel.”
Pride of Burgundy arrives at Dover
As the UK’s busiest international ferry port and a vital gateway for the movement of people and trade, Dover handles £144 billion of trade per year, 33% of UK trade in goods with the EU and welcomes over 11 million passengers.
Supply Chain Agility
Matt Gregory, Senior Vice President of Voice & Mobility at Infios, told us: “With border checks easing on UK food exports to the EU, local food growers and manufacturers will be celebrating this opportunity for smoother sales with Europe.
“To be able to meet this potential increased demand, supply chain agility will be critical, especially in the food industry. Perishable items such as meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables require strict temperature and humidity control from the moment they leave the farm to the moment they reach the consumer. This need for consistency adds a layer of complexity to logistics.
“Technology will be critical to ensure the global supply chain can adapt to these changes. Tools such as predictive analytics can help anticipate supply issues before they occur, while real-time inventory tracking allows businesses to stay ahead of shortages and avoid overstocking.
“Warehouse Management Systems can also provide retailers with a clear view of what’s in stock, where it is and when it needs replenishing, helping prevent both waste and missed sales. When integrated with Transportation Management Systems, delivery routes can be optimized, arrival schedules communicated in advance and order cycles better aligned with consumer demand.
“When factoring in temperature sensitive products, IoT-enabled monitoring systems are invaluable in tracking temperature, humidity and vehicle location in real time. This not only ensures consistent environmental conditions but also provides immediate alerts when deviations occur, allowing teams to respond before products are compromised.”
Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) eCommerce sales keep increasing. Good news for retailers, logistics and warehouse operators, but not necessarily if many items are sent back after receipt. David Priestman reports on how reverse logistics can be made less challenging.
“Amazon-style returns for D2C brands,” is what ReturnBear’s CEO, Sylvia Ng (pictured, below), told me her company can offer when we met at Manifest Las Vegas. International ecommerce returns management is the forte and niche of the Canadian company she leads. “Some buyers know they will return items when they buy them,” she states.
Returns rates in the D2C brand sector average a whopping 35%, with clothing and fashion being the largest sector for returns by far. “Electronics, home goods, and beauty products tend to have high return rates,” Ng adds. “Electronic goods often face issues with buyer’s remorse or compatibility concerns, while homeware goods like furniture can suffer from size mismatches.”
Sylvia Ng
Returns cause inevitable supply chain headaches, but how can they be ameliorated? As a 4PL (fourth party logistics operator) ReturnBear, based in Toronto, work with brands to lessen the costs and complications of returned, unwanted goods. In 2024, ReturnBear surpassed the 1 million returns milestone, processing over 1 million returns through its end-to-end system, which includes a returns portal and automation software.
“Merchants face high costs and returns take too long,” says Ng, adding that sustainability issues also press brands and retailers to lessen the, often, long load back. When a consumer wants to return one item or more and be refunded a retailer merchant first has to provide them with a shipping address label. Ideally, the consumer should get an instant refund but do the first mile of the return journey – namely to take the re-packaged parcel(s) to a returns centre.
Keeping it Local
If a brand merchant sells in multiple countries ReturnBear keeps the products local. The company has such a facility near us, in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, that receives all British returned items and keeps them in the UK for re-despatching. When the item(s) are received back at the returns centre they can be checked, inspected and re-packaged or tagged ready for delivery to the next customer, without going all the way back to the retailer’s warehouse or factory, which is usually far from the consumer and often in a different country.
“Merchants can easily sell in a hundred countries overnight using global selling platforms,” Ng tells me, “but there is no easy way to get returns back. Our expansion into the UK market is part of our vision to be the first global end-to-end platform for single-day returns. The new MK facility is run in partnership with Reship and the expansion coincides with us extending our support to clients.” By entering the UK market, ReturnBear can now offer a suite of reverse logistics solutions to enable merchant retailers to provide good experiences without a direct local presence.
“Cross-border eCommerce continues to outpace domestic growth, driven by increasing consumer confidence in international shopping and the expansion of global fulfilment networks,” Ng says. “However, challenges like returns, duties, tariffs, and logistics complexities remain key pain points – ones that we help brands navigate.” There is a need to streamline returns processes and improve customer experience.
ReturnBear offer merchants package-free and label-free convenient return points as an alternative to returning items by post. The company claims that as much as half of return logistics costs can be saved by this method. There are over 1000 such return drop-off points in Canada, covering 80% of the population there. “While Canada is our primary operational base, we operate in the US, UK and Australia with dedicated returns warehouses that help merchants receive, verify, and process returns. Where applicable we forward fulfil the returned inventory to local customers, preventing the need for merchants to ship product back to centralized warehouses that are typically across borders or oceans. With this service we reduce the distance travelled by returns by 40% and therefore reduce emissions by the same amount. We’re seeing strong demand in the US, UK, and Australia for this service which is very aligned with our strategic expansion.”
Stopping Fraud
Cross border returns, with pre-clearance, commercial invoices and shipping manifests are provided. What about bulk shipments? “Our batch consolidation model allows brands to reduce the cost and environmental impact of returns by grouping multiple returned items together before they are shipped back to a warehouse or resale location. Instead of processing individual return shipments, items are collected at regional hubs and shipped in bulk – lowering logistics costs, reducing carbon footprint, and improving efficiency.”
“Fraud prevention is important, so we verify that the correct item has been returned if a refund has been actioned by the scanning of the returns shipping label,” Ng explains. “Merchants can easily sell in a hundred countries overnight using global selling platforms. But there is no easy way to get returns back. Our expansion into the UK market is part of our vision to be the first global end-to-end platform for single-day returns,” she added. “Consumers check for convenient returns before buying, and merchants must meet consumers’ expectations to grow in local markets. ReturnBear provides a simple way to do that.” And we all must keep the consumer happy, right?
Logistics Business magazine, together with the Information Factory, have produced a new 8 page digital magazine on logistics cost allocation: how to calculate and allocate costs in logistics operations. Editor Peter MacLeod talks to iFactory CEO Robert Jordan to understand how transport and distribution businesses can use a tool that accurately determines costs. Learn how to drive revenue and boost profits in logistics.
A few years ago, The Information Factory produced a Cost Allocation Tool for DHL Express that today is deployed globally by the renowned logistics and courier company. It has now been developed into a tool suitable for the broader logistics sector: LogiCAT has the potential to offer users a true competitive advantage.
Operating in a commercial landscape with these wafer-thin margins means that understanding the true cost of operations has never been more critical. Yet, somehow, many organisations still seem to be operating with only limited visibility into their actual costs, relying on aggregated figures and educated guesswork that can often fail to inspire confidence among decision-makers, finance departments or those in customer-facing roles who need to know how much they have to play with when neck-deep in negotiations with a client.
Logistics Cost Allocation
Logistics Cost Allocation
This was precisely the challenge facing DHL Express several years ago, according to Robert Jordan, Founder and CEO of The Information Factory. “A few years ago, DHL reviewed its costing approach with a view to ‘turbocharging’ it, ” Jordan explains. “DHL, being extremely customer-focused, approached it from the customer end. They wanted to get customer profitability sorted, because they discovered many customers were engaging them for services that weren’t profitable.”
The fundamental question was simple yet profound: How do you accurately determine profitability? Traditional costing methods based on the previously mentioned largely estimated calculations had led to the creation of an environment where stakeholders didn’t fully trust the cost data they were seeing. “Someone clever in finance insisted that the costing had to reconcile to the general ledger,” says Jordan. “They took the general ledger and said, ‘these are our costs because we know what they are.’ It has to absolutely reconcile to the general ledger.”
The result was a shift to Activity-Based Costing (ABC), initially implemented as what Jordan describes as a “black box” system, namely opaque, difficult to understand and hard to modify. The Information Factory’s mandate was to replace this with a transparent solution offering clear visibility into costing rules and their application, along with the ability to refine these rules over time.
