Allport teams up with top retailers to address South East Asia supply chain opportunities

International supply chain and freight forwarding company, Allport Cargo Services, has joined forces with leading global retailers to share innovation and best practice in international supply chain logistics.

The collaboration forms part of Allport Cargo Service's third Global Supply Chain Seminar, which was hosted at The Shard in London and saw major retailers come together to explore issues facing the industry.

Attended by retailers as diverse as Jack Wills, Debenhams, Pets at Home, Boots and Whistles and Karen Millen, the executive briefing was specifically focused on the growth potential and supply chain challenges in South East Asia and the risks of return logistics on customer experience.

Clyde Buntrock, ACS' VP of Group Sales and Marketing, who led the event, commented: "Our supply chain seminars are an extremely valuable forum for prominent retail brands to pool their expertise in order to tackle issues facing global supply chain management.

"Ultimately, this will enable us to collectively maximise the potential in new and emerging markets and our latest industry event provided real insight and practical advice for delegates."

Allport Cargo Services has eight strategic investments across South East Asia and is currently developing sophisticated in-country solutions in what is widely considered to be a promising market.

The recent event was held in partnership with Retail Week and was chaired by the publication's Head of Commercial Projects, Charlotte Hardie, who discussed the complexities of retailing in South East Asia and the unique nature of each country.

Speakers at the briefing included:

• Dr Carlo Bonura, Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS, The University of London, whose presentation discussed the economic and political reality of growth in this highly complex market and the perennial difficulties of corruption, weak regulatory capacity and infrastructure needs. Though complex, Dr Bonura explained, the market is full of promise.

• Asbjorn Kops, Director of Trade and Marketing at Maersk Line. With Maersk responsible for one in five containers moving to and from the UK and Ireland, Asbjorn Kops discussed the importance of ensuring sustainability in the emerging South East Asia market. The presentation included an overview of the state-of-the-art feeder network Maersk operates in South East Asia, its commitment to development in the region and the ways in which the business manages its CO2 emissions as the world's largest container shipping company.

• Jeffrey Van Haeften, VP Global Sales, Emirates Sky Cargo, who provided insight into how increased passenger quantities have been driving cargo volumes. The company has invested heavily in developing its cargo arm, increasing its aircraft fleet by 251 and developing two new facilities, including a new temperature controlled cargo warehouse in Dubai, connected to locations worldwide.

• Dion Stojsavljevic, General Manager at TIC (Reverse Logistics), whose presentation examined the growing issue of returns logistics, a challenge currently facing global retailers with the return of 30% of online purchases, 3.5% of which are fraudulent. Dion discussed the importance of great customer experience (CX), emphasising the need to educate consumers at the point of return and the value of making every transaction count.