The Swain Group’s logistics capability helps The Toy Store move on time and below budget

Relocating retail operations can be complicated at the best of times. However, when the requirement is to remove and ship the entire contents of a major 23,000 sq. ft. store from London's Oxford Street to the Middle East, things – inevitably – become much more complex.

This was the challenge facing major international retailer The Toy Store when it decided to vacate its Central London store - above Bond Street tube station – and relocate the entire operation, including all stock, fixtures and fittings, to Dubai in the Middle East. The Toy Store entrusted this responsibility to logistics specialists The Swain Group who were able to manage the entire project – from initial sales enquiry through to project completion – delivering on time and below budget within just three weeks.

Chris Ashton who headed up the project on behalf of The Toy Store said: "We knew we needed a professional managed services operation to co-ordinate the packing, shipping and international relocation of our entire London operation to Dubai. The Swain Group was recommended to me and a representative was on site within just 24 hours to provide a detailed specification and removal plan. Impressively, The Swain Group had considered the logistical challenges related to our location on one of London's busiest streets – particularly given the large volumes of stock that needed moving.

“The Swain Group not only provided a competitive quote, but also underpinned its proposal with a comprehensive services offering – from an initial site survey through to detailed guidance on shipping requirements, packaging and transport equipment, and on-site project management” continued Chris. “ Their attention to detail, experience, strong communication and responsiveness was essential to ensure the project ran smoothly. This was delivered seamlessly and in the end - below budget. I would not hesitate to recommend the Swain team for similar challenging projects in this and other sectors”.

Matthew Sweet, Swain’s Commercial Director added: “From receipt of the initial call we were asked to undertake a quantity survey of the site and review access to support and manage overnight removal at Oxford Street of all the stock and shop fittings, provide all packaging materials, pallets and handling equipment, retrieve back to warehouse for short term storage and load into containers for onward international shipping - all within a 3 week timeframe. Relocation Logistics is an area where Swain can use our logistics experience, international capabilities, specialised equipment, project management and man power to organise and deliver a project like this efficiently.”