Raising a glass to strengthening partnerships

The UK’s largest subscription gin retailer, Craft Gin Club, is extending its relationship with specialist third party logistics provider Europa Warehouse.

At a time when global gin consumption is expected to reach over ten million cases by the end of 2023, brands such as Craft Gin Club are under increased pressure to meet the demand for its subscription boxes. To help deliver an efficient pick, pack and delivery process, the company has extended its partnership with Europa Warehouse, a division of growing independent logistics operator Europa Worldwide Group.

Europa has had a strong partnership with the online gin retailer for over eight years, processing the company’s growing order volumes since Craft Gin Club was founded in 2015.

Following continued expansion (including successful Dragon’s Den investment in 2016), the company has become the UK’s number one online subscription club for gin enthusiasts, delivering boxes of unique, independent gins to approximately 130,000 members.

As consumers’ growing demand for unique and craft-focused drinks continues to transform the industry, ecommerce brands like Craft Gin Club do not need to shoulder the burden of complex logistics management. Europa’s 715,000 sq ft Corby facility supports Craft Gin, which, following £11 million investment, now also houses a high-tech automated picking system.

Craft Gin Club is one of many leading drinks brands, including cocktail, wine and beer retailers who use Europa Warehouse’s bonded facilities to effectively manage their supply chains.

Dionne Redpath, Group Chief Operating Officer of Europa Worldwide Group, commented: “It has been quite a journey with Craft Gin Club, having successfully managed surges in sales following the company’s Dragon’s Den triumph, followed by the huge leap in home deliveries during the pandemic lockdowns.

“Both the Europa and Craft Gin team have continued to adapt, continually looking for ways to improve operations, whilst maintaining a solid team ethos. This partnership approach has given us an opportunity to improve efficiencies, achieving maximum outputs and improving customer experience.”

Craft Gin Club has moved from start-up to scale-up, harnessing Europa’s 3PL expertise to help smaller craft distillers reach its audience.

Jon Hulme, Co-founder of Craft Gin Club, said: “Not only has this partnership bolstered our packing and distribution capabilities, but it also provides us with huge growth potential.

“Europa has bonded warehouse facilities too, which is a specialist activity with significant cashflow benefits. The team’s unrivalled customer service skills, coupled with its warehouse expertise, means we can offer our gin lovers an unparalleled buying experience and even higher levels of delivery performance.”

Europa Warehouse provides a range of value-added capabilities at its award-winning, integrated and bonded sites in Dartford, Birmingham, and Corby, with a combined one million sq. ft of dedicated warehouse and logistics space. The sites are strategically located to optimise supply chains.

Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with three divisions, Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea and Europa Warehouse. The company has been featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for three years. Europa has invested £5 million in its innovative market-leading product, Europa Flow, providing a frictionless flow of goods between the EU and the UK post Brexit. The group employs over 1,400 people with 29 international sites in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Europe, Hong Kong, China and the UAE. The global operator reported a record turnover of £302 million for the last 12 months, and remains on track with its ambitious investment programme.