Cert Octavian

Cert Octavian celebrates biggest Christmas yet as gift packing contracts continue to grow

9th March 2008

Fifty per cent growth in volumes handled since Christmas 2006

Premium product logistics provider Cert Octavian has announced record volumes of promotional packing work for Christmas 2007. Cert Octavian handled 6.5 million Christmas gift sets across three of its warehousing sites at Lutterworth, Middleton and Rotherham, which represents a growth of 50% on the previous year.

This significant increase can be attributed to both the opening of Cert Octavian’s new Lutterworth facility in March 2006, and extensions to several contracts for customers including Beams UK and The Gift Pack Company. An existing relationship with Beams UK was extended to include a contract for 1m gift packs over a 12 week period, and The Gift Pack Company handed additional orders to Cert Octavian, taking the total to 700,000 gift packs handled on their behalf for Christmas 2007.

Cert Octavian was also appointed as a promotional packing supplier to Diageo last year, in addition to its various warehousing and distribution contracts, and has subsequently worked on dollies, merchandising units and pallet display units for five of Diageo’s premium brands – Smirnoff, Bells, Gordons, Baileys and Guinness.

Cert Octavian continues to handle promotional packing for The Body Shop, which equates to half a million packs per year and around 5m components, as well as three million packs, approximately 60 or so variants, and around 20 million components for Coty Inc.

Mike Waterfield, national promotional packing manager, Cert Octavian, said: “With gifting dates such as Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas spread throughout the year, promotional packing is increasingly becoming a perennial trend. Ensuring that your product is on shelf at these key times increases brand awareness and helps to protect market share.”

He continued: “The quality and availability of promotional packs has a huge impact on our customers’ brands. Cert Octavian’s main differentiator is that we are not just a contract packer; we are first and foremost a logistics operator. So robust stock management systems are in place, the relevant HMR&C requirements are covered off, and our network gives us the ability to deliver the finished products into nationwide distribution centres, offering customers a slick and seamless solution.”


Chrys Andradi, UK demand planning manager, Coty Inc. commented: “Coty has a long-standing relationship with Cert Octavian. With a partnership lasting some 18 years, Coty has benefited from continued excellence in the levels of service that Cert Octavian provides, including unparalleled support, planning and flexibility. Coty's packing programme has continued to consolidate and now lasts for in excess of 20 weeks of the year.”

Waterfield concluded: “ Cert Octavian understands the value of brand throughout the various stages of the supply chain, and the 50 per cent growth in promotional packing figures since last year reflects the fact that our customers recognise this. We hope to continue this trend throughout 2008, and have significant capacity for future growth at our existing sites, as well as the potential to open new sites.”

Cert Octavian is accredited by the International Standards Organisation (ISO), the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), and Investors in People.

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Notes to editors:

About Cert Octavian
Cert Octavian is a leading supplier of premium product logistics services and operates across four premium service areas: warehousing, transport, promotional packing and fine wine storage. Cert Octavian provides bespoke solutions to customers from a broad range of industries, from COMAH registration for cosmetics and aerosols packaging to temperature controlled fine wine cellarage.

Its dedicated fine wine storage facility, Corsham Cellars in Wiltshire, provides a specialist service for the fine wine trade as well as private collectors, known as Octavian Vaults. For more information please visit www.certoctavian.co.uk and www.octavianvaults.co.uk

For further information, please contact:
Amie Pascoe
Corporate PR account director
0113 287 8933 / 07917 351 187 / amie.pascoe@propaganda.co.uk