Pallet pooling for retailers

Most pallet consumers in Europe use these pooling pallets, rather than buying them. Each member of the pool benefits from sharing pallets.

Retailer’s benefits:

• The pooling (pallet) company compensates the retailer for sorting and storing the pooling pallets
• Pallets have a proven reliable design and are not broken on the territory of the distribution center and shopping malls
• Reduced administration costs, since there is no reconciliation with suppliers of returnable containers; document management for pooling pallets occurs with one pallet operator.

We, OPEN group, together with our clients and partners are testing pooling in Russian realities, we are developing additional “options” for it, which are necessary for Russian members of the pool.

We are often asked: “How is pooling different from leasing of the pallets?”

Despite the seemingly similarities between pooling and leasing of the pallets (indeed, in both cases, pallets are provided by the pallet company for temporary use), these are still different services.

Firstly, pooling pallets have a unique identification: color, marking, and RFID tags. This is to facilitate accounting for the number of pallets in the pool.

Secondly, when renting, retailers do not receive compensation from the pallet company for sorting pallets.