WINETIME is a nationwide chain of gastro and wine markets, founded in 2010 as part of ASNOVA HOLDING. Today we operate in 14 regions of Ukraine with operational space in excess of 5000 sqm.
The basis of the WINETIME offering consists of products imported from dozens of countries from the Old and New World, as well as exclusive items from a number of smaller Ukrainian suppliers, amounting to over 8,000 items in total.
Who is Winetime?
- 31 gastro & wine markets in 14 regions of Ukraine and online store
- About 8,000 product items
- More than 600 manufacturers, representing Wine & Spirits category
- Over 200 manufacturers, representing Food category
- 500 professionals in the team
- 9 years of experience in Retail business and over 20 years of ASNOVA HOLDING business expertise
How did you hear about K.Hartwall?
“The first time we were contacted by K.Hartwall was in October 2019, when we were invited to attend a Breakfast Seminar in Kiev which was organized by K.Hartwall in coordination with RAU (Retail Association of Ukraine) .
“We were impressed by how many participants from the Retail sector came. It was more than 50 participants, and the top Ukrainian retailers were also there which was great.
“What was also great is that 2 big retailers shared their experience about roll containers and how they overcame the challenges they had as well as benefits from using them.
“We had the opportunity to evaluate the products in real life, so we were able to touch and feel them, which was very convenient,“ said Ruslan Sheptytskyi, Director of Supply Chain at Winetime.
How did you decide on the 4-sided Foldia®?
At a Breakfast Seminar we were first introduced to 2-sided Foldia® which was presented as one of the most innovative roll containers on the market. At first sight, the Foldia® seemed to be a very interesting solution for our operations, particularly due to its impressive empty nesting ratio of 5:1. Being able to store five empty roll cages in its own footprint of 800×680 mm meant a massive space saving in our warehouse, stores and returnable logistics.
In reality, the solution impacts costs throughout the entire Supply Chain. And what is most important, our employees like Foldias® a lot since they were easy to operate.
The most interesting thing was that even though 4-sided Foldia® has additional 2 doors, the folding ratio was the same as the 2-sided model, which was impressive and honestly something we did not expect.
Our next step was to test them thoroughly, so we arranged to visit Varus, one of K.Hartwall’s customers, who were using the same model and let us borrow 30 units for testing.
After that it was clear that Foldias were a perfect fit for our Logistics operation and provided a lot of benefits:
- Faster replenishment in stores 20-30%
- Elimination of stretch foil and time to wrapping
- Lower transportation costs – Better utilization of trucks by 5-10%
- Less product damages which for us if not small since we sell expensive goods
Why and how did you choose K.Hartwall as roll container supplier?
Before we make any major investment decisions, we organize procurement tenders to assess equipment from different suppliers. In final round, K.Hartwall’s Foldia® went head-to-head with a European manufacturer of demountable Roll Containers.
Even though, K.Hartwall’s Foldia® was almost twice as expensive as the demountable alternative, we chose the Foldia® because we believed the solution was better for our Logistics and the Total Cost of Ownership is actually lower when you consider the cost impacts across the entire Supply Chain from warehouse to store shelf.
- Impressive folding ratio 5:1 – less space needed for empties in DC, stores and trucks, 2.5 time less space needed
- Easier and faster unloading for drivers – due to its folding design
- Faster picking preparations – One pallet jack can take 15 empty Foldias® comparing to 6 demountable units
- More ergonomic and safer – no need to lift it up above your head to put one empty unit on another as it is the case with demountable roll containers
- Our employee love Foldia more as it is easier for manoeuvre and handle
- Better steel quality
Also, I must point out that K.Hartwall’s case story about SPAR CH who are also replacing demountable roll containers with Foldia®, convinced us our decision was right.
And finally, K.Hartwall has very good references in Ukraine working with lot of retailers including some of the biggest ones, and we liked K.Hartwall’s approach to provide a solution to meet our logistics challenges rather than just selling another load carrier.
