Share of real cases from customers
The Client:
CandleHub UK – a fast‑growing wholesaler based in Manchester, supplying 350+ gift shops, garden centres and hotel chains across the UK and Ireland. They had doubled their revenue year‑on‑year for three years, but their supply chain was breaking under the pressure.
The Pain Point:
CandleHub’s previous supplier (a large factory in Vietnam) required one single shipment per order – all 20,000–30,000 candles arriving together in a 40ft container. That forced them to rent extra warehouse space (£3,200/month) and tie up £140,000 in inventory for months. Their sales were seasonal: 60% of revenue came in September–December, but they had to order in March. By August, they were paying for expensive external storage. By January, they were sitting on 8,000 unsold Christmas candles.
Worse, the lead time was 90 days from order to door. Any hot new scent (e.g., “gingerbread latte”) would arrive two months after the trend died. Their stock‑to‑sales ratio was 4.2:1 – extremely inefficient.
The Solution We Proposed:
We introduced our Split‑Shipment / JIT (Just‑in‑Time) Program – specifically designed for wholesalers with seasonal peaks.
3 staggered shipments instead of one bulk delivery.
First shipment (40%) – delivered 30 days after order (air+sea hybrid).
Second shipment (35%) – delivered 55 days after order (pure sea).
Third shipment (25%) – delivered 75 days after order (sea, but held at our consolidation hub until triggered).
Additionally, we offered a “last‑mile flex” : CandleHub could change the scent mix for the third shipment up to 20 days before departure. That meant they could reorder fast‑selling scents and cancel slow ones.
The Process (Step by Step):
Day 0 (March 10): CandleHub’s founder, Sarah, called after a disastrous Valentine’s season. We reviewed her historical sell‑through rates. She needed 24,000 candles for autumn/winter – 8 scents.
Day 5: We sent wax and wick samples (3 rounds). She approved a new crackling wood wick and a higher fragrance load (9% instead of 7%).
Day 12: Production started on the first 9,600 units (40%). We used our express line: 7 days from wax melt to box.
Day 22: First shipment loaded onto a sea‑air combo (sea to Rotterdam, air to Manchester).
Day 30: 9,600 candles arrived. CandleHub paid only for this tranche – no upfront for the full 24,000.
Day 55: Second shipment (8,400 units) arrived by sea directly to Felixstowe.
Day 70: Sarah called: “The Spiced Apple scent is flying – 85% sold already. Can we swap the last 6,000 units from ‘Winter Pine’ to more Spiced Apple?” Yes – we had kept the wax base and fragrance oils in stock. We reformulated in 2 days.
Day 75: Final shipment (6,000 units, now Spiced Apple) left our factory. Arrived Day 83.
The Result:
Lead time for the first available stock dropped from 90 days to 28 days. Sarah had candles on shelves in early April for Mother’s Day – a season she previously missed.
Warehousing costs fell from £3,200/month to £1,150/month (a 64% reduction). She no longer needed external storage.
Stock‑to‑sales ratio improved from 4.2:1 to 1.8:1. Cash flow freed up: £48,000 less tied up in inventory annually.
No leftover Christmas stock – the final shipment adjustment avoided 4,000 unsold candles.
Sarah’s quote: “You gave me a supply chain that bends, not breaks. Now I order based on real sales, not nine‑month‑old guesses.”
Why Our Factory Wins Here:
Hub‑and‑spoke logistics – we maintain buffer stock at our Rotterdam consolidation hub. We can split any container into 2–4 shipments without charging extra freight.
Dynamic recipe switching – our batch tracking system lets us change scents for an already‑scheduled production slot in under 48 hours.
Pay‑as‑you‑ship financing – no 100% deposit. You pay per tranche, reducing financial risk.
For UK and European wholesalers, we turn 90‑day nightmares into 28‑day realities – with no waste, no warehouse bloat, and no missed trends.
