Shopping Basket, a leading supplier of shopping carts and baskets, is committed to eye-catching innovation. ESM met the company's chief executive, Santiago del Solar.
With more than 90% of its sales conducted outside of its home country of Spain, Shopping Basket is a leading name in shopping carts and baskets, with a portfolio of clients including Lidl, Carrefour, Géant, Kaufland and IKEA.
The company recently unveiled the new UP.80 series of compact carts aimed at small-scale retailers, as well as an innovative range of baskets made from 95% post-consumer recycled materials.
ESM: How important is new product innovation to Shopping Basket?
Santiago del Solar: Since the company was founded, we have been very focused on growing our portfolio. Currently, we have received a great response from the UP.80, which is an 'evolution' from a shopping basket to a trolley, as well as the Bravo 110l, which will be one of our main focus products for the coming years.
We have been growing at an average rate of around 20% over the last few years, and last year we grew by more than 40%, with our clients appreciating our first-class service.
ESM: Why did you decide to develop a range derived almost entirely from post-consumer recycled materials?
The Zero Waste range is a reaction to what is happening today in our society. Together with the marketing team, we have undertaken a lot of research in terms of sourcing post-consumer recycled materials – 'recycled from the streets' – and have been able to develop a formula whereby we can say that products in this range use at least 95% post-consumer recycled materials.
We are firm believers in the circular economy – we believe that materials such as plastic has a long-term life. We give it a second chance.
ESM: Tell me about the production process?
We produce almost all of our products at our factory in Barcelona, giving us full control over our value chain. We can make decisions very quickly, which helps in terms of our relationship with our clients.
We sell our products to more than 50 countries, with our main markets being Central Europe, Northern Europe and the Middle East, as well as a growing presence in Russia and Latin America. In some markets, we work alongside a local partner, which enables us to cut transport costs and be a more agile business. We are small, but we are global.
ESM: What are your short-term aspirations for the business?
We are working with a lot of big clients, and we feel it is important to develop a strong relationship with them, to partner with them and develop solutions together. It's not just about producing carts or baskets – we are adapting to their stores, to their logistics solutions, to their expectations around customer solutions. This is now a core part of our business.
For more information, visit www.sbshoppingbasket.com.
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