IN Brief:
- Flamingo expects pallet movements handled by IPP to double around Mother’s Day as seasonal demand peaks.
- The flower supplier is managing a 96-hour farm-to-shelf target across a network spanning 19 countries.
- Pallet pooling, forecasting, and connected load carriers are becoming more central to high-velocity, perishable supply chains.
Flamingo is heading into its spring peak with a sharper logistics challenge than usual, as Mother’s Day demand drives a 100% increase in pallet movements handled by IPP.
The flower and produce supplier said the uplift comes as overall demand for its products has risen by 5% year on year. That matters in a business where shelf life, store timing, and packaging availability all move together. For a supplier shipping hundreds of millions of stems, plants, and produce items into UK and European retail, the difference between a smooth seasonal ramp-up and a shortfall can be measured in hours.
Flamingo’s network spans partner growers in 19 countries, with products targeted to reach shelves within 96 hours of being farmed. That puts unusual pressure on transport equipment, handling assets, and turnaround discipline during the first quarter, when Valentine’s Day is followed almost immediately by Mother’s Day. Pallets are a basic asset in that chain, but in seasonal horticulture they become a constraint quickly if supply, recovery, and forecasting fall out of step.
The company said its long-running relationship with IPP has become an operational buffer during those peaks. Instead of carrying pallet ownership risk and idle stock outside the season, Flamingo can draw on pooled assets as volumes climb and then normalise once demand eases. That is increasingly relevant for retailers and suppliers trying to keep service levels up without locking more working capital into packaging and handling equipment.
Vanuza Machado, UK inbound logistics co-ordinator at Flamingo, said: “We’ve been working with IPP for more than 10 years, building a strong and collaborative partnership over that time. Key events like Mother’s Day bring a significant uplift in volume, so flexibility and responsiveness are crucial. IPP supports us by ensuring pallet supply keeps pace with increased demand, helping us manage peak volumes smoothly and maintain service levels during our busiest periods.”
The partnership also reflects a broader shift in how reusable load carriers are being used in fresh supply chains. IPP has been pushing connected load carriers and wider digital visibility tools as a way to monitor movements, detect irregularities, and improve planning. In fast-moving, perishable categories, that kind of visibility can help reduce empty miles, limit avoidable waste, and tighten recovery cycles when volumes spike.
Flamingo’s own sustainability programme adds another layer to the logistics equation. The business has been increasing renewable energy use, expanding sea freight where practical, and tightening its approach to water, chemicals, biodiversity, waste, and recycling. Reusable pallet pooling fits that direction, particularly where seasonal volatility would otherwise encourage one-way packaging or excess asset holding.
For flower supply chains, the pressure point is not only getting blooms onto shelves for a single event. It is doing so at volume, on time, and with enough flexibility in the network to cope with the next peak as soon as the last one ends.
