Prioritise transport connectivity to national trunk routes, proximity to major retail hubs, facility types (ambient, chilled, frozen), labour availability and rates, WMS/API integration, SLA performance (OTD, order accuracy), returns capability, and scalable footprint for seasonal peaks. Also assess carrier pickup schedules and interoperability with your distribution network.

Costs in Herefordshire are typically lower than South East and competitive with parts of the West Midlands due to reduced property rents and labour premiums. That yields better per-pallet storage economics, though carrier density can be slightly lower—so factor in collection schedules and marginal transit time when modelling total landed cost.

Yes. Many regional 3PLs provide integrated WMS, pick-and-pack, kitting, dedicated returns hubs, and local courier partnerships to enable same‑day or next‑day local dispatch. Confirm workforce scaling, process SLAs for returns, and system integrations to ensure omnichannel flows meet your service requirements.

Verify scheduled carrier collections and lead times, dock and yard capacity, access to M5/M50 and major arterial routes, availability of cross-dock services, proximity to rail freight interchanges if relevant, export customs handling, and postcode coverage for your customer base to ensure required transit windows are achievable.

Include measurable KPIs: order accuracy (%), on-time dispatch (%), dock-to-stock and putaway times, inventory accuracy, return processing SLA, peak season throughput guarantees, chargeback conditions, and data reporting cadence. Ensure penalties and remediation pathways are clearly defined in the contract.