Pick and Pack Service for UK Businesses

Pricing for a pick and pack service is built from several components.

Understanding each one helps you budget accurately and compare providers fairly.

Storage fees cover the physical space your stock occupies.

These are typically charged per pallet, per shelf bay, or per cubic metre per week. A standard UK pallet position costs between £8 and £20 per week depending on location and whether racked or floor storage is used.

Receiving fees apply when a new inbound delivery arrives.

Providers charge per pallet or per hour of unloading time. Expect roughly £10 to £25 per inbound pallet to receive, count, and book stock into the warehouse management system.

Pick fees are charged per order line.

Each distinct SKU pulled from the shelf carries a small per-pick charge, commonly between £0.25 and £1.00 per line. An order with three different items incurs three pick charges.

Pack fees cover materials and labour.

If you supply your own branded boxes and inserts, the pack fee is lower. If the provider supplies plain cartons, that cost is added. Labour to seal, label, and check the parcel is usually bundled into the pack fee.

Dispatch fees cover carrier handover.

Some providers charge a handling fee on top of the carrier rate; others build it in.

Giant Van provides clear, itemised quotes with no hidden charges.

Ring and we will walk through your order profile to build an accurate cost model before you commit.

The UK pick and pack market has grown rapidly alongside e-commerce.

Online retail accounted for 26% of all UK retail sales in 2024, and that volume requires sophisticated fulfilment infrastructure. Businesses that once packed orders from a spare room now need warehouse capacity, software, and trained staff at a scale that most cannot justify owning outright.

Third-party logistics providers, known as 3PLs, have filled this gap.

There are now hundreds of pick and pack providers operating across the UK, ranging from small regional warehouses to national networks with multiple distribution centres. This variety is good for buyers because competition keeps prices competitive, but it makes selecting the right provider more demanding.

Key factors to consider when assessing UK providers include their warehouse locations relative to your customer base, their carrier relationships, the warehouse management software they use, and their track record with businesses of your size and sector.

Northern fulfilment centres suit businesses whose customers are concentrated in the Midlands and North.

Southern and Home Counties locations give faster transit to London and the South East, which carries the highest parcel density in the UK.

UK pick and pack providers are also subject to UK data protection law where order data is concerned.

Confirm that any provider holds an ICO registration and processes your customer data under a compliant data processing agreement.

Giant Van operates nationally with the capability to handle businesses across all sectors.

We are based in the UK, carrier-agnostic, and equipped to support businesses from start-up scale through to high-volume retail operations. Call to discuss your requirements.