The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. Their veterinarians contribute wide-ranging skills and experience to both practical conservation and to the scientific research that underpins this work.

The Zoological Society of London currently have retail outlets at London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo, plus a small but growing internet business. The current warehousing facility is based at London Zoo and is supplemented with temporary warehousing facilities. A review was therefore required of the current and future demands of all retail requirements and a solution developed to meet these. The objectives of the review were as follows:

• To understand the existing retail operation, warehousing and distribution facilities
• To identify the key issues and strengths of the existing facilities
• Develop and collate all necessary information for the future retail business and warehousing and distribution requirements within ZSL
• Identify and fully evaluate the most likely solutions to meet future requirements
• Identify the best solutions and provide a benefit analysis, reasoning and timescale
• Produce a report to present the findings in a format agreed with ZSL. This included a written report and presentation to Project Managers and Directors
• Provide a detailed requirement document of ZSL’s approved and agreed future warehousing and distribution requirements