In pictures

Explainer

Four habits

Explainer

Weeks from reorder to shelf, UK buyer

In this article

Why reorders drift
The four habits that keep reorders the same
Send a piece back if needed
Change one thing at a time
When to place the reorder
Ordering to mix old and new stock
How we handle it

Short answer: keep two unwashed pieces from the first shipment, quote the same spec document by its version or date, and ask for the reorder to be matched to your retained piece. Place the reorder while you still have 10 to 12 weeks of stock.

Why reorders drift

Six months pass. The cotton crop has changed, the yarn lot is new, and the dye lot is new. Nobody has changed the spec on purpose, yet small differences add up. In a hotel, guests see old and new towels on the same rail, so a small difference shows.

The four habits that keep reorders the same

Four habits

Retained pieces

Two unwashed, bagged and labelled.

Spec version

Quote it on every order.

Reference on the PO

Match shade, weight and feel.

First-piece check

Photos and weights before the run goes on.

Habit	What to do
Retained pieces	Take two pieces from the first shipment, bag them unwashed, label with order number and date
Spec version	Give the spec sheet a version number or date and quote it on every order
Reference on the PO	"To match retained sample from order [number] in shade, weight and feel"
First-piece check	Ask for photos and a weight reading of the first finished pieces before the run continues

Send a piece back if needed

If your supplier's reference has been used up or lost, courier one of your retained pieces. It is the fastest way to match shade, and it costs far less than a mismatched delivery.

Change one thing at a time

A reorder is a tempting moment to "improve" the product: slightly heavier, a new hem, a different label. Each change is fine by itself. Several at once and you no longer have a reorder. You have a new product that needs a new sample.

If you do change something, bump the spec version and sample it.

When to place the reorder

Weeks from reorder to shelf, UK buyer

ProductionSeaClearingBuffer

UKAbout 12 weeks

UAEAbout 10 weeks

Work back from the day you would run out.

Production: 30 to 45 days.
Sea transit: 7 to 10 days to the UAE, 21 to 26 days to the UK, 22 to 28 days to Germany.
Clearing and delivery: about a week.
A buffer: two weeks.

For a UK buyer that is about 12 weeks. If you use 400 towels a month, reorder when you are down to about 1,200.

Ordering to mix old and new stock

Even a perfect match will look newer than towels that have been washed 100 times. Phase new stock in by floor or by room type. See mixing old and new linen.

How we handle it

We keep the approved spec and a reference from each order, and a reorder is made against both. Our quality page describes the checks. To reorder or to move an existing spec to us, send the spec sheet.