Telling customers which warehouse address to use
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A single “we have moved” message is often too vague for a warehouse closure. The correct destination can differ for new supplier deliveries, authorised customer returns and enquiries about old orders. Write each instruction for its actual purpose and effective date.
Confirm the receiving arrangement before publishing an address. A proposed replacement site is not ready simply because its postcode is known. Use the receipt and despatch cut-off plan to identify which old-site functions have actually ended.
Write three separate notices
Adapt these examples using approved facts. The brackets are fields to complete, not statements to publish unchanged.
Deliveries
Our warehouse at [old address] will stop accepting the specified deliveries from [confirmed date]. For purchase orders [scope], the confirmed receiving instruction is [approved destination or contact process]. Please obtain confirmation for any delivery already in transit from [working contact].
Customer returns
For a return relating to an earlier order, contact [working route] with your order reference before sending goods. We will confirm the appropriate return arrangements for your case. [Old address] is no longer the confirmed returns destination from [date].
Order enquiries
Questions about orders supplied before closure should go to [working contact]. Please include [minimum useful reference]. This contact handles enquiries; it is not a delivery address.
The notices do not determine return rights or change a contract. Check their substance with the authorised commercial or legal contact where needed. Avoid wording that appears to erase an existing customer entitlement.
Change the places that create instructions
List where each audience obtains the address: order acknowledgements, supplier purchase orders, return approvals, account messages and staff replies. Update the relevant sources through the business’s approved process.
A corrected website may not reach a supplier holding last month’s purchase order. Review deliveries already on the way separately and obtain specific confirmation where the original instruction is still in use.
Test the wording with someone outside the closure project. Ask where they would send a return, where they would ask about an invoice and whether they think the new contact accepts parcels. If the answers differ from the intended arrangements, revise the notice before sending it.
Give misdirected goods an owner
Prepare a small exception record for anything sent to the old address: sender, goods reference, date reported, known location, authorised response and responsible person. Do not tell a new occupier to accept or redirect goods on your behalf without an agreed arrangement.
The post-despatch returns plan supplies the continuing receiving and decision process. The notice should point towards that functioning process, rather than merely announce that the old one has ended.
Keep equipment collection instructions distinct. When speaking with UK Auction Group, confirm the actual sale or clearance location and its contact. A customer returns address should not accidentally become the collection address for warehouse contents.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.