Elevating Value Through Bonded Expertise: How CBS Completes the Circle for Travel Retail Success.

In a marketplace where precision, compliance and agility are essential, bonded warehousing is no longer just a logistical afterthought, it’s a strategic asset. At the heart of this value chain stands Chichester Bonded Solutions (CBS), the bonded services arm of CSS Group, delivering more than just storage. It’s a crucial piece in an integrated supply solution that meets the evolving needs of global travel retail, airlines, cruise lines and corporate hospitality.

As consumer expectations become more nuanced and operational margins continue to tighten, the industry is being challenged to rethink its supply partnerships. CBS steps into this space with a powerful proposition: a fully compliant excise facility offering not only secure excise warehousing but also value-adding services like rework packing and bespoke gift packing. It’s this versatility that makes CBS more than a warehouse, it’s a partner in your brand’s journey.

Excise Warehousing That Delivers More

Let’s start with the fundamentals. CBS operates under HMRC regulations as an excise warehouse, allowing for the suspension of duty and VAT on goods such as alcohol until the point of release. This enables our clients to control cash flow, streamline operations and ensure full compliance without compromise. But the excise model at CBS goes beyond traditional warehousing. It’s responsive, meticulously managed and integrated with CSS Group’s wider distribution and procurement services, offering clients a seamless, single-source solution from supplier to shelf.

"Having our bonded capability on the same strategic platform as our procurement and supply chain operations gives our customers a distinct edge," says Simon Francis, Managing Director of CSS Group and Chichester Bonded Solutions. "It reduces friction, compresses timelines and simplifies compliance, all while enhancing product availability and speed to market."

Rework and Gift Packing: Turning Stock into Story

Here’s where the real value lies. Beyond storage and compliance, CBS provides rework and secondary packing facilities to adapt, enhance or transform products to better suit specific channels or occasions. Whether it’s re-labelling, multi-pack creation or adapting packaging for airline compliance or cruise-specific promotional campaigns, the CBS team is skilled in delivering practical, compliant rework solutions that align with brand standards and regulatory expectations. And it doesn’t stop there. CBS also offers a complete gift packing service, ideal for seasonal promotions, limited-edition offers and brand activations.  But this isn’t just about packing.  With the support of our in-house design and sourcing team, Gift Creation, we assist clients across every stage of the process: from concept and material sourcing to packaging development and execution. That means our clients get more than a gift pack, they get a fully curated, commercially aligned solution designed to enhance brand impact and drive higher engagement.

We’ve recently created and are currently supplying a range of promotional gift packs for Avolta (World Duty Free), designed specifically to elevate shelf presence and enhance the customer journey in-store.  These packs are a testament to how our in-house team brings together design, sourcing, and fulfilment expertise to deliver high-impact, brand-aligned results.  From concept through to execution, the entire process is managed under one roof ensuring speed, consistency, and commercial relevance every step of the way.

"In travel retail, visual impact is everything. A well-executed gift pack can transform a passive purchase into a moment of delight," Francis adds, "And with our in-house team, we’re not just reacting, we’re helping brands lead."

A Holistic Approach for a Complex Industry

What makes this truly powerful is how it all connects. Through the combined strength of CSS and CBS, the Group offers a turnkey model that can be tailored to any travel industry client, be it cruise, airline or travel retail operator. From sourcing and supply chain management to excise warehousing, rework, packaging and final delivery, the Group offers full visibility and control. This eliminates unnecessary handovers, reduces cost leakage and ensures consistency at every stage. This holistic model supports some of the industry’s leading operators, enabling them to stay agile in a world where route changes, shifting passenger volumes and regional regulations can create overnight disruption. Our model is designed to flex with that change, not fight it.

Sustainability and Scale: Delivered Responsibly

While agility is a commercial imperative, sustainability is a moral one. CBS has taken steps to future-proof its operations, including the installation of solar panelling on the warehouse roof reducing reliance on the grid and contributing to cleaner operations. We don’t make grand claims, but we do believe in continuous improvement, in both our footprint and our service. It’s about doing the right thing, the right way, for the long term.

How Travel Operators Can Capitalise

For airlines, this might mean using CBS to store and prepare seasonal gift sets tailored to specific cabin classes or route promotions. For cruise lines, it may be about reworking multi-country stock for regional preferences before departure and for travel retailers, the opportunity to partner on bespoke, eye-catching packs could unlock margin-rich promotional opportunities that stand out on shelf or in terminal. What matters is that CBS offers more than space, it offers solutions. Practical, flexible and commercially intelligent.

Closing the Loop

In today’s fast-paced, high-stakes travel environment, suppliers need to be more than reactive vendors. They must be strategic partners, adaptive, insightful and capable of delivering real, measurable value. CBS, in partnership with CSS Group, delivers exactly that.

With excise warehousing, rework and full-service gift packing capabilities under one roof, enhanced by an in-house design and sourcing team, CBS helps close the operational loop. This enables our clients to stay focused on delivering exceptional customer experiences, not managing fragmented logistics. If you’re ready to make your supply chain work smarter, leaner, and more responsively, perhaps it’s time we talked.