Shopping Trolleys

Three shopping trolleys to make shopping a smooth ride for your customers

When was the last time you thought of the plumbing in your house or your car’s wipers? Probably when they stopped working they way they should. These are products that which provide an essential but unremarkable service.

Shopping trolleys fall in the same category. Besides, when kids are having joyrides, people hardly ever gush over a smoothly operating trolley. However, the moment they get one with a wonky wheel, they just lose their mind!

Shopping carts or trolleys form an essential part of the shopping experience. If you own or manage a supermarket, shopping mall, or any large store, you need them to ensure your customer’s shopping journey is a smooth one. 

 

Here’s a quick rundown of the shopping trolleys in our range:

 

Standard trolleys

This standard shopping trolley is the ride of choice at a large number of New Zealand supermarkets and shopping malls. 

shpping-trolley-125L-black-1 
9 reasons why it’s for you:

  1. Sturdy yet lightweight making it easy to handle when full
  2. Can handle weights up to 55 kg
  3. Silent wheels so it doesn’t add to the noise in the store
  4. Two fixed wheels at the back and two swivel ones at the front 
  5. Long lasting, durable zinc surface coating ensures it’s protected from the harsh NZ weather conditions
  6. An ergonomic handle that makes moving it a breeze; plus, colour is customisable to suit different brands’ colours and logos
  7. Corner bumpers reduce damage to itself as well as other trolleys
  8. Foldable baby seat with buckled child restraint belt that ensures kids are safe and comfortable
  9. You own or manage a supermarket or retail business where products are not excessively large or heavy 

 

Our shopping cart comes in two size variants – the 125 litre trolley and the 150 litre trolley

Cargo trolleys 

The bigger cousin of supermarket trolleys, cargo shopping trolleys are useful in hardware stores, garden centres and wholesale goods shops.

Shopping Trolley Cargo 42L


10 reasons why it’s for you

  1. Sturdy yet lightweight making it easy to handle when full
  2. Large shelf 
  3. Can handle weights up to 200 kg including 100 kg on the top basket
  4. Top basket folds down to accommodate larger items 
  5. Two fixed wheels at the back and two swivel ones at the front 
  6. Long lasting, durable zinc surface coating that ensures it is protected from the elements and NZ weather conditions and looks good for longer
  7. An ergonomic handle that makes moving it a breeze; plus, it’s available in different colour trims with custom printed inserts
  8. Corner bumpers reduce damage to itself and other trolleys
  9. Can be made with or without a spring-loaded cargo shelf that helps with easy loading and unloading
  10. You own or manage a hardware store, garden centre or any other business where products are large or heavy 

Check out the cargo shopping trolley here


Shopping basket trolleys 

A smaller cart with space for our 20 and 26L shopping baskets, this trolley is ideal for shopping centres with smaller aisles and lesser maneuvering space.

Shopping Basket Trolley


9 reasons why it’s for you

  1. Sturdy, compact and space-saving
  2. Spares your customers carrying heavy baskets
  3. Can handle weights up to 55 kg (15 kg on the top basket and 40 kg on the bottom basket)
  4. Two fixed wheels at the back and two swivel ones at the front 
  5. Long lasting, durable zinc surface coating that ensures it is protected from the elements and NZ weather conditions and looks good for longer
  6. Hooks can be added to hold the customer’s bag
  7. An ergonomic handle that makes moving it a breeze; plus, it’s available in different colour trims with custom printed inserts
  8. Corner bumpers reduce damage to itself as well as other trolleys
  9. Perfect for liquor stores, small convenience stores and other shops where aisle space is limited 

 

Read more about the shopping basket trolley here.

Everything for your customer to shop till they drop

Besides shopping trolleys, we also have other accessories that makes your customers’ shopping trips the best possible experience. Check out our shopping baskets (available in a range of colours) and shopping basket stands

Need help picking a shopping trolley?

If you’re unsure of what shopping accessory works best for your space, get in touch with our friendly team for support today.

Read more

Foodstuffs Expo

foodstuffs expo may 2021

The Mills Display team will be at the Foodstuffs Expo, 12-13 May 2021 at Claudelands, Hamilton displaying our latest range of retail Point of Sale.

We can’t wait to see you there. If you are a Foodstuffs member come and visit our stand and check out our range of collapsible crates, trolleys, polywicker stands, wooden acacia boards and melamine display bowls and plates. We will also have some samples for you to preview and we would love your feedback on these!

Show hours are 8.30am -4.30pm on Wednesday and 9am – 2pm on Thursday.

See you there!

 

Read more

Collapsible Crates

Collapsible Crates For Effortless Delivery And Storage

Collapsible crates are the solution for a range of delivery options

The pandemic has changed the way NZ businesses are operating. It’s expected the changes will last beyond the current crisis, as people expect delivery of household goods and higher standards of care from businesses.
To help you deliver your business goods easily, our collapsible crates are perfect. In a range of sizes, there’s one for every task.

Convenient and easy

Our crates are designed for optimal efficiency, with easy to hold handles so you can carry items easily. There is a space for labels, so you can store goods and easily access just what you need without having to unpack every crate. The collapsing mechanism is super simple, with no hooks or clips—just push the ends down and the sides automatically fold in flat.

Space efficient

These crates stack when full, which saves space when in transit or being used to store goods. This helps to reduce shipping costs, and also avoids product damage.
They collapse when empty, to save on storage space in a warehouse, in a kitchen, in the transit van- where-ever you use them.

Hard wearing and long-lasting

The plastic is made from food-grade polypropylene. This means these crates are safe for transporting of food and food products. The plastic itself is durable and hardwearing, able to deal with being stored outside in a yard. It also takes the knocks that happen during loading, unloading and transit.
These crates are better than timber crates in many ways. There are no nails, splinters or mould to worry about. They are lighter and therefore easier to carry and move and are compatible with forklifts and conveyor belts.

Keep your produce in immaculate condition

Finally, these crates keep your products safe. Whether it’s delicate fruit like strawberries or ripe avocadoes, crates ensure they aren’t damaged – unlike boxes, which can be dented, can collapse, or can get wet and disintegrate.
And when they get dirty, these crates are easy to clean; you can easily hose or wash them down. They can be treated with a number of different cleaning solutions, which help to keep your crates clean, compliant with health and safety laws, and keeps the quality of your produce high.

Our range of commercial grade collapsible crates

We have a range of sizes to suit almost any product and need. Our range of crates all easily stack with each other, regardless of size.

36L collapsible crate (600 x 400 x 200mm) is our smallest crate

40L collapsible crate (600 x 400 x 22mm)

Our 48L black crate (600 x 400 x 260mm) is our largest size. Perfect for bulky or lighter products.

What are collapsible crates used for?

These vented crates are used in a wide variety of industries and businesses. Fruit and vegetables are one common use, not only for transporting goods but also for storage and display when they are at the store or market. They are the perfect size and shape for almost every imaginable type of produce.
The dairy industry use vented crates because the plastic functions perfectly in fridges and freezers. Unlike timber, which swell and warp, the plastic retains its shape and form. The plastic can also be sanitised and washed easily, part of the strict food safety standards around dairy.
Bakeries use vented crates to ensure their goods don’t get squashed or damaged in transit. Also, because often breads etc are packed when still warm, the vents allow steam to be diffused and stop the product from getting soggy.
Commercial kitchen use vented crates for all the reasons above. To meet strict food safety standards, to allow fridge-freezer-transport with no warping or damage, and simply due to the ease of use.

Contact us to discuss what you need

Contact Mills Display today to talk to our team. We have been in business in NZ for many years, and our depth of knowledge and understanding of the market is unsurpassed. Talk to us about branding the crates, whether it’s stamping your logo or creating a custom colour run, we can make these suit your brand and stand out in the market.
Talk to us about our plastic recycling, as all our produce crates can be recycled when they reach the end of their lifespan. This creates a circular pattern of use, which is great for the environment, as well as your business environmental standards.

Read more

Making your food business more delicious for the Earth

As we become more aware about our impact on the planet and strive to keep New Zealand beautiful for generations to come, Kiwis are making a shift to sustainable products. Like riding a bike or walking to the neighbourhood dairy instead of driving. Or taking our own coffee cups to cafes and glass containers to supermarkets. 

If you’re in the food industry, these are signs you can’t ignore. Here are some alternative sustainable packaging options to help you become a greener, more responsible business.

Paper bags

If there’s a bare minimum you can do in terms of sustainable packaging, it is this. With the ban on single use plastic bags, New Zealand has taken a step further to reduce our reliance on plastic packaging. So if you haven’t started offering sustainable options like paper bags, take a look at these ones made from recycled paper and make the switch today.

Compostable containers

If you’re running a restaurant or food truck, takeaway containers are indispensable. But Kiwi households disposed of 1.76 billion plastic containers a year, and 39% of them ended up in landfills, a report found. This is a worrying trend and underlines the need to move to biodegradable packaging options like compostable takeaway containers, like those made from recycled paper or bioplastics. 

Compostable cutlery or none at all

Close on the heels of compostable containers is compostable cutlery and tableware. Green alternatives to plastic spoons, forks and straws ensure that while your food is yummy for customers, your packaging is not unpalatable for the Earth. Or better still, make “no cutlery” a default option and you’ll be amazed at how many people forgo it altogether.

Cloth Bags

Similar to paper bags, cloth bags give your customers a greener, more natural alternative to single use bags. While they are more expensive in comparison to paper bags, they do give a more premium look and feel. They are also more likely to be reused by your customers than paper bags.

Biodegradable filler packaging

If you’re shipping your products around New Zealand or even internationally, you will need to look at more than just containers and bags. You can now get green alternatives to loose-fill packaging like packaging peanuts and air pillows, letting you cut down on unrecyclable styrofoam. The wood wool is also a great fill option, especially if you want to maintain an organic look throughout your packaging and shipping processes. 

Bubble wrap alternatives

As much as kids (and a few adults) love bubble wrap, it is a disaster for the planet. Corrugated cardboard offers a greener option when it comes to packaging fragile items like your glass fudge jars or homemade fruit jams. Corrugated cardboard is made by recycling post-consumer cardboard waste and offers the same level of protection from shocks as traditional bubble wrap.

These are just some simple steps you can take to help the planet, and at the same time, become an ethical brand. Join thousands of other responsible Kiwi food businesses and move to more eco-friendly packaging options now.

Read more

Compostable Packaging Trial

It’s great to see New Zealand manufacturer’s being innovative and trying new ways to help keep our country green.

Check out this article on our favourite chocolate company Whittaker’s and see what they are up to.

Whittaker’s trials compostable packaging in Wellington

And here are the results from the compostable packaging trial. Certainly looks like they have learnt a lot and have got some great ideas about what is next.

Here at Mills Display we are avid Whittaker’s Chocolate lovers so we look forward to the next instalment in the packaging journey.

Click on the below link to take you to the article.

https://www.whittakers.co.nz/en_NZ/good-honest-chocolate/packaging/5-things-we-learned-from-our-compostable-packaging-trial/

 

Read more

5 Retail Design Myths Debunked

 

Retail store design is an advanced area that continues to improve and innovate, particularly with the development of new POS and shelving products. Changes in consumer behaviour also influence retail design trends. That said, there are some myths about retail design that continue to persist. We debunk five of the most common below.

  1. More Square Metres Equals More Display Space

Not quite. There are many reasons why a simple square metre calculation doesn’t tell you exactly how much more display space you will have. The shape of the store is one of those reasons, as are the features that exist in the space.

For example, a retail unit that is square with one wall that is mostly windows will have less display space than a rectangle store with windows running along one of its shorter ends, even when both spaces offer the same number of square metres.

  1. Serving Customers as Quickly as Possible is the Key to Retail Design Success

Again, not exactly. The assumption with this myth is that because everyone is so busy, they just need to get in and out of your store as quickly as possible, having bought the item they need. There are some areas where work on improving the efficiency of your store is beneficial, including speeding up the time it takes to complete the purchase once the customer has decided what they want.

However, customers who are not in your store are not buying from you. So, instead of thinking of ways to make their experience fast, focus on improving the overall experience. The ideal situation is that customers spend a suitable amount of time in your store because they find it enjoyable and interesting.

  1. All Fixtures and Shelving Should Be Flexible

The idea behind this myth is that flexible fixtures and shelving can be easily changed according to the requirements of your business. For example, if you bring in a new product, you can easily make the adjustments you need to put that product on display.

The problem when this is taken to the extreme is it can create a shop that looks temporary, uncommitted, and even unfinished. So, don’t be afraid of more permanent shelving or fixtures where appropriate.

  1. Adding a Mirror Will Make the Store Look Bigger

Only sometimes with this one. The key is to use the right mirror and to put it in the right place. Just adding a mirror to your store without getting it right could have negative consequences, including making the shop look cluttered. The interior design principle of mirrors creating the illusion of space is sound, albeit with the caveat of proper placement.

  1. You Will Know Immediately if Your New Design is a Success

Unfortunately, this is generally not the case as there are a lot of other factors at play. For example, your new retail design could coincide with the introduction of new products, POS materials, or even a new location. All of these things will contribute to performance too. There is even a novelty factor, where there will be an initial reaction from customers that will change when the new design becomes more familiar.

Optimising Retail Design for Success

The design of your shop will contribute to its success. Good design encourages customer flow, increases sales, and can even build customer loyalty. Take care to avoid the myths above, however, when designing your store.

Read more