As sustainability continues to shape the retail landscape, Harrison Retail is leading the charge with its innovative Open Loop Take-Back Service for data strips. Not only does this solution tackle retail plastic waste head-on, it supports circular economy goals — perfect for businesses striving for a greener footprint. 

The Issue: Retail Plastic Waste 

The average physical retail operation uses thousands of data strips and shelf edge labels (ESLs), most made from plastic. Over time, as promotions change and store layouts update, these strips are discarded—creating mounting waste. Recognising this, Harrison Retail introduced an industry first Open Loop recycling service. 

How the Open Loop Service Works 

Based on Harrison’s Corporate Social Responsibility framework, the Open Loop system operates in six clear stages: 

1. Collection – Used data strips are gathered from retail store locations in the Far East. 

2. Cleaning & Grinding – At Harrison’s local facility, these strips are thoroughly cleaned and ground into recycled material. 

3. Reforming – Recycled PET/PVC is blended into new data strips, using around 30% recycled content. 

4. Continuous Collection – Retailers send back used strips on an ongoing basis—closing the loop. 

5. Further Processing – Waste PVC passes through a partner facility for additional grinding and recycling. 

6. Product Repurposing – Recycled materials are used again to manufacture retail products, completing the cycle. 

This circular process significantly reduces plastic waste and helps retailers meet sustainability targets. 

Partnering for Impact: EU Retailer Collaboration 

As part of our commitment to scaling sustainability, Harrison Retail has partnered with a major European retail chain to implement our Open Loop Recycling Service at scale. Through this initiative, we’ve supplied dedicated take-back boxes across their retail network, allowing stores to collect and return used data strips efficiently. Once full, these boxes are sent to our processing facility where the materials are cleaned, ground down, and reused in the production of new, recyclable data strips. This successful collaboration highlights the practical and scalable nature of our programme, and demonstrates how leading retailers can actively contribute to a circular economy while reducing plastic waste across hundreds of locations. 

Why Open Loop Matters for Retailers 

1. Supports Sustainability Goals 

By turning old data strips into new ones with recycled content, Harrison Retail helps clients avoid plastic ending up in landfill—all while reducing reliance on virgin materials  

2. Enhances Customer and Investor Reputation 

Consumers and investors are increasingly valuing ESG practices. Adopting Harrison’s Open Loop process sends a strong message—that your brand is committed to measurable environmental action. 

3. Reduces Operational Waste and Costs 

Through ongoing take-back and recycling, retailers spend less on disposal and shipping. Data strips made with recycled PET maintain performance standards—dust caps, adhesives, and structural integrity remain high.  (CSR | Harrison Retail) 

4. Provides Transparent Impact Tracking 

Harrison Retail tracks environmental initiatives monthly—such as 100 new trees planted every month, over 7,000 planted to date, and support for The Ocean Cleanup—so clients can quantify their contributions (CSR | Harrison Retail) 

The Product: Recyclable Data Strips from Harrison Retail 

Harrison offers a range of fully recyclable data strip profiles made from PET, including: 

• 39 mm Recyclable Data Strip with 12 mm Tape — Self-adhesive, dust cap top, clear PET, compatible with standard recycling streams. View Product

• 35 mm Recyclable Data Strip with 12 mm Tape — PET material, frontloading design, dust cap top, suited for retail shelving and recyclable like others. View Product

• 39 mm Recyclable Hinged Data Strip with 12 mm Tape — Hinged format for undershelf mounting, still made of fully recyclable PET. View Product

These profiles deliver the functionality retailers expect while enabling circular waste reduction. 

How to Get Started 

Retailers interested in the service can reach out to the specialist account and project management team at Harrison Retail—who handle everything from collection logistics to production of high-quality recyclable data strips. This seamless process is cost effective and aligns with circular economy strategies (CSR Report 2023/24 | Harrison Retail) 

In Summary 

Harrison’s Open Loop Take-Back Service is more than recycling—it’s a sustainability system that closes the material loop in retail merchandising. By turning used data strips into new ones with recycled content, the company supports retailers in hitting their environmental commitments while maintaining shelf-edge performance and brand integrity. 

For forward-thinking retailers, joining Harrison Retail’s Open Loop programme offers real environmental, financial, and reputational value—supporting a cleaner planet while showcasing leadership in sustainability. 

Impulse buying is a powerful driver of in-store sales, particularly for grocery retailers. Studies show that British consumers spend approximately £21.7 billion annually on impulse purchases, with food being the top category.

Additionally, one in ten shoppers makes an impulse purchase every time they shop. These statistics highlight the immense potential for retailers to capitalise on impulse buying behaviour by strategically placing products and promotions.

The Role of Impulse Solutions in Retail Success

At Harrison Retail, we specialise in creating impulse solutions that enhance cross-merchandising opportunities, attract impulse buyers, and boost awareness of promotions, special offers, and seasonal products. These solutions are particularly effective during peak seasons, such as Easter, when items like Easter eggs and decorations need to stand out to capture the attention of deal-seeking shoppers.

Success Story: Tiered Display Units with Morrisons

Over the past five years, we’ve partnered with Morrisons on various projects to optimise their in-store displays. Most recently, we designed and produced impulse display bays for the back of their self-service checkouts to showcase health and beauty items.

Our team developed tiered display units with adjustable dividers, robust steel bases, and clear PETG fronts for enhanced product visibility. We manufactured over 2,510 display units in four different depths for 314 Morrisons stores across the UK. This initiative is set to significantly boost impulse purchases while meeting the evolving needs of UK consumers.

See the full case study here.

Innovative Impulse Solutions for Retailers

Our range of impulse solutions is designed to fit seamlessly into high-traffic areas, encouraging unplanned purchases and increasing sales:

• Wire Dump Bins and Display Baskets: Perfect for showcasing special promotions, these bins and baskets are available in various sizes and finishes to suit any store layout. They provide a semi-permanent solution for neatly displaying large items in central aisles or near checkouts.
  
• Clip Strips: These versatile POS tools are ideal for suspending lightweight products like snacks or seasonal items from shelf edges or end caps. Clip strips are a cost-effective way to boost cross-selling and upselling opportunities while increasing the average order value.
  
• Bespoke Acrylic Displays: Custom-designed to meet specific retailer needs, these displays enhance product visibility and create an engaging shopping experience.
  

Why Impulse Solutions Matter

Impulse solutions are not just about increasing sales—they also enhance the overall shopping experience by making it easier for customers to discover new products and take advantage of promotions. With 96% of UK shoppers preferring in-store shopping over online, the potential to drive impulse purchases in physical stores is immense.

By leveraging our expertise and innovative solutions, retailers can maximize their in-store sales and create a more engaging shopping environment.

To explore our full range of impulse solutions or discuss your specific needs, feel free to email us at sales@harrisonretail.com

Let’s work together to transform your store into a hub of opportunity!

We recognise that operating a successful and responsible business has never been more challenging or demanding than it is today. In a rapidly evolving landscape of risks and opportunities, technological innovation is advancing at an unprecedented rate. Meanwhile, resource availability and social instability pose pressing challenges as stakeholders increasingly expect businesses to address the pressures of retail theft and rising costs.

At Harrison Retail, we hosted an exclusive event centred around building retail resilience, where we unveiled our state-of-the-art showroom, crafted to inspire our customers, featuring a fully functional supermarket replica exhibiting our innovative loss prevention solutions.

Loss prevention intervention

During the event, guests had the opportunity to experience first-hand our fifteen bespoke loss-prevention products in situ. These included shelf, dispenser, and surround solutions curated by our specialist product team to combat stock loss and protect profits, all the while maintaining and ensuring a seamless in-store experience for customers.

Explore our interactive retail solutions showroom below

On display were our latest retail innovations, such as dual, gravity, and locking risers, designed to prevent opportunistic theft by presenting barriers to sweeping shelves, without compromising employees’ access to replenish and organise stock. We also showcased a range of dispenser solutions for safeguarding high-value items. With an integrated spring-powered pusher dispensing only one item at a time, they strike the perfect balance between functionality and security while serving as a highly effective theft deterrent.

Boosting productivity and reducing stock loss

After concluding our showroom tour, we welcomed industry experts Simon Singleton, Former COO of H&B and Pepco Group UK, Simon Hedaux, CO-Founder of Rethink Retail and Adrian Beck, Professor at the University of Leicester for the ECR Retail Loss Group, to hear about the current challenges surrounding stock loss and productivity and the strategies needed to tackle these.

Our speakers delved into the following topics:

Boosting productivity and reducing stock loss | Simon Singleton

To kick off, Simon set the scene with an overview of the current retail landscape – a cliff edge which poses an existential threat to businesses, prompting unanticipated trade-offs to balance the books. We explored real-world examples of balancing security with accessibility, ensuring that loss prevention strategies support, rather than hinder, sales and service targets. Simon offered his perspective on what good actually looks like: a frictionless experience for customers, reduces theft and has a demonstrably < 2-year payback timeframe.

Future directions in managing retail loss | Adrian Beck

Adrian enlightened the audience on the changes we’re experiencing in a retail context, including the growing availability of data, the evolving profile of risk and the rise of e-commerce. He emphasised the critical role of retail loss prevention strategies and highlighted a common pitfall: businesses viciously cycling between upward and downward trajectories, triggered by factors including complacency, resource cuts and new leadership. Adrian concluded by outlining the key cross-departmental activities needed to break this cycle and build a successful and resilient loss prevention strategy to drive lasting impact. 

The productivity challenge | Simon Hedaux

Finally, Simon addressed the pressing challenge of reducing task and process times while simultaneously driving ATV and increasing shopfloor presence for customers. He contextualised this with current risks to business, such as increased National Insurance contributions and labour wages. Simon emphasised the importance of tracking business costs over time, creating a clear productivity roadmap and streamlining workflows to achieve sustainable improvements.

To conclude the event, we held a fireside chat and interactive Q&A where our guest speakers were joined by;

• Tim Bettley, Former Commercial Director | Poundland and Dealz
• Eddie Ball, Business Development Manager | Harrison Retail
• Douglas Cook, Product Development Manager | Harrison Retail

The entire webinar & fireside chat recording can be viewed below.

Solving your retail challenges

At Harrison, we recognise that no two projects are the same, and neither is there one defined solution for any challenge, which is why we position your individual project needs at the heart of our operations from the initial brief to installation. Our design-led approach and extensive experience with retail projects are globally recognised and industry-leading, so you can be sure that our collaborative in-house retail specialists and product designers will champion your every request. 

To leverage our global network of in-house manufacturing, warehousing sites, and robust supply chain, please reach out to a member of the team via sales@harrisonretail.com.

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you all!

Harrison Retail have just completed a major rebrand. This initiative comes on the heels of a successful period of significant growth for us, during which we’ve forged strong partnerships with global retailers including Morrisons, B&Q, ALDI, and Jysk.

Our Journey

From our humble beginnings in 1996, we’ve always been product-focused. We refreshed our brand in 2016 and 2019, but remained under one entity. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to innovate, leading to the creation of Harrison Retail with new point of sale systems.

Why Rebrand?

At Harrison Retail, our core values remain unchanged, with a steadfast commitment to a customer-first strategy. As we experienced strong and steady growth, it became essential to differentiate the various businesses within our group. This rebrand reflects our new, modern, and innovative look, ensuring that we continue to support our customers by providing immediate solutions through clear communication. This approach strengthens our partnerships with both existing and future customers, making the rebrand a crucial step forward.

Internal Reflection

We held immersion sessions with internal departments to understand our customers, our business, and what sets us apart. We wanted to retain the legacy of the Harrison name while showcasing our team’s hard work and innovation. We discovered that our business is detail-oriented and driven by quality.

A fresh look, unchanged values

Logos are crucial. We redesigned ours by analysing product shapes and colour psychology: 

• Dark blue: sincerity, sophistication, strength
• Deep yellow: confidence, creativity, wealth

Inspired by our POS products, we used negative space to create a recognisable ‘H’, symbolising an open door and a welcoming feel.

New Website

Our new website is innovative, modern, and dynamic. It better showcases our retail merchandising solutions through clear communication, and it also highlights our collaborative methodology of how we work with our clients on their retail projects – strengthening our partnerships with both existing and prospective customers.

Functionally, the website features a direct link to our showroom page, allowing users to explore explore our product range and register and attend upcoming industry events via webinar.

Our Showroom

Our new showroom is a unique multi-functional space for our clients to meet with our teams, discuss their current retail challenges & briefs, experience our product offering in-situ and connect with industry peers and thought leaders.

Future Goals

Firmly established in the UK, we’re excited to expand further into European and US markets. Our rebrand is the perfect introduction, building on our significant growth in 2024.