3. AirSea Packing (ASP) was founded in 1966 in
Slough, Berkshire, UK and remains a family-run
business. For over forty five years, ASP have
handled unique and fragile objects throughout the
world for a discerning clientele base with the utmost
care, consistency and confidentiality. It is their
tradition and philosophy to attend to every detail to
ensure the safety of clients’ valuable and, often,
irreplaceable possessions whilst enhancing complete
peace of mind. Their experience and expertise, in
the context of speaking the language of trust,
integrity and discretion, have allowed ASP to
develop long-lasting relationships with a varied
client-base within the Art, Antiques, Interior Design
and Architectural communities.
ASP provides a comprehensive and flexible
fulfilment of clients’ needs by using the most
advanced technologies alongside the traditional
skills and personal service at every stage of every
project.
ASP has offices in London, Paris, New York, Los
Angeles and Miami with over 300,000 sq/ft of
warehouse and storage space. They currently
employ a team of 225 people worldwide and run a
fleet of over 50 vehicles.
4. AirSea Packing’s relationship with Ralph Lauren
goes back 25 years, when Nick Edwards, Director,
negotiated the release of existing inventory with the
receivers of a previous RL service provider.
Subsequently, the first major project launch was the
Mansion flagship store on Madison Avenue in 1986.
Throughout the 1980s, the main focus of the
services provided to Ralph Lauren was supporting
the procurement, packing and shipping of antique
furniture, artwork and props predominantly from
Europe to New York and throughout the US as
new Ralph Lauren stores opened. ASP also worked
on the considerable project of furnishing and
accessorizing Mr and Mrs Lauren’s private estate in
Bedford, New York. This took place over a number
of years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Items for
this project were consolidated in London and
shipped by airfreight to a specialist storage facility in
Queens, New York, from which deliveries and
white glove installations took place to the specific
instructions of Mr and Mrs Lauren’s senior design
team. In 1990 as it became apparent to ASP that
client interests would be better served by in-
sourcing versus sub-contracting services, the
company expanded its geography by opening new
operations in New York and Paris.
ASP firmly believed they could make a difference
and manage these markets better whilst creating
substantial value in these markets for their clients.
In the 1990s Air Sea Packing serviced ever
increasing requirements for new and existing
Ralph Lauren stores throughout Europe and the
US. The two most significant projects supported
by ASP were the openings of La Madeleine store
in Paris and No. 1 New Bond Street Flagship store
in London. In 2004, ASP and Ralph Lauren signed
a ten-year agreement to store, maintain and
distribute some 50,000 items for a number of
different retail and wholesale groups within Ralph
Lauren Corporation.
NASH TAILOR
RL Director Creative
Logistics
STEVE GYDE
RL Supervisor
Creative Logistics
NICK EDWARDS
Director ASP
BEN DAVIES
Director ASP
IBE CHUKWU
Client Services ASP
Northolt
SARA SMITH
Client Services ASP
Northolt
NORI SAI
Client Services ASP
Paris
VANESSA
ROSINE
Client Services ASP
Paris
DONNA FITZGERALD
RL Client Manager ASP
Northolt
MARK DRASAR
General Manager ASP Paris
5. In order to keep pace with Ralph Lauren’s
continued European expansion, ASP has moved
into a new, upgraded facility in Paris.
The new Paris warehouse is located 25km north of
Paris, with high speed road links allowing access to
central Paris in less than thirty minutes, as well as
providing easy access to main land Europe.
Old ASP Warehouse
9 rue Joseph et Etienne de
Montgolfier Rosny Sous
Bois 93110
New ASP Warehouse
14 rue Berthelot
95500 Gonesse
2,475
2,950
5,100
2,810
1,500
Retail Creative
Wholesale Creative
Ralph Lauren Store Development
Retail Operations (restaurant)
Maison d'Objects
14,835 square feet dedicated to Ralph Lauren
50% of RL space occupied by Retail & Wholesale
160 dedicated racks
2,115 sq feet for packaging, loading & unloading
6,500 units of Creative product
3,000 Units of restaurant product
700 Units of Maison d’Objet product
10 racks of dedicated mannequin storage
Dedicated packaging area
Dedicated RL warehouse staff
The new facility is situated on 1 floor with the option of using the 1st floor mezzanine – this enables the EU
Creative Supply Chain team to drive business performance through ASP efficiency giving full grip & control
over Ralph Lauren’s Creative Logistic network.
Square footage by division
6. Area A Mezzanine
Ralph Lauren Store Development
None RL Area D - inc
Under mezzanine
Area B
Retail Creative - Wholesale Creative - Operations
(Restaurant) - Maison d’Objects
Area C
Handling, Packing – Photography –
Inventorise - Good In & Out
7. The new ASP facility provides an enhanced service
offering that not only streamlines and improves
operations, but also provides a highly safe and secure
environment for all Ralph Lauren items.
This includes a dedicated loading & unloading dock -
which helps reduce waiting times, dedicated staff,
space for processing RL work orders.
Average of 8 RL related transports per day with a
dedicated white glove loading/unloading service
An average of 3 hours per working day dedicated
to loading/unloading activity
Operations will support over 300 Retail and
Wholesale creative installations in FY14.
Dedicated RL unloading space – creating a
streamlined unpacking/repacking process.
Trials have been initiated on a new ASP-
managed asset logging and ordering system
(Voxme) that will allow the creative teams to not
only log and track all Creative items but also to
order those items from a web portal. The Paris
Wholesale Creative team are trialing the system,
meanwhile all Paris Retail Creative items are to
be photographed & inventoried by the end of
October.
