Warehouse & bonded storage

What the warehousing covers

Warehouse and bonded storage is the workstream that holds inventory between production and dispatch — both for the corporate gift programme (where the supplier holds a buffer of recurring items) and for one-off events (where the supplier holds a buffer for the next event). In the Czech Republic the workstream runs against the Prague Hostivař warehouse as the central hub, with partner warehouses in Brno and Bratislava as staging hubs for Moravia and Slovakia. The bonded area handles non-EU imports that are held under EU customs supervision until the recipient is identified as a Vies-registered EU entity.

The brief captures the inventory items, the SKU master, the unit prices, the inbound shipments and the outbound shipments. The supplier runs a warehouse management system (WMS) that tracks each SKU from inbound to dispatch with a serial number, a lot number, a manufacturing date, a certification reference and a current location. The supplier issues a monthly inventory report to the buyer with the inbound, the outbound, the on-hand and the unit value.

Inbound handling covers the receipt of the shipment, the AQL inspection, the SKU registration in the WMS, the bin assignment and the put-away. Outbound handling covers the pick from the bin, the pack into the kit, the staging for dispatch, the carrier booking and the dispatch confirmation. The supplier holds a daily carrier window with PPL, Zásilkovna, Česká pošta, GLS Česko and DHL Česko.

Bonded storage mechanics

Bonded storage is a customs-controlled area where non-EU imports can be held without paying EU import duties and DPH until the goods are released into the EU market. In the Czech Republic bonded storage is operated under the EU Customs Code (Regulation 952/2013) and the Czech Customs Act 242/2016 Coll. The supplier holds a Type A bonded warehouse authorisation from the Czech Customs Authority (Celní správa ČR) at the Prague Hostivař warehouse. The authorisation allows the supplier to hold non-EU imports under customs supervision.

Non-EU imports typically come from China (textiles, electronics, drinkware, stationery), India (cotton, leather, paper), Vietnam (footwear, bags) and Bangladesh (knitwear). The supplier files the import declaration (JED) with the Czech Customs Authority on arrival of the shipment. The shipment is held in the bonded area of the Hostivař warehouse. When the recipient is identified as a Vies-registered EU entity the supplier issues a customs release and the goods are dispatched to the recipient. When the recipient is identified as a non-EU entity the goods are re-exported from the bonded area.

Bonded storage costs are quoted per cubic metre per month with a minimum monthly fee. The costs cover the storage space, the customs supervision, the WMS tracking and the periodic inventory audit. Bonded storage costs are quoted separately from the inbound / outbound handling costs. The supplier does not run discount codes or promo codes on bonded storage; volume discounts are negotiated at the framework level and reflected in the per-cubic-metre rate.

Inventory reporting

The supplier issues a monthly inventory report to the buyer with the inbound, the outbound, the on-hand and the unit value. The report covers the items by SKU, by lot, by manufacturing date and by certification reference. The report is delivered on the 5th business day of each month. The buyer can request a custom report cadence (weekly, daily, on-demand) at the framework agreement.

Inventory ageing is tracked with a 90-day / 180-day / 365-day window. Items that have been on the shelf for more than 365 days are flagged on the monthly report as candidates for the return-and-recycle channel. The buyer decides the disposition of ageing items at the monthly review with the supplier's account lead. The supplier does not auto-dispose of ageing items; the disposition is always the buyer's call.

Inventory accuracy is measured by the cycle count programme. The supplier runs a quarterly cycle count with a random selection of SKUs and a full inventory audit on an annual cadence. The cycle count is delivered with a discrepancy report that compares the WMS-recorded count to the physical count. The supplier targets a 99% inventory accuracy; any discrepancies are investigated and resolved within five business days.

Czech and EU regulatory context

Czech and EU regulatory context is a core part of the warehousing workstream. Type A bonded warehouse authorisation under EU Customs Code and Czech Customs Act. DPH 21% on the master invoice in CZK. EU reverse-charge under § 64 ZDPH for Vies-registered EU buyers. Recapitulative EC Sales List filed by the supplier monthly with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic. ISDOC format mandatory for Czech B2B invoices from January 2025.

Customs handling follows the EU Union Customs Code (UCC) and the Czech Customs Act 242/2016 Coll. Import declarations (JED) are filed electronically with the Czech Customs Authority. The supplier holds an AEOB (Authorised Economic Operator — Customs) status, which simplifies the customs handling and reduces the customs clearance window. EUR.1, ATR and other preferential origin certificates are issued by the supplier on cross-border shipments.

GDPR compliance follows EU Regulation 2016/679 and Czech Personal Data Protection Act 110/2019 Coll. The recipient data held in the WMS is captured for delivery only, not marketing, and held for the legal retention window. The supplier signs a data processing agreement with the buyer and processes recipient data only on documented instructions.

Logistics & distribution

The Prague Hostivař warehouse is the hub for warehousing and bonded storage. The warehouse is 4,200 square metres with a 1,800-square-metre bonded area, a 600-square-metre staging area and a 1,800-square-metre general-storage area. The warehouse holds daily carrier windows with PPL, Zásilkovna, Česká pošta, GLS Česko and DHL Česko. The warehouse holds a 24-48 hour dispatch window to all Czech postal codes and a 48-72 hour window to Bratislava, Vienna, Berlin and Warsaw.

The Brno partner warehouse is a 1,200-square-metre staging hub for Moravia. The warehouse holds a daily PPL window and a daily Zásilkovna window. The warehouse holds a 24-hour dispatch window to Olomouc, Ostrava and Bratislava. The warehouse is operated by a contracted partner under the supplier's WMS.

The Bratislava partner warehouse is a 1,000-square-metre staging hub for Slovakia. The warehouse holds a daily Slovak Post window and a daily GLS Slovakia window. The warehouse holds a 24-48 hour dispatch window to all Slovak postal codes. The warehouse is operated by a contracted partner under the supplier's WMS.

Pricing and MOQ

Warehousing and bonded storage are priced per cubic metre per month with a minimum monthly fee. Tier 1 (10-49 cubic metres monthly) is priced at the standard per-cubic-metre rate. Tier 2 (50-199 cubic metres monthly) earns a 10% volume discount. Tier 3 (200+ cubic metres monthly) earns a 20% volume discount and includes a quarterly cycle count at no additional cost. MOQ on the warehousing service is 10 cubic metres per SKU per month.

Bonded storage is priced at a 30% premium over general storage to cover the customs supervision, the bonded area management and the periodic customs audit. Tier 1 (10-49 cubic metres monthly bonded) is at the standard bonded rate. Tier 2 (50-199 cubic metres monthly bonded) earns a 10% volume discount. Tier 3 (200+ cubic metres monthly bonded) earns a 20% volume discount and includes the customs release processing at no additional cost.

Inbound handling costs cover the receipt of the shipment, the AQL inspection, the SKU registration in the WMS, the bin assignment and the put-away. Outbound handling costs cover the pick from the bin, the pack into the kit, the staging for dispatch, the carrier booking and the dispatch confirmation. The supplier does not run discount codes or promo codes on inbound / outbound handling; volume discounts are negotiated at the framework level and reflected in the per-shipment rate.

Roles & responsibilities

The supplier-side team is built around four named owners — warehouse manager, customs lead, inventory controller and logistics lead. The warehouse manager owns the inbound, the outbound, the WMS tracking and the daily carrier windows. The customs lead owns the bonded area, the customs declarations, the AEOB status and the EUR.1 / ATR certificates. The inventory controller owns the cycle count, the inventory accuracy and the monthly inventory report. The logistics lead owns the carrier selection, the dispatch window and the reverse-charge paper trail.

The buyer-side team usually has three named owners — procurement lead, finance lead and operations lead. The procurement lead owns the supplier relationship, the master brief and the change-control approval. The finance lead owns the ERP integration, the cost-centre mapping and the invoice approval. The operations lead owns the SKU master, the inbound shipments and the outbound shipments.

Case studies

Škoda Auto — bonded storage for 12,000 cotton totes and 8,000 hoodies imported from a Vietnamese supplier under a 12-month framework agreement. The supplier held the shipment in the bonded area of the Hostivař warehouse until each monthly release window. The supplier dispatched the totes and hoodies to the Škoda Auto sites across the Czech Republic and Slovakia on a PPL daily window. Certificates: GOTS on the organic cotton, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GRS on the recycled handles, REACH SVHC declaration. DPH treatment: 21% on the Czech delivery and EU reverse-charge on the Slovak delivery with the recapitulative statement filed by the supplier.

ČEZ — general storage for 6,000 insulated bottles and 5,000 notebooks produced by a Czech glassmaker and a Czech stationer. The supplier held the shipment in the general-storage area of the Hostivař warehouse until each event release window. The supplier dispatched the bottles and notebooks to the ČEZ events across the Czech Republic on a PPL daily window. Certificates: OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on the cotton, RoHS on the electronics, REACH SVHC declaration. DPH treatment: 21% on the master invoice in CZK.

Kofola — bonded storage for 4,000 glass beermats and 3,000 cotton beermat sets imported from a German supplier under a 6-month framework agreement. The supplier held the shipment in the bonded area of the Hostivař warehouse. The supplier dispatched the beermats to the Kofola partner events across the Czech Republic and Slovakia on a PPL daily window. Certificates: OEKO-TEX Standard 100, FSC on the carton. DPH treatment: 21% on the Czech delivery and EU reverse-charge on the Slovak delivery with the recapitulative statement filed by the supplier.

Warehouse management system

The supplier operates a cloud-based warehouse management system (WMS) that tracks each SKU from inbound to dispatch. The WMS records the serial number, the lot number, the manufacturing date, the certification reference, the bin assignment and the current location for each SKU. The WMS exposes a buyer-side portal that the buyer can use to view the inventory, run a cycle count, request a custom report and trigger an outbound release. The WMS is integrated with the supplier's ERP for invoicing, with the customs lead's AEOB filing system for the bonded area and with the contracted carriers for the dispatch.

The WMS supports bar-code and QR-code scanning at the inbound, the bin assignment, the pick, the pack and the dispatch. The supplier issues a printed kit manifest on each outbound shipment with the kit reference, the SKU list, the count, the weight, the recipient address and the carrier reference. The kit manifest is shared with the buyer's procurement lead in real time as the kit is dispatched.

The WMS is GDPR-compliant and processes the recipient data only on documented instructions. The supplier signs a data processing agreement with the buyer before any recipient data is entered into the WMS. The supplier archives the recipient data for the legal retention window and signs a data destruction certificate with the buyer at the end of the framework agreement.

Disaster recovery

The supplier operates a disaster-recovery protocol for the Hostivař warehouse. The protocol covers fire, water damage, theft and IT outage. The supplier holds a 24-hour recovery target for the inventory data (WMS backup to a separate cloud region) and a 72-hour recovery target for the physical inventory (relocation to the Brno partner warehouse with contracted carrier support).

The supplier holds a fire-suppression system, a 24/7 monitored CCTV system, a 24/7 monitored intruder alarm system and a 24/7 monitored access-control system at the Hostivař warehouse. The supplier holds an annual fire-safety audit, an annual insurance audit and an annual security audit. The supplier holds insurance for the inventory value, the bonded-area customs liability and the public liability.

The disaster-recovery protocol is shared with the buyer at the framework agreement and reviewed annually. The supplier runs a tabletop exercise with the buyer's procurement lead and operations lead on a 12-month cadence. The tabletop exercise covers a fire at the Hostivař warehouse, a customs incident at the bonded area and a data-loss incident at the WMS.

Reverse-charge mechanics

Reverse-charge under § 64 ZDPH applies when the buyer is a Vies-registered EU entity and the supplier verifies the Vies record before invoicing. The verification is done by the supplier's finance lead before each invoice is issued. The verification is documented in the Vies verification log. The reverse-charge paper trail covers the Vies verification, the invoice with the reverse-charge note, the recapitulative EC Sales List entry and the buyer's self-assessment of the reverse-charge.

The reverse-charge applies to the master invoice in CZK with a note that the VAT is reverse-charged to the buyer. The supplier issues the master invoice in CZK with the EUR equivalent at the CNB (Czech National Bank) daily rate. The supplier issues a separate recapitulative statement at the end of each month with the cross-border transactions. The recapitulative statement is filed electronically with the Financial Authority of the Czech Republic.

The supplier holds a separate reverse-charge policy for the bonded area. The bonded-area release is treated as an intra-EU supply when the recipient is a Vies-registered EU entity. The supplier issues the customs release with a customs declaration that names the recipient as the consignee. The supplier does not charge Czech VAT on the customs release; the recipient self-assesses the VAT in its home Member State.

Returns and reverse logistics

Returns and reverse logistics cover the inbound-from-recipient flow for the corporate gift programme. The supplier operates a returns portal on the WMS that the recipient uses to flag a defective or unwanted item. The supplier arranges the carrier pickup from the recipient's address and the inbound to the Hostivař warehouse. The supplier runs an inspection on the returned item and issues a credit note to the buyer.

The returns process is documented in the framework agreement and shared with the buyer's procurement lead. The supplier holds a target resolution window of 5-10 business days from the recipient's returns request to the credit note. The supplier issues the credit note in CZK with the same VAT treatment as the original invoice. The supplier does not run discount codes or promo codes on returns; the credit note is at the original invoice price.

Reverse logistics also covers the post-event redistribution workstream. After each event the supplier collects the leftover inventory from the venue and routes it to the next destination — the buyer's nominated address, the Hostivař warehouse, or the return-and-recycle channel. The supplier issues a redistribution certificate on request with the items, the count, the weight and the destination.

Sustainability and circular economy

The warehousing and bonded storage workstream is integrated with the supplier's sustainability programme. The supplier holds a target of 80% recycled or recyclable packaging by 2027 and a target of 100% return-and-recycle on textile off-cuts and end-of-life apparel. The supplier reports the packaging and textile metrics to the buyer on a quarterly basis.

The supplier operates a textile-recycling partnership with a Czech textile-recycling company. The partnership accepts textile off-cuts, end-of-life apparel and unsold inventory for re-granulation, re-spinning and re-weaving into new yarn. The recycled yarn is sold back into the Czech textile supply chain. The partnership covers the textile fraction of the corporate gift programme; the non-textile fraction (paper, plastic, glass) is routed to the appropriate recycling channels.

The supplier reports the recycling metrics to the buyer on a quarterly basis with the items, the weight, the destination and the certification reference. The supplier holds the FSC Chain-of-Custody certification for the paper fraction and the GRS Chain-of-Custody certification for the recycled polyester fraction.

Compliance and certificates

Type A bonded warehouse authorisation under EU Customs Code and Czech Customs Act 242/2016 Coll. AEOB (Authorised Economic Operator — Customs) status under EU Customs Code. EUR.1 movement certificates for preferential origin. ATR certificates for the EU-Turkey customs union. CMR for pan-EU certifications. OEKO-TEX Standard 100 on skin-contact textiles. GOTS on organic cotton. GRS on recycled polyester with minimum 20% recycled content. FSC on paper and packaging. REACH SVHC declaration on chemicals. RoHS on electronics.

GDPR compliance under EU Regulation 2016/679 and Czech Personal Data Protection Act 110/2019 Coll. Anti-bribery compliance under Czech Act 139/2023 Coll. and EU Anti-Corruption Directive. The supplier signs an annual anti-bribery declaration with the buyer and maintains an internal anti-bribery policy. Gifts and hospitality between the buying team and the supplier team are logged on both sides and reviewed by the buyer's compliance team.