Stow runs two fulfilment operations: one in the UK and one in Poland as the EU base. They are separate stock positions, but a single operational relationship — not two providers you have to hold together yourself.
Stow’s EU fulfilment operation is based in Poland. This is not warehouse coverage across every EU country — it is one EU stock position, chosen to serve EU demand alongside the UK operation.
Holding stock in a single market can work well for a while. But once real demand appears on the other side of a customs border, every order for that market becomes a cross-border movement — and that shows up in the customer’s experience, not just your spreadsheet.
This is not a claim that every cross-border parcel is delayed. It is that the operating model carries avoidable friction once demand in the second market is real.
Model B holds a stock position in each market. Orders are fulfilled from the operating region that holds the stock, so fewer individual customer parcels depend on a cross-border movement. You decide where inventory sits; Stow operates the model across both.
Orders are fulfilled from the region you hold stock in — they are not routed automatically between locations. Splitting inventory does not remove every customs process, and it is not automatically the right answer for every brand; it reduces how often an individual customer parcel depends on crossing a border.
A practical sequence, not automation. Each step is an operational decision or task Stow coordinates with you — there is no algorithmic stock balancing or autonomous order routing behind it.
Look at where orders actually are — UK, EU, or both — before deciding anything about stock. The model follows demand, not the other way round.
Decide where inventory should sit to serve that demand: UK only, Poland only, or a position in each. This is a commercial decision Stow works through with you.
Supplier collection, freight and customs paperwork are coordinated so stock reaches the right operation, cleanly documented at both ends.
Goods are booked in, received and put away at the UK or Poland operation the stock is destined for.
Each position is counted, reconciled and kept visible, so what the system says matches what is on the shelf in that market.
Orders are picked, packed and dispatched from the operation that holds the stock for that market — same operational discipline in both.
UK orders go to UK carrier routes; EU orders go to EU carrier routes from Poland. Carrier selection is managed, not guaranteed.
Returns are received and inspected by the operation that matches the stock, so resale-ready inventory rejoins the right position.
A stock position is not permanent. As order patterns move, the split is worth revisiting — adding a second position, or not.
Not every brand needs two stock positions, and putting stock everywhere is rarely the right answer. A second position earns its place when demand justifies the added complexity — the right model depends on where customers are, where stock enters the network, and whether demand is strong enough to justify splitting inventory.
If demand is still concentrated in one market, a single position may be exactly right for now. Stow would rather help you get that decision right than push every brand into two locations.
The UK operation receives inbound stock, stores and controls it, and fulfils UK orders — DTC and B2B — through pick, pack and dispatch to UK carrier routes, with UK returns handled against the same stock. It runs on the same discipline as warehousing and inventory control and ecommerce fulfilment.
Stow’s EU fulfilment operation is based in Poland. It holds the EU stock position, controls inventory, and fulfils EU orders — DTC and B2B — onto EU parcel carrier routes, with EU returns and inbound coordination handled locally. Poland is the single EU base, not warehouse presence throughout Europe.
There is no claim here to be the cheapest EU location, to guarantee the fastest delivery across every EU country, or to route inventory automatically across the continent. It is a real EU stock position, operated to serve EU demand.
Before either position can fulfil anything, inventory has to get there. Stow coordinates the inbound side — the same operation as freight forwarding and inbound logistics — so stock arrives where the model needs it, documented at both ends.
Stow coordinates operational logistics and the customs paperwork that moves goods between suppliers and the fulfilment operations. That is operational coordination — Stow is not your tax or VAT adviser. VAT, OSS and IOSS registration and filing remain your responsibility and your VAT adviser’s; Stow does not determine your VAT structure or provide tax advice.
A UK/EU model should also plan where returns are received, how items are inspected, and whether return journeys create unnecessary cross-border movement. Handling returns through the operation that matches the stock keeps resale-ready inventory in the right position — the detail lives on the returns management and reverse logistics page.
Where a return should be routed is an operational decision tied to where the stock sits — not a single rule, and not tax or customs advice.
The commercial value is not only where stock sits — it is not having to hold two separate warehouse relationships together yourself. UK and EU fulfilment run as one operational relationship, with one live view of stock and orders across both markets.
An honest read matters more than a sale. Here is where a UK & EU model tends to fit cleanly, and where it is worth reviewing before splitting inventory.
UK & EU fulfilment is a cross-service operating model. Each of these runs a real part of it.
How stock reaches each position: supplier collection, freight, and customs paperwork coordination into the UK and Poland operations.
Read →The receiving, storage, counts and stock control behind each UK and EU stock position.
Read →UK and EU carrier routes, selection and handoff for orders leaving each operation.
Read →Receiving, inspecting and restocking returns through the operation that matches the stock.
Read →Tell us where your stock is today, where your customers are, how orders currently move, and what is creating friction. We'll map it to a practical UK and EU operating model and send back a real quote.
Get a fulfilment quote →