What is re-kimbling? A footwear logistics term explained
Re-kimbling is re-ticketing and re-boxing footwear and apparel stock, to relabel it, consolidate broken lots, or ready it for a new store, price or season.
Where the term comes from
The word comes from the "kimble": the small plastic fastener (and the tagging gun that fires it) used to attach swing tickets and labels to shoes and clothing. "Kimbling" is the act of ticketing product; re-kimbling is doing it again: stripping the original tickets and re-attaching new ones. In South African footwear and apparel logistics, the term has come to cover the whole re-ticketing and re-packing job, not just the fastener itself.
When retailers and wholesalers need re-kimbling
Stock rarely stays exactly as it arrived. Re-kimbling is needed whenever the ticket on the box no longer matches where the product is going:
- Price changes and markdowns: new season pricing, promotions or clearance require fresh tickets across a range.
- Channel switches: stock bought for one banner or store group is redirected to another with different labelling and barcodes.
- Returns and recalls: returned or recalled stock is re-ticketed and re-boxed before it goes back into saleable inventory.
- Damaged or generic packaging: imported cartons that arrive scuffed, unbranded or mislabelled are repacked and re-ticketed to retail standard.
- Consolidating broken lots: part-sold size runs are re-boxed and re-ticketed into clean, sellable units.
> Re-kimbling vs repacking vs relabelling. They overlap. Relabelling is swapping the label or ticket; repacking is putting product into new boxes or configurations; re-kimbling is the combined footwear and apparel job, re-ticketing and re-boxing stock to a retail-ready standard.
Why it's worth outsourcing
Re-kimbling is accurate, repetitive, labour-intensive work that eats warehouse space and staff time, exactly the kind of task a specialist 3PL absorbs efficiently. Done in-house at a store or head office, it pulls people off selling and stock management. Done at scale in a distribution centre, it's a controlled line with the right tickets, barcodes and packaging, checked before the stock ships.
At Incomati, re-kimbling sits alongside our other warehousing and distribution services, repacking, re-calling, order picking and inter-branch transfers, so stock is corrected once, centrally, and arrives store-ready. Every ticket and carton is scan-verified through our own warehouse management system, so accuracy isn't left to chance.
Talk to Incomati about your warehousing & distribution. Get in touch and we'll design the right solution.