If December is the sprint, January is the moment the Australian food supply chain takes a breath and starts sorting out the mess left by the festive peak. For manufacturers, retailers, and transport providers, the Christmas rush doesn’t end when the doors close on Boxing Day. The real work begins as networks unwind, rebalance, and prepare for the long summer stretch.
Across chilled, frozen, and ambient categories, the first thing everyone feels is the pallet imbalance. In December, product only moves one way – hard and fast into retailers. By early January, DCs across the country are stacked with empties that need to get back to manufacturers so production can ramp again. It’s a quiet but critical reset, and if it’s not handled well, it can choke the network for weeks.
Cold storage facilities go through the same cycle. Rooms are full heading into Christmas as manufacturers build ahead of demand, and they empty rapidly as stock flows into stores. But the rebound hits quickly: seasonal SKUs are cleared, everyday lines return to normal cadence, and inbound freight starts flowing again. Temperature-controlled networks need a steady hand at this point, especially as energy loads rise through peak summer heat.
Transport fleets also come off a highly compressed, highly optimised December. Drivers are pushed, delivery windows tighten, and schedules become heavily retailer-led. January is the opportunity to re-establish rhythm — get vehicles back onto balanced routes, reset maintenance windows, and iron out any congestion created during the rush.
For ACIT, this period is arguably the most important part of the seasonal cycle. The Christmas rush is predictable; the recovery phase is where operational intelligence really matters. Supporting customers through the rebound involves:
• Rapid realignment of pallet flows
• Rebalancing cold storage volume as SKUs shift from seasonal to standard lines
• Preventing January congestion through tighter slotting and turnaround times
• Ensuring fleets are optimised again, not simply reacting to leftover December patterns
When done right, the post-Christmas reset gives manufacturers a clean foundation for Q1 production, helps retailers stabilise inventory, and reduces cost pressure across energy, storage, and transport. It’s not the loudest part of the year, but it’s one of the most important.
