Leading UK retailers outlined new IT projects at the Retail
Solutions conference this week, in areas including the supply chain
and e-fulfilment, stock control and multi-channel retailing.
Debenhams announced that it is overhauling its merchandising,
retailing and logistics operations to improve supply chain
management and support its move to multi-channel retailing.
The store group will introduce a merchandising system running on an
IBM AS/400 platform. It plans to sell goods over the Internet and
via mail order as well as in its high street shops.
The new Mercatus i-merchandising system from retail systems
provider NSB is designed to enable Debenhams to improve the
handling of orders. It should also enable the company to take a
more collaborative approach to selling, allowing it to work with
suppliers to ensure fast and accurate inventory, and to plan
promotions and new product introductions.
"The new system has the ability to help us achieve our strategic
goals of multi-channel retailing with the least disruption, lowest
cost and minimum risk," said Steve Miller, supply chain controller
at Debenhams.
The group is installing a warehouse management system and
optimisation suite in a bid to improve its supply chain operation
and product availability in its stores.
The PkMS system from Manhattan Associates will eventually be
implemented in all three of Debenhams' distribution centres in the
Midlands, which supply all of the group's 96 stores and five
overseas franchises. The first implementation goes live in August,
with completion due early in 2002.
The Manhattan optimisation suite, a labour management system that
runs in conjunction with PkMS, is designed to provide real-time
information on warehouse activities and transactions.
Meanwhile, Mothercare has announced that it is to implement
e-commerce software to improve efficiency in its business to
business e-fulfilment processes.
The mother and baby retail group currently uses an electronic data
interchange (EDI) system to exchange details with only 180
suppliers, the rest use a bureau service.
The software from e-business provider Kewill is designed to provide
ordering and fulfilment data between Mothercare and all its
suppliers by enabling them to electronically exchange critical
information such as purchase orders, advanced shipping notices and
stock availability.
Kewill.Trade software will allow Mothercare to use new companies
that are not EDI enabled - primarily smaller or seasonal
suppliers.
"The software will bring efficiencies to the Mothercare supply
chain," said David McVitty, head of IT at Mothercare. "It will
allow us to trade effectively now and in the future to share
appropriate information with our trading partners."
Also this week, high street clothing retailer Peacocks announced
that it has implemented a handheld device-based system to improve
stock accuracy and price checking. It expects to recover the
capital investment within two years.
The handheld terminals from Symbol Technologies, include software
from Ryzek, a provider of wireless data communication systems, to
enable in-store scanning of deliveries from the distribution centre
and price look-up without reference to the electronic point of sale
system.
The terminals carry three files, uploaded each day from the
in-store PC: price look-up; the delivery file; and the stock count
file. Each evening, the terminals download their files to the
in-store PCs, which are polled from the head office and compared to
the store invoice.
High street movers and shakers
- Debenhams moves to improve supply chain management
- Mothercare opts for e-commerce software to improve business to
business efficiency
- Peacocks introduces handheld device to improve stock accuracy
and price checking
Daniel Thomas
daniel.thomas@rbi.co.uk