High-street retailer WHSmith will next month complete a
wide-ranging retail systems upgrade as part of its ongoing
initiative to increase efficiency along its supply
chain.
The company, which has 553 stores across the UK, is rolling out
retail software firm Retek's Merchandising System and Demand
Forecasting applications, in an attempt to improve stock
availability and increase visibility of products along the supply
chain.
The Retek applications, which will link into WHSmith's legacy IBM
systems using a software platform from SeeBeyond, will help address
specific issues, said Iain Winskill, business systems manager at
WHSmith.
"We stock a number of fast moving goods, such as the new Harry
Potter book, and slower goods such as stationery. We need an
infrastructure to support both models," he said. "The new system
gives us the flexibility to change things around quickly."
The SeeBeyond platform will provide a standard for inputting
information into WHSmith's business systems, which will improve the
quality of data and lead to more informed strategic decisions,
Winskill said.
"We have to ensure our datawarehouse is using correct and
up-to-date information," he said. "Previously, we created a new
interface every time we inputted new information and this affected
our strategic decisions. The new systems will give us 'one version
of the truth'."
The SeeBeyond platform will also allow WHSmith's IT department to
create new services more quickly, which was welcomed by IT staff,
Winskill said.
"We can roll out new services very quickly and it is easier to
launch pilots," he said. "The IT team see it as a great step in the
right direction and a chance to be more proactive rather than just
a maintenance team."