James Hall

James Hall & Co has now converted 50 independently owned stores to its centralised store replenishment system.

This takes the total number of stores, including focus partners and company-owned stores, to more than 200.

The CSR system uses each store’s sales and stock levels to forecast future purchases and suggest orders. It also monitors the overall stock levels to ensure maximum product availability.

Retailers can use the CSR to adapt to seasonal changes or upcoming events to keep shelves fully stocked.

Cumbria-based Spar retailer M&L Richardson & Sons was the latest to adopt the CSR system on 9 March at its Low Row Service Station store.

“CSR helps us in many ways. It cuts out human errors and makes ordering more efficient. It also keeps our stock levels down, which make it easier to work stock and helps cashflow. It also provides useful reports and information to help review slow sellers,” said store owner Martyn Richardson.

“At Low Row we have noticed an immediate improvement in availability and optimised stock holding. We also appreciate the support and knowledge of the ordering team at James Hall who help us with each order. It seems like a no-brainer - all retailers could benefit from CSR.”

James Hall & Co first trialled the CSR system in company-owned stores in 2007. It triggered a 1% rise in like-for-like sales by maximising availability while minimising overall stock holding.

The company initially rolled out the system in 2012, and accelerated it in 2016, seeing store numbers using the technology grow from a dozen to 50 over the course of a year.