Waitrose has signed a five-year deal with inventory management tech firm Trust Retail to give its staff a “real-time view of stock”.
The technology was first trialled at a single Waitrose store in March this year, and the trial later extended to a further seven stores.
A full estate rollout will begin later this month, with around 125 stores running the solution by Christmas, and the remaining Waitrose estate live by March next year.
Trust Retail’s tech gives Waitrose staff a more granular and up-to-date view of stock, and replaces processes that previously relied on batch updates.
Customer transactions are reflected immediately across inventory and accounting systems, providing a more accurate view of stock throughout the trading day.
Using handheld devices, store partners will be able to access current inventory information to support replenishment, stock management and markdown decisions.
“Having accurate and timely stock information is important to how our partners manage products across our stores and ultimately to the service we provide our customers,” said Stuart Gibbon, product lead, stock & end-to-end programme at Waitrose & Partners.
“As the technology rolls out more widely, it will give our teams greater visibility of stock and support faster, more informed decisions throughout the trading day. Extending the partnership gives us the continuity to build on the work already completed and support the next stage of the rollout across our store estate,” he added.
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