Itim news

Itim's Chameleon helps Hoopers get fit for the future!

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:15:56 +0100

Hoopers is getting set for a bright and flexible future. The Torquay-based chain of department stores has rolled out Chameleon across its five stores. Itim's highly acclaimed EPoS solution made headlines last year, being named Technology Solution of the Year at the European Retail Solutions Awards for it's lightening fast rollout and rapid ROI for Celebrations Group.

135 new tills fitted with the Chameleon software and Chip and PIN devices have been installed in an implementation that was on-time and on-budget from the outset. Itim also provided a 'Caf'e PoS' configuration to use in Hoopers' cafeterias and restaurants, which now enables Hoopers to manage their entire operation from a single system.

Hoopers is delighted with the rollout and the way the solution was customised to add optimal value to both back office and in-store operations. Itim designed the EPoS screens to mirror the layout of the old cash registers store staff were accustomed too, meaning that the transition to the new system was painless and Hoopers could start reaping its benefits without wasting valuable time on extensive training.

Chameleon offers a fantastic set of initial benefits, placing infinitely more control and information in the hands of managers and Hoopers' Head Office. The system allows Hoopers management team to view real-time individual and summarised sales transaction data from across the estate using Chameleon's "Store View," meaning they're better equipped to make important decisions quickly.

However, Hoopers also appreciates the value Chameleon will provide in the long term. Next on the agenda for Hoopers are electronic gift cards, an integration that the new system will make smooth and simple.

Tradeledger offers Whitbread's suppliers and customers an easier life

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:15:26 +0100

As the UK's leading hospitality company, Whitbread manages Brewers Fayre, Costa Coffee, Pizza Hut and TGI Fridays, among others. With 1,500 locations across the UK and 2,500 suppliers to coordinate with, managing the thousands of invoices and purchase orders that accompany such an operation is a daunting task.

Whitbread believes that making life easier for suppliers is good for business, which is just one of the many reasons Itim knew its Tradeledger electronic trading solution would be a perfect fit for them. With Tradeledger, Itim introduced Whitbread to a system that allows for faster, more efficient processing than ever before.

Not only does this managed service offer significant cost savings, it also dramatically reduces error and delay rates related to the re-keying of information. A step up from the email ordering system previously relied upon, Tradeledger allows Whitbread to place an order via electronic file transfer, which is then integrated and uploaded into each supplier's given processing system automatically. As a result, processing times are cut, allowing suppliers to dispatch orders more quickly and efficiently, and in turn, enjoy time and cost savings of their own.

Pam Crouch, Business Process and Support Manager for Whitbread, has declared the project a resounding success. "We want to have processes that are a source of value to everyone in our supply chain," she said. "Email ordering was very useful from our end - But for many of our suppliers it didn't help at all, and for some it made things more difficult." Tradeledger adds value to ordering processes for both Whitbread and its suppliers... Value which can then be passed onto Whitbread customers.

Simon Curtis, Managing Director of Itim recognised that Tradeledger is ideal for Whitbread. "They are known for approaching relationships with suppliers in a cooperative and considerate manner, and this is exactly what Tradeledger was designed for," Curtis said. "This project is a fantastic example of how collaborative business tools like Tradeledger deliver measureable value to the supply chain."

Itim launches Mobile Computing at RBS 2008

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:14:45 +0100

Itim announced the launch of its Mobile Computing module for Merchandise Management at the Retail Business Show in February. The solution, which runs on any handheld device with Windows CE, promises to save retailers time and money by driving operational efficiency.

Designed to integrate tightly with Itim's own MMS solutions, the new technology was also architecturally developed to work alongside other merchandising systems as well. Functions currently supported by Itim's Mobile Computing solution include price checking, label requests, goods received, stock checking and suggested ordering, with further developments underway.

The benefit to retailers is that all of these tasks can now be completed using a hand held terminal rather than printing lists, marking them up and later keying the information into back-office computers. When a job is complete, store staff simply dock the device and all information stored on it is updated all the way through to the retailer's central systems.

Managers are able to assign tasks to specific staff members and handheld devices from the store's central computer, eliminating paperwork and time spent in the back office away from the shop floor.

The solution was developed in response to requests from a major UK retailer, which began piloting the solution last month and will soon be rolling it out across its estate. Using Microsoft's latest SQL Server replication technology and WAN with an ADSL connection, Itim's Mobile Computing provides retailers with a single version of the truth in terms of stock levels and tasks completed. This is a massive improvement compared to other mobile technologies that are linked to tills alone where data is only synchronised and reconciled once each day when stores close.

Simon Curtis, Managing Director of ITIM believes this new offering is just one more example of ITIM striving to develop the solutions that today's retailers truly want and need. "Itim's strategy is to develop products alongside early adopting retailers, allowing us to combine the latest ideas from industry leaders with our years of consultancy experience," Curtis said. "We've found that this leads to the most practical solutions being developed as quickly as possible."

The National Trust chooses internationally recognized planning tool

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:14:16 +0100

The National Trust has recently selected Itim's Merchandise Planning solution powered by Buyers Toolbox from US partner ANT USA. The National Trust is a non-profit organisation working to preserve and protect the coastline, countryside and buildings of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Completely independent of government, the Trust relies on income from membership fees, donations and revenue raised from commercial operations, such as the over 200 shops at National Trust sites. Maximizing the revenue of its shops by improving inventory management helps the Trust reach its financial goals.

The shops offer a wide range of merchandise, much of which is exclusive, and many of the items on sale have been carefully chosen to reflect the character of the Trust's magnificent houses and glorious gardens, or the National Trust's work.

Itim's solution is a powerful, easy to use and cost effective Windows product that has now given The National Trust the freedom to plan for its business, from sales and stock to margin and turnover, in a way that is meaningful to them. The solution allows retailers of any type and size to monitor business performance by department, key product, store and channel, all at the click of a button. Having a tool that makes it possible to respond rapidly to ever-changing market conditions will also help develop new marketing and sales opportunities for The National Trust.

The new technology to help retailers boost profits

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:13:32 +0100

Consumers across the UK will have noted a surprisingly high number of retailers slashing prices pre-Christmas last year, well ahead of the traditional January sales. In many cases the price changes were well conceived and profit enhancing. In many others, they were poorly conceived and profit eroding.

So, the question for retailers remains; when is it right to lower prices and how can stores avoid simply giving money away?

Itim wants to help retailers boost profit intelligence in their operations, which is why it has made a strategic investment in Profimetrics, a European-based company specialising in what it calls Integrated Profit Optimisation™, IPO™.

IPO™, is an integrated full product life-cycle, price optimisation software solution designed to help retailers boost profits by suggesting demand-shaping strategies, by recommending appropriate price changes, promotions or markdowns based on competitive trends sales volume, stock levels and margins, as well as other factors.

In today's competitive market, time constraints often lead retailers to manage decision-making by managing averages. IPO helps retailers achieve new levels of "profit precision" by applying intelligence to the vast number of numbers that retailers must manage daily, by helping them avoid the margin-punishing compromise that averaging creates. It removes the guesswork from merchandise margin management to ensure that sales and profit objectives are consistently achieved.

For example, in a fashion retailer, IPO might recommend that the price of a margin-generating shirt could be increased by one price point with no negative impact on sales, generating lb200,000 of additional profit over a six month period. In another case, the software might suggest that a women's jacket need not be in the first phase of a 30% markdown program, saving lb20,000 over a two-week period.

With the "right pricing" of every product, in every store, everyday, the benefits of IPO are tremendous, and, according to an independent study by AMR Research, initial benefits range from "250 to 350% ROI in 12 months and 2 to 7% increases in margin." AMR Research has also concluded that "fewer than 3% of companies effectively manage, communicate and enforce prices", so the opportunities afforded by gaining control in this area are massive. This idea is the driving force behind Profimetrics, and is the reason Itim saw it as an incredible opportunity to add even more value to its retail solutions offering.

Profimetrics came into being only three years ago, but already boasts implementations in Europe, South America and the US, with clients ranging from food to fashion and from specialty stores to hypermarkets. This rapidly emerging global leader was founded by Steven Beck and Chris Cawthorn, the retail visionaries behind a host of other successful retail technologies including Arthur and Planalytics.

Itim Chairman Ali Athar believes that price management and profit optimisation are critical issues to multi-store retailers and that IPO is the best product available in the market. "Our investment in Profimetrics reinforces our message and demonstrates our passion to stay at the forefront of innovation. Our goal is to add value to our customers. We continually look for world class applications to invest in or acquire to add to our portfolio," Athar said.

Chris Cawthorn, Managing Director of Profimetrics, said, "we are pleased that retailers, software vendors, consulting firms and the press are starting to acknowledge our leadership. Itim's investment further illustrates this. What I think of our product is important. What the marketplace thinks is even more important."

In a typical installation, Profimetrics IPO integrates with any ERP (SAP, Oracle, JDA, Aldata or the like) to provide the additional intelligence retailers need to maintain and reinforce their price image and competitiveness to their customers. It has already proven to have made retailers significantly more profitable and customer satisfying, and can be fully implemented in four to six months.

Profimetrics will be run as a separate company. Ali Athar and Itim Finance Director, Ian Hayes, will join the board of Profimetrics.

Itim to supply Borders IT

Itim — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:11:27 +0100

Borders UK Ltd, one of Britain's best-known booksellers, has signed an initial Heads of Agreement to roll out and subscribe to The Retail Suite from the retail software specialists Itim. Full contracts are planned to be signed by the end of April with implementation of the solution across its entire UK estate before the end of the year, as a key part of separation from its previous US parent Borders Group International. The project kick-off coincides with the first fully integrated release of this sophisticated suite of retail solutions from software developer Itim.

The Retail Suite is an integrated solution to run an entire business, and will provide Borders with Store Systems, Merchandise Planning, Merchandising, Finance and Management Information. This rich suite of retail functions is delivered through a browser interface and can be implemented via a hosted, subscription-based model, allowing retailers to grow their business with IT costs linked to their growth.

Borders UK CIO Simon Thomas is confident that The Retail Suite is the right fit for Borders and that it will quickly begin to add value to its operations. "After an extensive review of potential solutions and services, we're looking forward to working with Itim on an exclusive basis," Thomas said. "They demonstrate a strong understanding of our needs and have already proven their ability to deliver a fantastic solution."

Simon Curtis, Managing Director of Itim agrees that the solution is a perfect fit for Borders. "Given our experience in the book industry and the fact that The Retail Suite's broad functionality supports both book and non-book needs, the Itim - Borders partnership seems natural," Curtis said. "We're all excited to be working with Simon and his team to deliver this value-adding solution."

Retail Bookselling Chain of the Year 2005 & 2006, Bookselling Company of the Year 2006 & 2007, Children's Retailer of the Year 2007, and Magazine Destination Retailer of the Year 2007, Borders UK has over one million square feet of retail space and around 8% of the retail bookselling market. Borders currently operates 42 Borders superstores in city centres and retail parks from Bournemouth to Inverness and 26 high street and airport bookshops under the Books etc. and Borders Express brands.