OFFSHORINGSUPPLEMENT
23
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
RETAIL TO TAKE HARDEST
UK IT SPENDING HIT
I
nvestment in software and IT services Despite this, some large UK
(SITS) will fall in the UK in 2009, and the retailers, such as Marks &
decline will be steepest in the retail sector. Spencer and Morrisons, are
Software and IT services spending will pushing ahead with essential IT
suffer the most in the UK retail sector in modernisation programs, and
2009, according to ½ gures just published there is a renewed interest in
by Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) in outsourcing from retail groups Nick Mayes, senior consultant at PAC
partnership with TechMarketView (TMV), such as Phones4U (see page 25), as UK said: “Dwindling consumer con½ dence
the new venture of sector analysts Richard they look to reduce their operating coupled with the crisis in the ½ nancial
Holway and Anthony Miller. costs. markets has seen the disappearance of some
While overall investment in software and However, PAC expects UK retailers of the country’s largest and best-known
IT services (SITS) is forecast to fall by 1% in to slash or freeze their budgets for new retail groups, which has led PAC to forecast
2009, PAC and TMV believe that spending applications software and IT project services, that this sector will be one of the toughest
in the retail sector will decline by 5.9% this as they shelve expansion plans and focus on for UK software and IT services players in
year to reach a total of £2.77 billion. cost control. the medium term.”
SERVICES BREAK BOUNDARIES
VISION EXPRESS
IN BORDERS’ OVERHAUL GOES LIVE WITH
When Risk Capital Partners bought the UK Itim delivered the project within its 12-
SOSTENUTO
subsidiary of Borders Group in September month deadline last September, working
2007, the purchase included retention of the with other service providers including Star Vision Express, the High Street opticians
global brand name, and ownership transfer for hosting services; Toshiba for point-of- and part of Europe’s largest optical
of stores, stock and expert staff. But the sale (PoS) hardware, implementation and
retailer, has gone live with a new web-
assets stopped there. training; Concise IT for Microsoft Exchange
based IT service management solution.
With 95% of all systems and 75% of and Server expertise; Alternative Networks
Sostenuto Foundation software from
all business process services were being for voice-over internet protocol (VoIP)
provider, Sunrise is being used by the IT
ful½ lled from the US, cutting ties with its networking and telephony; and YesPay for
and product departments to support
parent within 12 months was an enormous managed credit card services.
staff at head of¼ ce and in the 319 stores
challenge. But the chance to overhaul any Simon Thomas, Borders chief executive
throughout the UK.
business, let alone the UK’s second largest, of½ cer (CIO) said: “At the outset, this project
wholly owned High Street book chain, was a big dilemma. Was it to exceed budget
In addition to the IT service function
doesn’t present itself every day. but hit deadlines, or meet budget but exceed
it ful¼ ls, Sostenuto is used to support the
Not only did Borders have to implement a deadlines? The only option not available was
purchasing of products from third-party
totally new infrastructure, replacing hardware, to do nothing. Whatever we did would be
suppliers, such as frames for example.
telephony, networks and an intranet, it also pushing the boundaries for a new business,
Having added a further 75 stores to
needed business-speci½ c, cost-effective and but one where change was so drastically
its portfolio last year alone, Vision Express
application-based technology in the areas required. Then the Itim Retail Suite option recognised the need for an evolved
of supply chain, merchandising, merchandise presented itself. It was new and unproven but service management system to go hand
planning, ½ nance and management it was the no-compromise solution. Their team
in hand with its business growth. The
information for 41 stores, concessions and a made the promise, we all had the courage and
team has already experienced bene¼ ts
brand new transactional website. determination to believe and live up to it, and
including improved tracking of service
The Retail Suite – the UK’s ½ rst end-to-end now we’ve delivered. This was a calculated risk
level agreements (SLAs) and enhanced
‘Software + Services’ retail business solution and hugely hard work being the ½ rst customer,
reporting.
from Itim met the challenge. Being fully but it has immeasurably paid off. We’re
Project manager, Louise Smith
Microsoft .Net, web-based and hosted, the extremely impressed and the business can’t fail
comments: “The process went very
suite enabled cost effective, rapid con½ guration to be delighted with the results returned and
and development around new, best-for- the opportunities ahead of us.”
smoothly, especially considering the
Borders processes, and rapid implementation Alan Giddings, general manager of Borders
complexity of the set-up for two different
speed. The system also ful½ lled the objective to Teeside added: “The new high-speed tills are
departments. We con¼ gured different
provide an integrated, Payment card Industry actually one-stop workstations that enable us
categories and ¼ lters so the two teams
(PCI) certi½ ed solution to streamline core to provide the customer with our full range
see their own versions of the same
business processes and cut Borders’ costs. of services from one point in the store.”
system.”
MARCH 2009 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40