Streamlining of stocking and replenishing solutions now made possible with ab-initio

The East of England Co-op has selected Celtech’s ab-initio 5.4 solution to enable it to reduce the existing manual processes used to generate orders in each of its one 134 stores. The new system allows the business to acquire accurate information on margins, stock figures, stock reduced to clear and control wastage which will enable future growth.

The addition of the ab-initio 5.4 stock and replenishment system, which streamlines operations, eliminates inefficiencies and improves service levels, builds on the strength of the existing relationship between The East of England Co-op and Celtech.

John Dixey, IT Development Controller, The East of England Co-op, says: "The fact that ab-initio operates in real-time and is multichannel, has been crucial in our decision to implement the solution. This will enable us to immediately respond to changes in stocking levels and it means that we can offer ecommerce options to our customers in the future.

"We have an excellent relationship with Celtech, which is built on trust. We’ve always found the team to be highly customer focused and very thorough. Equally the technology is innovative, robust and reliable – fundamental in a highly competitive food retail environment."

Trials for the programme are expected to be completed by the autumn. Results to-date have been positive and following completion of the trial, the new ordering and replenishment system will be rolled out to all 134 stores next year.

Darragh Fanning, CEO, Celtech, states: "The East of England Co-op shows a strong example of how ab-initio’s real-time stocking and replenishment enables a retail business to update and streamline their systems, while providing the capability and scalability to meet future growth".