Batleys Cash & Carry, part of Bestway, the UK's second largest wholesale and distribution business, has successfully integrated five recent depot acquisitions into its business using Celtech's ab-initio software. The integration of three Martex and two Bellevue units into the business has enabled Batleys to drive its expansion in Scotland.
Celtech provides Batleys with an end-to-end, centralised operations management solution that provides true real-time visibility across the business. Martin Race, Batleys operations director, says: "ab-initio's 'one version of the truth' means that everyone throughout the business is using one system. We can see everything, from stock levels to point-of-sale data, from anywhere and in real-time."
Flexible access rights ensure that individual members of staff can see the information they need to operate effectively. Race confirms: "Visibility is key in keeping collaboration open across the organisation but access to top-level information is controlled by a level of authority."
The ease of extending ab-initio has allowed Batleys to roll out the system to the new depots without any intervention by Celtech. As part of the process, the data was imported from the various systems being replaced, which helped to minimise the impact of the transition. "Fast implementation and mentoring has ensured customer service has not been affected throughout the process," adds Race. Improvements to stock availability, enhanced promotions and efficient ordering have now been made possible, enhancing the customer experience.
Darragh Fanning, Celtech CEO, states: "Batleys demonstrates perfectly why ab-initio is ideal for supporting business growth and continuity across multiple stores with a centralised and real-time operations management solution. True real-time is essential because it allows the business to streamline operations and to see what is happening as it is happening in order to be able to react immediately to provide the best possible customer service."