The Co-operative Group (TCG)
Delivering major rollouts and IMACs (Install Move Add or Change) works across the UK and Europe is the core service of the Barron McCann Customer Installation Services (CIS) Division
- Barron McCann employs its own dedicated internal roll out team of engineers - ensuring consistency, accountability and lower costs.
- Large scale, dedicated installation and warehousing facilities.
- 30 years of experience in retail, office, industrial and sensitive environments.
- Proven experience with major national rollouts to very short timescales.
- Coverage of the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe
- Complemented by its portfolio of integrated services including consultation, maintenance and disposal.
The Requirement
The Co-operative Group (TCG) - the world's largest mutual retailer, with some 5.5 million members - acquired Somerfield in July 2008, for £1.6bn.
Formed over a 140 year period, with a strong ethical perspective, TCG has over 123,000 employees across the widest geographic spread of any UK retailer. The overall offer to consumers encompasses a family of businesses, including Food, Travel, Financial Services, Healthcare, Funeralcare, Legal Services, Motors and Online Electricals, the vast majority of which operate on TCG's own solution platform - "In Control".
The integration of Somerfield's 900-strong stores into the TCG estate increased an already significantly sized food offering by a further 30%, and offered the opportunity for millions of additional consumers to access its ethically sourced, well priced products.
Barron McCann and its highly experienced team of Project Managers, Technical Consultants and Retail Service Engineers played a fundamental role in the overall integration programme. The team's knowledge has developed throughout a long and mutually beneficial working partnership that has included the conversion and integration of the Alldays, Balfours, United & Lothian, and Borders Co-operatives. In addition Barron McCann was also responsible for delivering the "In Control" platform into a number of independent Co-operatives including Plymouth South West and the Radstock groups.
This in-depth understanding of the hardware and software platform, coupled with a mature appreciation of TCG's business ensured a seamless transition of systems and IT infrastructure for the retail giant, thereby maximising both consumer goodwill and revenues for the newly transitioned stores.
The Rollout
Barron McCann's Customer Installation Services Division was created over 15 years ago and has established the benchmark for service excellence in this sector. Highly experienced and specifically designed to focus on the retail sector, the company has an enviable record of success, with an impressive pedigree, performing a range of IT services for leading Retailers who demand competitively priced services delivered by dependable, reliable professionals.
In the past six years Barron McCann have installed TCG's strategic "In Control" stores system into more than 4,000 stores and across a till base of over 12,000 lanes - utilising an ever-evolving array of hardware from the likes of IBM and other partners. Therefore Barron McCann was able to offer vast technical and operational experience, continuity of service and an unparalleled understanding of the operation of the TCG business - crucial to a project of such large scale.
Commencing on April 19 2009, the scope of the project required that the technical infrastructure and systems of each Somerfield store were replaced with the "In Control" solution. As such Barron McCann designed and implemented new data and wireless networks for each store, performed shopfitting activities, and installed new POS and back-office systems.
The equipment was warehoused, built, configured and tested at Barron McCanns 100,000 sq ft commissioning facility, prior to being installed across the TCG estate. The hardware inventory included IBM PoS hardware, kiosks and Self-CheckOuts, Avery scales, Datalogic hand-held devices and wireless infrastructure from Motorola - amongst many others. Barron McCann has configured tens of thousands of pieces of IT equipment as part of this project and achieved a 100% conversion record - ensuring that every store opened on time and trading on the new solution.
All activities were meticulously planned by a dedicated Prince2 Project Team providing TCG and the engineering teams with technical and operational support in and outside of hours, along with real-time reporting for all elements of the defined scope.
Attention to detail and a professional work ethic ensured that Barron McCann overcame all challenges thrown up by the project - particularly relevant for a customer with the UK's largest geographic spread and working through the worst winter in 30 years! As clients know very well - Barron McCann never let the customer down - and every single store opened on the date required, with a senior engineer present onsite for a period of time in order to support staff and customers alike.
With more than 30 years' experience, we are trusted by some of the biggest names in retail. With some 35,000 tills and back-offices under contract, we support equipment from all of the major hardware manufacturers.
The Result
The integration of the Somerfield estate into TCG has meant that the Co-Operative Food brand enters the premier league of food retailing with 3,000 stores covering every postcode in the UK, whilst a 60% increase in the number of available tills provides TCG customers with enhanced customer service in modern, friendly food stores, conveniently situated to their homes.
"This is a fantastic achievement by people from all areas of our Food business and partners alike. To have all our stores operating on a single set of processes and systems provides enormous benefits in operational efficiencies and cost-saving synergies. The completion of the Integration of the Somerfield business within the timescales set was contingent of the success of this project and I'd like to thank Barron McCann for its commitment and hard work - Barron McCann has played a major role in helping us get there."
Gary Wardley, Solutions & Services Manager of TCG
