Convenience retail chain builds cloud environment to drive agility in the face of changing consumer expectations
Operating almost 2,400 stores across the UK, Co-op’s ambition is to drive growth across its operations while also continuing to deliver quality goods and services for its global customer base. Key to this is investing in technology to transform its existing IT environment, and future-proofing its business against disruption to global supply chains and changing consumer expectations.
Co-op is a long-standing SAP customer and in 2016, announced its Retail Business Transformation programme, powered by SAP’s Retail ECC Suite on HANA, to drive improvements in product ranging, stock visibility and forecasting across its stores. Now, the implementation of RISE with SAP S/4HANA Cloud will take its IT infrastructure to the next level, bringing its ERP into the cloud and streamlining its finance and procurement functions.
Now, equipped with an SAP managed platform, Co-op will benefit from enhanced stability of key applications, such as Forecast and Replenishment, as well as Stock Availability. Co-op will have improved security, faster automation and will be able to capture real-time data and insights across its wider manufacturing supply chains. This will help foster a safe IT environment while providing the key foundations to support future innovation in partnership with SAP.
Rob Elsey, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Co-op said: “Co-op is founded on a set of values and principles grounded in finding a different, fairer and better way of doing business. By building on our existing forecasting, ranging and stock holding capabilities initially made possible by SAP, the move to RISE will transform our operations with the digital infrastructure needed to deliver a safe and secure business environment in the cloud.”
Ryan Poggi, Managing Director, SAP UK&I said: “Co-op is a company that goes the distance with helping communities in the UK, sharing SAP’s fundamental value to power opportunity for all. By embracing RISE with SAP, Co-op will advance its procurement and finance processes, demonstrating just how crucial technology investment is for its business and customers. Retailers and consumer services companies are facing a lot of external pressures and we are giving Co-op the tools to counter these, helping them to keep innovating and providing goods and services in the most efficient way possible – both now and in the future.”
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About SAP
As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, SAP (NYSE:SAP) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted SAP to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
About Co-op
Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives with interests across food, funerals, insurance and legal services. Owned by millions of UK consumers, Co-op operates almost 2,400 food stores, over 800 funeral homes and provides products to over 6,000 other stores, including those run by independent co-operative societies and through its wholesale business, Nisa Retail Limited.
Employing 56,000 people, Co-op has an annual turnover of over £11billion and is a recognised leader for its social goals and community-led programmes. Co-op exists to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.www.co-operative.coop
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