Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen choose Merret to drive Omni-Channel strategy.

CREDITON, U.K. - March 11, 2013 - PRLog -- Following a competitive tender process, the womenswear fashion brands chose Merret to underpin their future strategies due to its inherent multiple channel functionality, scalability and international trading foundations.

Mike Shearwood, Chief Executive, said: “Each of the brands has distinct strategies and business drivers, and requires a solution to underpin these exciting advances in an omni-channel world. Retail Assist have proven experience of working with recognised brands and we look forward to growing our business with them.”

The Merret solution – provided by Retail Assist - has been designed with multi-channel at its core and is used globally by many successful retailers, including ASOS, Whistles, Mint Velvet and the Jacques Vert Group. Merret is an integrated merchandising and warehousing supply chain solution that is proven, scalable and flexible – working from a central stock pool and covering all aspects of stock control and retail supply.

Having supported numerous retailers through change management, Retail Assist are well positioned to facilitate the Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen brands as they undergo a significant period of change to set them in a strong position for future growth.

Ish Patel, Group Omni-channel Director, added: “The decision to implement Merret was centred on its capability to readily support our omni-channel vision, so we know it will give us the best results possible when it comes to delivering a consistent and integrated approach across our numerous channels and customer touch points. Merret is able to work across multiple territories, currencies, languages and channels, which will enhance the success of our global growth strategies. We felt this was the best solution to support Coast, Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen for future growth in a climate that is so heavily reliant on agility and flexibility to succeed.”

Retail Assist already provide complete IT support following the outsourcing of Aurora Fashions’ IT Team in 2011, a partnership that includes  their Ra-X data exchange and managed helpdesk services. Implementing Merret across the group’s 2,017 sites extends the already successful working relationship.

Richard Glanville, Chief Financial Officer, said: “Merret is set to deliver excellent returns for us through not only a lean total cost of ownership, but more strategically by enabling each of the brand businesses to further refine and optimise inventory across all channels."


Retail Assist                              www.retail-assist.com&www.merret.com

Retail Assist is a leading retail-only IT solutions and services company, providing UK and international retailers with end-to-end business applications and services that reduce costs, optimise retail operations and support higher revenues. The company was the first retail-only IT services provider to be awarded ISO20000 accreditation by the BSI.

Retail Assist clients include ASOS, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, WDF, A|Wear, Paperchase, Whistles, The White Company, Odin Retail, Tec7, Mint Velvet, Jane Norman, REISS, Crew2000, VUE, Signet, Jacques Vert, Precis, Windsmoor, Planet, New Look and White Stuff.

With its Retail Solutions Retail Assist excels in developing, integrating, deploying and supporting customised systems. These include its award-winning Merret supply chain solution. Merret is a real-time, multi-currency, multichannel merchandising, warehousing and stock control solution that covers all areas of the retail supply process. Through working with third parties, Retail Assist also integrates and delivers EPoS systems.

In Managed IT Services, Retail Assist’s proven offerings include 24/365 Help Desk, Technical Services, Operations, Data Centre, Hardware Maintenance and Disaster Recovery. Professional Services cover Retail Business Consultancy and Project Services.