Coles will save $1 billion over four years through a partnership with digital and technology services provider Accenture, the company said in a statement today. It follows the announcement it was partnering with Microsoft and migrating operations to the cloud platform Azure (Food & Drink Business 10/07/2019).
The Microsoft partnership is a key part of Coles' Smarter Selling strategy in stores, where team members will be provided with a range of new tools to “transform how they work”, including the removal of manual tasks such as stock management and price markdowns, in order to boost productivity.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said the Accenture partnership was part of its commitment to being "technology-led" in stores and throughout the supply chain. They will partner on key automation programs including Witron and Ocado, SAP implementation and migration to new Microsoft solutions.
Smarter Selling will include increased automation of manual tasks both in stores and in support functions, faster checkouts, using artificial intelligence for quicker and more accurate stock ordering as well as reducing energy use, and smarter planning in distribution centres to improve availability, the company statement said.
“The partnership with Accenture will enable us to deliver the efficiencies we need for long-term sustainability, and provide the agility to respond to rapidly-evolving consumer needs. This is a vital part of Coles winning in its second century,” Mr Cain said.
Cain said the formal partnership builds on a long-standing relationship between the two companies on merchandise, supply chain and in-store systems.
Accenture will invest in a joint innovation fund with Coles, looking at new technology applications as well as 'roadmaps' to ensure the supermarket's digital capabilities "keep pace with the company's long term strategy".
Coles chief information and digital officer Roger Sniezek says Accenture will also support the implementation of SAP solutions across procurement, human resources and finance.
