Dolcis has begun a roll-out of a new store system as part of the IT overhaul taking place to separate it from previous owner Alexon Group.
The EPoS system from Itim should be up and running at all 77 stores by the end of next month, after a pilot system went live in conjunction with a store opening last week.
In addition, a new financial system from Coda will go live next week, although Alexon will carry on compiling Dolcis’s accounts until the end of the financial year. A purchase order management system from BT Expedite will come into use at the end of November.
A new warehouse management system has also been necessary, because the company has set up its own warehouse in Coventry.
Although it is essential to implement these systems, Dolcis IT controller Nigel Hickman said that the shoe retailer will also get a return on its investment. He explained: “For stores, it will increase productivity because manual paperwork will disappear. We will have better communications with e-mail – and online stock and sales information will be available in real-time.”
The EPoS system is being implemented alongside a managed payment card processing service by Itim. This will allow Dolcis to implement Chip & PIN readers and is also PCIDSS compliant.
Hickman said that he was pleased with the way the system was rolled out to the pilot site and that it is working well. Teams from Itim, Dolcis and Toshiba – which is supplying 140 till units – are working together to ensure the rest of the roll-out goes just as smoothly.
Dolcis has assembled a new IT team to manage the various systems – although Hickman said that the retailer is also making substantial use of supplier resources.
Dolcis was bought by a consortium led by retail entrepreneur John Kinnaird in December.
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