Nov 24, 2008
ADM Londis plc, one of Ireland’s fastest growing retailer symbol groups has rolled out a revolutionary mobile solution which will benefit Group operational efficiency and increase store responsiveness to changing consumer demands.  

The solution, designed in house by the Londis Retail I.T. team, resides on HP iPAQ pocket PCs, and utilises O2’s mobile broadband network. It has been rolled out across the Regional Management team within Londis and allows them to handle merchandising and record specific details of store visits electronically, resulting in significant retailer cost savings and productivity benefits.  

The everyday benefits of the new system result in the Londis Regional Management team gaining an estimated one extra working day in every four days.   The benefits of real time communication, ensures that the speed of response to retailer requests is greatly enhanced, whilst ensuring that benchmarked data captured within the store is accessible via the Londis L.E.A.D.E.R web portal to the retailer immediately.  This facilitates real time management of the store by the retailer. 

Chris Donnelly, Retail IT Manager, ADM Londis explains, “We are driven to constantly improve the way we support our retailers. This puts pressures on us to deliver better information faster. ADM Londis are therefore relentlessly looking to be more innovative in the way we use our technology to deliver improved retailer performance through increased sales force productivity.”  

Billy D’Arcy, Head of Corporate and Business Sales, O2 Ireland adds, “Londis needed a carrier that could safely transfer its data on a real-time basis with live updates so that there was no time delay for staff seeing new information. With the O2 broadband network, all data is now sent back automatically to the Londis Group Support Office in Johnstown, Naas in real time. The broadband network is the backbone of the solution and we have every confidence in its security and reliability. The benefits of this system to Londis clearly demonstrate how mobile communications can play an important role in assisting all types of businesses in delivering greater efficiencies." Martin Cullen, General Manager, Personal Systems Group, Hewlett-Packard Ireland says that "The iPaq devices, carried by the Londis sales team, will ensure that staff have access to the full range of mobile office features and all from a lightweight, handheld device that they can transport as easily as a mobile phone. It means updating business critical information is far easier, and it also allows clearer more accurate data for real time reporting capabilities." 

Claude Tonna-Barthet, Head of I.T, at Londis comments, “ADM Londis realises that delivering complex mobile technology that works requires us to develop good partnerships with key suppliers.  We are delighted that the relationship we have with both O2 and HP allowed us to deliver this innovative solution so quickly”. As Ireland's only unlisted plc, ADM Londis is the only Irish symbol group where retailers can own the company through share holdings and realise the value of their shares at market price.  

ENDS