Haskins operates four garden centres from its head office in Ferndown near Bournemouth. With an annual turnover of £30M and a huge range of goods on sale, the company determined that they should replace its existing system and invest in an efficient and reliable replacement that would cope with the increasing demands of a complex and expanding business.

Haskins set about the process of selecting a suitable supplier, producing a detailed ITT with the clear brief that, "The implemented system will improve efficiencies in stock control and management, replenishment and ordering and replace many of the manual tasks such as data input and report collation. These improvements will have a direct and positive impact on the company's profit margin."

Corby & Fellas were able to satisfy Haskins that WinRetail fulfilled this brief by offering a comprehensive, robust and flexible system that included: touchscreen point of sale, stock control, purchase order processing, accounts system integration, mobile processing, sales order processing and warehousing.

Andrew Beverley, Head of IT for Haskins said, "Choosing a new system is always difficult regardless of the amount of time, care and effort put into the evaluation process, the functionality of the software is just one element to be considered. A key requirement for us was that the introduction of the system should be a collaborative effort and that the supplier would become an integral part of the 'Haskins Team'; we felt confident that Corby & Fellas had the appropriate experience, knowledge and, above all, the right attitude to work with us, which is why we chose them."

Once the decision was made to use WinRetail, a detailed project plan was formulated, with live-running set for the 1st November 2005. The plan included the use of 'user workshops', which involved managers and senior staff in evaluating and commenting upon the new system. The workshops were interactive allowing the participants to ensure that their specific needs would be met. These proved to be of great benefit as they involved the key users at an early stage; helping to iron out potential operational problems before they arose.

One of the features of the system, giving significant benefits to Haskins, is the Real-Time Radio Frequency (RF) Stock module. This module uses Symbol hand-held terminals with fully integrated bar code laser scanners. The integral RF network card connects, via a wireless LAN, to WinRetail's stock database; enabling processing to be carried out on the move and giving PC functionality without the constraints of a fixed workstation.

The wireless LAN was designed by Switchnet Systems Ltd., a long-standing partner of Corby & Fellas, who also installed the RF networks in all four garden centres. Switchnet, who offer a consultancy, design and implementation service for networking solutions, were asked to provide a secure and reliable solution for Haskins. It had to provide RF coverage over a large area, both inside and outside centres, and be capable of coping with a wide range of environmental conditions.

The Real-Time RF Stock module gives users maximum flexibility, allowing them to move unfettered throughout the large areas covered by each garden centre; carrying out such functions as Stock Receipts, Price Checking, Inter-Branch Transfers and Stocktaking.

Real-time RF Stock Receipts is particularly useful, enabling multiple orders to be processed and checked quickly and efficiently, at whatever location the stock arrives. Receivers select an incoming purchase order from their hand-held terminal, and scan the barcodes of the items received. This information is instantly verified and recorded; any anomalies such as: shortages, unrecognised barcodes, erroneous items and over-deliveries are clearly highlighted. Short deliveries and errors are reported to the supplier automatically, and over delivered stock is set aside for collection.

Andrew Beverley commented, "I was very pleased with efficient way in which Corby & Fellas carried out the switchover from the old to the new system; it all went very smoothly and exactly as planned, without any loss of trading. I continue to be impressed with Corby & Fellas' software support service and their responsiveness when it comes to software changes/enhancements. The company is already benefiting from the use of WinRetail, and I feel sure that we have made a wise choice that will stand us in good stead for the future."