Marks
and Spencer, a leading UK-based department
store retailer, announced it had increases
spending on supply chain related technology
by about 290% in the past year, led by continued
investment in RFID as well as in it distribution
centers and point of sale systems.
In
the last fiscal year, Marks and Spencer
spent 114 million euros on supply chain
related technology, a substantial increase
over the 39 million euros the previous year.
Marks
and Spencer has been one of the most aggressive
testers and adopters of RFID in the retail
supply chain. It said it is making these
strong investments in RFID and point-of-sale
systems "to support the future growth
of the business and improve the customer
experience in store."
It
has also built new distribution centers
for its general merchandise business.
Notes
Supply Chain Digest editor Dan Gilmore,
“Across the board, we’re seeing
companies get more aggressive in their investments
in supply chain. For example, in retail
we’ve recently seen companies like
Home Depot and Williams-Sonoma announce
a substantial investment in their supply
chain technology and infrastructure.”
(See Williams-Sonoma
Continues to Use Supply Chain to Drive Shareholder
Value, Home
Depot says it's Ready for Supply Chain Transformation).
This
is clearly a trend, Gilmore added, as “more
companies understand the necessity of supply
chain excellence, and frankly need to keep
pace with competitors in the market.” |