Harrolds

“Futura and NCR worked together to implement a best-in-class point-of- sale solution across all of Harrolds’ stores. While the client’s rapid growth proved a challenge in timing, the team was able to meet Harrolds’ needs and deliver the solution within budget.”- Brett Ashcroft, managing director, Futura Retail Solution

The Customer

Founded in 1985 by brothers John and Theo Poulakis, Harrolds has developed a reputation of being one of the finest retailers in Australia.

With several stores in Sydney and Melbourne, Harrolds offers premium Italian clothing and accessories for men, and is known for superior customer service. Together, John and Theo direct the company’s three divisions: Harrolds Menswear, Harrolds Shirts and DNA Perfumery.

Since Harrolds’ establishment, the company’s focus has remained the same: to create a superior retail store by providing products and services of the highest standard. In 2005, the company was honored for their dedication to excellence by winning the Ragtrader National Independent Retailer of the Year award.

The Challenge

After struggling to manage an antiquated system, Harrolds decided to replace the point-of-sale (POS) system in all of its stores.

The upgrade was particularly important as the company had opened a large Harrolds store in Melbourne, and it was essential that the supply chain operate efficiently.

The primary challenge was to choose and install best-in- class retail software and hardware for the company without disrupting the supply chain process.

The Solution

Following an extensive search led by the Australian Retailers Association, Harrolds selected Futura’s Merchant Management System, a retail-specific Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. This software was combined with the NCR RealPOSTM 30, a retail-hardened POS terminal tailored for medium-sized businesses. The company also added NCR POS peripherals, including NCR RealScan scanning devices, which provided a single-sourced POS solution.

Solution Benefits

Harrolds’ director of operations, Mary Poulakis, said: “The point-of-sale solution provided by Futura and NCR delivers a standard operating environment for all of our stores. It provides greater efficiency, lowers our total cost of ownership and gives us the security of a national support network that operates in retail trading hours.

“With the expert team from Futura we have also developed a customised Customer Relationship Management (CRM) component for the point of sale which allows us to closely track our clients purchasing preferences and trends. This enables us to purchase and market to our clients more specifically, which positively impacts our sales in a shorter period of time.”

“Futura’s ERP solution is designed especially for environments such as Harrolds and is an excellent fit with NCR’s RealPOS 30.”- Brett Ashcroft, managing director, Futura Retail Solution.