Next Controls Limited
John Lewis Partnership
Case Study 03/07/14
Improving the Retail Customer Experience
Through Sustainable Energy Management
Overview
"We need our Branch partners to be free to
focus on customers, and not have to worry
about things such as the plant and
equipment. The insight control and
monitoring equipment that Next Controls
provide us means we can enjoy as
close to total equipment availability as
is possible"
Peter Terry
Head of Maintenance
John Lewis Partnership
Retail powerhouse John Lewis Partnership
have long been at the forefront of energy
management so it is not surprising to learn
that the original founders of the partnership
had a stated aim, articulated over 100 years
ago, of running a business that had minimal
impact on the environment.
As a business, JLP stores are totally
focussed on the overall customer
experience, and energy management
initiatives devised over Waitrose's own
evolution from 120 to 314 stores have
always placed this and staff buy-in as
the foundation of the Partnership's
sustainability strategy.
iBOS Components Delivered
Monitoring
Improving the Retail Customer Experience
Through Sustainable Energy Management 03.07.14
for more information, visit: www.nextcontrols.com
Copyright © Next Controls Ltd. All rights reserved
Analytics
Reporting
Remote Fix
Optimisation
Global
Management
Continual
Improvement
Remote Monitoring and Refrigeration
Equipment Availability in Waitrose
The objective of the initial project was to ensure
that both the chilled and freezer cabinets on the
shop floor within Waitrose branches, as well as
back of house refrigeration equipment,
performed such that product stock losses were
minimised and equipment availability was
maximised.
The outcome is an improvement to the customer
experience in store.
Next Control Systems installed a suite of
software and hardware that collect data in real
time from all stored temperature-controlled
stock, both customer-facing and back of house.
This data is monitored against a set of rules, and
the output fed into the Next Monitoring
Response Team who, on observing a deviation
alarm, personally call named Waitrose partners
so that corrective action may be taken locally.
The outcome of this remote monitoring, rolled
out across the growing retail estate, brings
significant carbon reduction.
Improving the Retail Customer Experience
Through Sustainable Energy Management 03.07.14
for more information, visit: www.nextcontrols.com
Copyright © Next Controls Ltd. All rights reserved
Integration of 'best-in-class'
Hardware Solutions
A key factor in the successful deployment of the
Partnerships' energy management strategy has
been the ability of Next Control Systems to be
hardware manufacturer independent. Next
Control Systems has extensive retail sector
knowledge, underpinned by a deep
understanding and in-house integration
expertise. This agnostic approach allows the
Partnership to choose the right hardware,
ensuring a seamless integration will be
achieved.
With significantly improved equipment availability
delivered as a direct result of enhanced plant
maintenance and control , Branch managers are
able to concentrate on core customer-facing
activities such as maintaining high levels of
customer service through high product
availability at the point of sale.
Total Carbon Focus Implementation
Carbon consumption for the Partnership was
published in 2010 (for CRC purposes) and the
Chairman simultaneously set a target that the
absolute carbon footprint would be unchanged in
2020 despite the forecast growth in the overall
estate. This challenging target is reflected in the
Partnership's CSR commitments and, by putting
sustainability and carbon as a key corporate
focus, creating a more engaged carbon
awareness.
In parallel with the carbon reduction programme,
integrated building management systems have
been implemented that both maintain a
comfortable shopping environment for the
customer, and improved carbon and utility
efficiency. Branch environmental conditions are
closely remotely monitored by the Next
Monitoring Response Team.
Improving the Retail Customer Experience
Through Sustainable Energy Management 03.07.14
for more information, visit: www.nextcontrols.com
Copyright © Next Controls Ltd. All rights reserved
Driving Innovation through Long term
Strategic Relationship
Over time, Next Control Systems has become a
trusted partner to the John Lewis Partnership in
the development of energy and sustainability
strategy within the group.
The Partnership gains significant value from the
early involvement of Next Control Systems, who
bring specialist skills and expertise in strategy
and planning new build, refurbishment of
existing stores and other energy management
initiatives. This early involvement often
improves ROI or accelerates payback times.
Next Control Systems are also able to offer
bespoke solutions during the strategic planning
process, often driving innovation.
Energy Dashboards Create
Carbon Awareness
Having invested heavily in carbon reduction with
successful results, the Partnership believes that
there is benefit in communicating this progress
to partners in order to reinforce carbon
awareness. Energy dashboards, developed by
Next Control Systems, have been implemented
resulting in partners now feeling more engaged
and empowered by this insight, helping them
understand the technology better and generate
further benefit.
Independent research has indicated that regular
communication of progress in carbon reduction
has further positive benefit effected through
sustained behavioural change amongst
employees and customers. Using empirical
evidence from a variety of sources it can
generally be expected that a committed,
educated and informed workforce can result in
increases in energy efficiency of 5-10% desirable results that can be built on over time.
Key Points
• Remote monitoring and active alarm
management maximises cabinet availability,
minimises stock losses improves customer
service and reinforces brand reputation
• Genuine carbon savings cannot be made
without continuous monitoring
• Carbon savings can only effectively be
sustained with ongoing remote monitoring
and alarming
• Energy Dashboards improve employee
engagement, reinforce behavioural change and
engender a carbon-aware culture
• Specialist skills and early involvement increase
and accelerate ROI
job 6601
• Web-based systems provide secure 24/7
access from any internet capable device
Improving the Retail Customer Experience
Through Sustainable Energy Management 03.07.14
for more information, visit: www.nextcontrols.com
Copyright © Next Controls Ltd. All rights reserved