Retailers are saving thousands of pounds in annual labour costs by outsourcing everyday tasks to Chase & Co. The company is in discussions to expand through Booker and Bestway.

The firm is currently working with retailers across the Costcutter, SimplyFresh and Morri­sons Daily symbol groups to assist with store man­agement.

Retailers are given a dedicated remote manag­er for tasks such as book­keeping, analysing sales through EPoS, checking on newspaper wholesale deliveries, cutting store wastage, finding staff and security, and processing stock returns. While the manager is based in the UK, addi­tional assistance is available through sup­port in India.

Prices vary depending on the level of service. However, the firm claimed the cost is around 50% of what a retailer would pay for staff to complete the tasks. It added this is equivalent to between “£12,000 to £15,000 per staff member”.

Retailers are already seeing substantial savings in labour costs

Worcestershire-based retailer Chaz Chahal became one of Chase & Co’s first retail partners in summer 2024. Chahal told Better Retailing the partnership helped reduce annual costs by around £25,000. Equivalent to £4,100 for each of his six sites.

Alongside regular store tasks, the firm also helped Chahal secure employer’s sponsored work visas for two members of staff.

He added: “We have a lot of work done before we even open because of a five-hour time difference. A lot of the monotonous tasks are done remotely. This frees up lots of time for us to focus on the shopfloor and ensure we’re maintaining our high standards.

“It took some train­ing for the dedicated manager at the start, but all the tasks we assign are done very efficiently now. Most store tasks can be assigned to them with training. The support manager we have is in­cluded in the WhatsApp groups for our differ­ent stores, so they can converse with staff and provide updates really quickly.”

Chase & Co is looking to build partnerships with more retailers

Chase & Co head of business integration Ta­nuja Ketha told Better Retailing: “Our aim is to build long-term partnerships that help as many retailers as possible reduce costs, improve ef­ficiency and remain com­petitive in an ever-chang­ing market. We welcome retailers across various symbol groups and inde­pendent operators, as well as wholesalers.

“We are in discussions with Bestway and Booker Group to develop tailored solutions for their retailers.

“Chase & Co believes collabora­tion with symbol groups is critical. It allows us to align our services with their operational models and support their retailers more effectively.”

Shop owners can email editorial@newtrade.co.uk with the subject ‘Chase & Co’ for more information

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