Statement from Barry Godfrey, Managing Director, Godfrey DIY.

Introduction

Godfrey DIY Supermarkets are a regional chain of Home Enhancement stores trading in Norfolk under the brand names ‘Godfrey Home Garden & Leisure’ and ‘Homewise’. The retailer has an annual turnover of £7m and is committed to a growth plan through increased store numbers and improved efficiency. As a growing company it was identified that in order to create the capacity for expansion there was a need for sophisticated systems that could be tailored to their evolving requirements.

Corby & Fellas

Our previous systems were limiting the development of our business and in 2001 we began a relationship with Corby & Fellas that enabled us to pursue an IT strategy that addressed our medium-term needs, in the confidence they could address our future requirements too.

In the past we have felt more comfortable using software that is a very standard ‘package’ rather than totally bespoke solutions that are difficult to upgrade and support. The Corby & Fellas system, has offered us an approach that still gives us the dependability of a package, but with the added benefit of a highly customisable system.

We have found C&F innovative in their approach and have regularly identified workable solutions to our business issues. We are constantly reminded of the need to improve and adapt processes quickly in order to remain competitive. C&F’s ability to deliver reliable and well-proven software very promptly addresses this need.

The fact that the system is written in Progress – an industry leading database product - gives us the confidence that what’s ‘under the bonnet’ is dependable and well established and that all we have to discuss with C&F is what is relevant to our business - the application.

Reliability is a key factor in our choice of system and C&F software has proven incredibly dependable and resilient. The design of the system gives us the confidence that customer service and overall operations are not reliant upon one single component.

Reliable and continuous information is critical for our management team and the system’s easy access to key performance measures allows us to constantly improve our effectiveness. On a daily basis we can access key indicators such as margins, product availability, and supplier performance – information that aids decision-making that is vital for our company’s continual improvement. The speed that we can access data is incredibly impressive and something that we now take for granted.

Implementation of the system was very smooth. C&F managed the phased migration from our old system in a very thorough and structured way that ensured total data integrity throughout the changeover period. The new system was greeted positively by our staff, where the intuitive nature of the WinPOS software won their support immediately.

I am delighted with the results we have achieved so far and feel very confident that our decision to work with Corby & Fellas has been a landmark in our company’s development.