A Statement from Mr Jerry Arnold – Managing Partner, Seapets

Seapets is a leading Pet and Aquatic Retail operation that has been established for almost thirty years. During this time Seapets has gained a reputation for its innovative approach to the retailing of leisure industry products and livestock. Certainly we were one of the first in our trade to use EPoS systems, starting at a time when only around 10% of the products we sold were bar coded.

Over the years, we have worked with several companies who have provided us with systems that, it was claimed, would meet our needs. However, in every case, the reality did not match the promises; leading to much frustration amongst our staff and lack of trust in computerised systems.

We did not start working with Corby and Fellas until just a few years ago, but since introducing their systems into our stores and central warehouse we have made great strides, gaining efficiency in every area.

From point of sale to warehousing and distribution the whole system works well and is reliable, it has instilled tremendous confidence in our staff. We are able to deal with customers promptly and without error; the PoS terminals are straightforward to use and throughput is fast. Training is simple and operators become proficient in a very short time. Hardware support has been excellent and we have always had confidence that if any element of the system should fail, the rest of the system will continue doing its job. Corby and Fellas understands that retailing is a real-time and demanding operation, and that systems need to be reliable and well supported.

From hardware and software support to the introduction of new ideas and methods, Corby & Fellas has been superb, allowing us to maintain a leading position within our sector. Without doubt they have enabled us to gain greater support and better margins from our suppliers. We now have the tools and reports to get the information that we need, so we can demonstrate that: ‘we do what we say, because we know what we do’. We are able to run our business knowing that we are armed with all the pertinent facts and figures. I believe that, as a businessman, the ability to obtain timely, accurate and detailed information is essential. Sadly not all retailers are in this position.

Trusting ones business efficiency to another company demands that close attention is paid to the smallest operational detail. The selection of a working partner in an area as critical as IT is particularly important. The partner must be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of retailing and appreciate the particular needs of the individual retailer. I believe that one of the very best decisions that I’ve made for this business was to choose Corby & Fellas as our software and hardware supplier.

More information about Seapets can be found at their web site: www.seapets.com