Seapets Pet & Aquatic Centre, Essex's premier pet and aquatic centre, is based on the outskirts of Colchester. The company has been established for over 25 years and is a member of the Pet Care Trust (www.petcare.org.uk). Seapets offer a wide range of products for the pet enthusiast, including: tropical and marine fish, aquariums, pumps, small animals, birds, animal feeds, etc.

The company’s main store, of 7500 ft2, is in Tollgate, Colchester, with a second store located in Ipswich. They also have a warehouse in nearby Copford, which is used for the bulk storage and distribution of feeds. The trade supplies division of the company, known as ‘Seapets Professional Feeds’ operates from the here, supplying feed to breeders, kennels etc.

Seapets have always been a keen to embrace computer technology as an aid to efficiency. Over the years, a number of PoS and stock control systems have been used, but none that have really come up to expectations. In a recent statement Jerry Arnold, Seapets Managing Partner said:

“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.”

During 2000 Seapets decided that they needed to upgrade their systems. They wanted to introduce the latest touchscreen PoS technology and to improve the general effectiveness of IT. Jerry Arnold felt that he needed more to gain better control over the operation of his business in order to gain competitive advantage. After careful research, Seapets decided that Corby & Fellas offered the software, skills and experience that they needed.

The new WinRetail system was installed in early 2001 a proved to be a success from the start.

“From point of sale to warehousing and distribution the whole system works well and is reliable, it has instilled tremendous confidence in our staff” (JA)

Seapets have found that a particularly useful feature of the new WinPoS system is the ‘Visual Look-Up Tree’. This enables operators to select a sales item by touching a small illustration or icon displayed on the touchscreen, without the need to scan/enter a barcode or stock code. This is handy when dealing with items that cannot be barcoded or presented at the point of sale, such as: tropical fish, reptiles, large aquariums, ornamental rocks etc.

They have also benefited from the wealth of information that it available to the buyers. This has enabled Seapets to negotiate more effectively with suppliers, gaining pricing advantages that might otherwise have been lost.

“Without doubt they [Corby & Fellas] 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” (JA)

Seapets chose Corby & Fellas because they were able to offer a system that met the specific needs of their business. A fast, reliable and robust system, with excellent back-up and support. There is a clear sense that a firm and enduring relationship has been established, and that Seapets has quite definitely benefited from the introduction of WinRetail. Jerry Arnold expressed his feelings on the matter:

“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.”

Please click here to read Jerry Arnold’s statement regarding Corby Fellas in full

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