Sainsbury’s in spotlight at Strategic Outsourcing 4 Retailers
London event puts supply chain in focus
June 15 2003
The recent speculation over the future of Sainsbury’s chief executive Sir Peter Davis demonstrates just how crucial it is for retailers to get the supply chain right.
With majority shareholders the Sainsbury family re-emphasising their support for Sir Peter, the crucial importance of the three-year business recovery programme he has implemented at the UK’s number two supermarket retailer is once again firmly at the forefront of debate in the sector.
The Strategic Outsourcing 4 Retailers events, taking place in London this week will give retailers and suppliers the first opportunity to understand in detail the business case for a key element of Sainsbury’s recovery strategy, the decision to outsource to Accenture. Ian Notley, head of architecture at Retail Accenture and leader of the Infrastructure Transformation Programme at Sainsbury’s, will take delegates through the rationale and progress of the programme to date.
With a compound annual growth rate of more than 10 per cent, business process outsourcing is the fastest-growing segment of the European services and sourcing market, will be worth an estimated $52bn by 2005.
There are a growing number of areas where a complimentary specialist external resource for specific services or projects is the most appropriate and cost effective option for retailers. However, long-term outsourcing relationships also suffer from a common set of problems that can add an estimated 5 to 15 per cent to the cost of an IT outsourcing deal.
John Davison, principal analyst at Gartner 2, is chairing Strategic Outsourcing 4 Retailers, which aims to put the main issues surrounding outsourcing in context, as well as to put a strong focus on practical experience through case studies from retailers including Boots, MFI and Somerfield.
Strategic Outsourcing 4 Retailers takes place at the London Marriott Hotel, Mayfair, London on Tuesday June 17. For further information visit www.retailevents.co.uk/SO4R.
