Canary deploys LS Retail ERP to WA supermarket chain Spudshed

Sydney-based managed services provider Canary Technology Solutions has deployed LS Retail’s ERP to supermarket chain Spudshed.

The deployment aimed to access centralised data about its customers and self-managed supply chain and automate manual tasks, as well as move staff away from operating in silos.

Spudshed, which is part of Galati Group, is an independent supermarket chain based in Western Australia, operating 17 locations across the Perth metropolitan area.

Speaking on the deployment, Galati Group information technology manager Kelly French said the lack of a unified commerce system created logistical problems for the fresh produce provider, which on top of its fifteen stores, has its own distribution centres, market operations, manufacturing facilities and owned farms. 

“Data was disconnected, and we didn’t know if our store sales actually aligned to our financial systems,” French said. 

While any company benefits from a single source of data to evaluate its processes, French said it was imperative for Spudshed because it operates most of its own supply chain.

Synchronised data was needed to assess the profitability and performance of its stores, warehouses, merchandising and finance divisions.

Canary was engaged to install the new ERP system and manage data migration and data cleansing. Canary told CRN that the project was ongoing. 

LS Central, which is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, was selected partly because of its grocery-specific functions, such as tracking expiry dates and managing electronic labels on shelves. 

Canary IT head of retail Darren Jerrett said that after the implementation, the MSP was still “supporting Spudshed’s retail operations twenty-four seven, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.”

“We also actively monitor Spudshed’s systems and resolve issues before the stores even know they have a problem.”

The partner of the Iceland-based vendor has four divisions: Canary cybersecurity, Canary enterprise resource and planning and point of sales, and Canary managed services.

The reseller has broad offerings because it spawned from Consult’s acquisition of fellow MSPs BCPrise and Diversus Group this May. 

French said that the implementation had freed up time that was spent on manual input tasks.

“The automation of invoice management will reduce the risk of human error and will allow us to focus resources on meaningful tasks that will deliver value for the business.”

Integrating the company’s data has also improved its ability to analyse consumers and retain customers. 

French said the company’s loyalty app “was in the top 20 in the Apple App Store in the first month.”  

Spudshed could now track their customers’ preferences and create personalised promotions and discounts that appealed to them, Galati Group said.