Rescuing a Failing Store Systems Overhaul for a Luxury Retailer
Background
A leading luxury department store chain embarked on a major systems transformation project to upgrade its Point of Sale (POS) systems, revamp reporting capabilities, and enhance loss prevention processes. The project had originally suffered significant challenges due to its complex environment, which included multiple brands, vendors, and payment devices all operating under one roof.
Challenge
Navigating a complex transformation
The project faced several key challenges:
- Crisis Management: The project was struggling with significant delays and lack of clear ownership. The initial project plan was incomplete, and key deliverables lacked accountability. Internal resistance, company restructuring, and high staff turnover added to the problem by creating resource and domain knowledge shortages.
- Complex Retail Environment: The retailer operates several department stores, each with its own needs and ways of working. This made it difficult to integrate systems, especially to ensure that different payment devices and systems worked smoothly together.
- Data Fragmentation: Reporting was fragmented, with over 100 disparate reports creating inefficiencies and inconsistencies in data analysis.
- Diverse Stakeholder Needs: For the project to be successful, it was essential to manage the expectations and requirements of various internal teams (e.g., retail, marketing, finance) as well as external vendors.
Approach
Strategic and targeted interventions
To address these challenges, a structured approach was taken:
- Project Takeover and Crisis Management: The first step was to review the existing project plan to identify key issues and gaps. A new, detailed project plan was created, clearly assigning responsibilities for each task. A strong governance framework was set up to ensure accountability and track progress.
- Enhanced Governance and Communication: Regular meetings and checkpoints were established to monitor progress and quickly deal with any issues. Communication with the client was kept open and honest, providing clear updates on delays and challenges to manage expectations and build trust.
- Stakeholder Management and Prioritisation: Discussions were held to prioritise essential features for the initial launch, with less critical items delayed to a later phase. This helped manage expectations across different departments and vendors, setting realistic timelines for delivery.
- Consolidation and Standardisation of Reporting: The reporting process was simplified by consolidating over 100 reports into just over 30. This made reporting more efficient and reduced data silos. Power BI was used to create a flexible framework for data analysis, allowing users to generate their own reports as needed.
- Integration and Coordination: Coordination with various third-party partners was crucial to managing dependencies and solving blockers, ensuring smooth implementation. The focus was on facilitating project delivery rather than handling the integration work directly, which kept everyone aligned and on track.
Solution
Unmatched expertise and proven strategies
PMC was uniquely positioned to lead this transformation due to its extensive experience in retail system integrations and revitalising stalled projects. The seasoned team quickly assessed the situation, identifying key issues and implementing effective solutions tailored to the complexities of the luxury retail environment.
They conducted a thorough review of the existing plan to create a roadmap for recovery, establishing a strong governance framework that defined clear ownership and accountability. Open communication fostered trust among stakeholders, ensuring that everyone was aligned and engaged. By prioritising essential features for immediate implementation and strategically deferring less critical elements, they effectively managed expectations and maintained project momentum.
Through this combination of expertise and a strategic focus on practical solutions, PMC successfully guided the project to completion, delivering significant business benefits for the luxury retailer.
Outcome
Successful implementation and Business benefits realised
The project resulted in several successful outcomes
- Successful System Implementation: The first POS system was launched in June, and the full rollout was completed by September, a few months behind the original schedule, but significantly ahead of where it could have been without PMC’s intervention. The changeover included a period where both old and new systems ran together to ensure a smooth transition for loss prevention.
- Business Benefits: The new POS system sped up transactions, reducing processing times from over 10 seconds to around 2-3 seconds. This improvement supported new business initiatives and enhanced the customer experience. The streamlined reporting improved data accuracy and usability. The upgraded loss prevention system provided better analytics and oversight, improving management of loss prevention activities.
- Increased Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: The project encouraged stronger collaboration among the retailer’s internal teams and external vendors. Despite the challenges, the project maintained focus and momentum, strengthening relationships and increasing engagement.
Long-Term Impact
The successful implementation of the new systems helped the retailer operate more efficiently, with faster transactions, better customer service, and improved loss prevention. The strong relationship with the retailer continues beyond this project, with ongoing support provided through managed services.

The real difference on this project came from embedding our team directly with the client’s. This close collaboration helped us quickly identify the core issues and create a clear plan to get the project back on track. Our deep experience in retail was a huge advantage — we understood the complexities of managing multiple brands, vendors, and systems. By focusing on practical, proven solutions, we helped the client achieve a smoother implementation, streamline their reporting, and improve overall efficiency.
Rob Bowen
Lead Business Analyst, PMC
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