Associated Retailers Limited

About Associated Retailers Limited (ARL)

Associated Retailers Limited (ARL) is a cooperative retail group bringing together brands including SportsPower, Toyworld, Compleat Angler, Camping World, Mensland and Shoex.

The group has approximately 400 stores across Australia, alongside stores in New Zealand, where the majority use Retail Express by Maropost.

Supporting members across different retail categories means working with varied operational needs and levels of technical experience. Fiona McArthur, Retail Systems Manager at ARL, started the group’s Retail Express project in 2017 and has since personally onboarded approximately 140 stores.

For Fiona, the platform’s value comes down to how easily members can learn and use it.

Making onboarding and training simpler across different brands

Challenge

ARL needed a retail system that members across different brands and levels of technical confidence could learn to use. The group also needed a familiar platform it could support as stores joined the network.

Solution

Retail Express’s simplicity makes it easier for Fiona to teach members how to use the system, including those with less technical experience.

“One of the things I love about Retail Express is that it’s a simple but effective program. It’s something we can teach even our less technically confident members to use.”

Stores transitioning into ARL also convert to Retail Express as part of the changeover process, giving the group a consistent platform to support.

Result

Fiona has personally onboarded approximately 140 stores across different brands and capabilities. Ease of use helps her train members while giving ARL confidence that it can support their ongoing use of the system.

“We have a number of stores that are changing over, and part of the changeover process is that they convert to Retail Express. So we know that they’re going to be using a system that we can support.”

Helping stores manage inventory and prepare for buying decisions

Challenge

ARL members need useful information to manage inventory and prepare for purchasing decisions. Inventory control is particularly important because the group uses an external partner to handle fulfilment from the website.

Solution

Retail Express supports several parts of everyday store operations, giving members tools for POS, inventory management and reporting.

“Our stores use Retail Express in basically all the aspects, so point of sale obviously, but they also use it for inventory management.”

SportsPower members run reports before their twice-yearly buying sessions to help them prepare for reviewing ranges.

Result

Members can use Retail Express both to manage daily store activity and to access information that informs their purchasing decisions.

For Fiona, the usefulness of that information is what matters.

“It’s really important that they can have data that’s useful and meaningful to them.”

Reducing product setup work for individual stores

Challenge

Creating product records individually adds work for stores. ARL wanted to make this process simpler for its members.

Solution

ARL prepares product upload sheets and makes them available through its intranet. Members download the sheets and upload the products into Retail Express, rather than creating most product records themselves.

“They don’t need to create most of the products. They just go onto our intranet, they download the upload sheet, and they load the product. So it just makes things really, really simple.”

Result

Stores have a straightforward process for loading products, with much of the preparation handled centrally by ARL. This reduces the product setup work each member needs to undertake and gives them a consistent process to follow.

Looking ahead

ARL is actively recruiting members and looking for new areas to open stores. Retail Express forms part of that expansion, giving stores joining the group a platform ARL already knows and can support.

With an established onboarding process and shared product upload sheets, the group can continue helping members get started with the system.

Fiona sees Retail Express as an ongoing partner in those plans.