Furniture Brands International Adopts Torex FRS-POS

Furniture World Magazine

Torex Retail Holdings Limited, a leading European-based global provider of software and solutions to the extended retail marketplace, has signed an agreement to supply Furniture Brands International with its retail management system, Torex™ FRS-POS. The deal also includes the supply of development, implementation and maintenance services, plus project management skills to provide a solution that will boost its customer service capabilities. The Torex solution will initially be rolled out to all corporate store locations, including those in Thomasville, Drexel-Heritage, Lane and Henredon, representing 1,000 users in both warehouse and administrative operations. Terry Bargy, Vice President and CIO, Retail Brands at Furniture Brands International explained, “Our service requirements were simple. We needed to be able to record and process customer requests - and issues - quickly and accurately; to provide customers with information on products and order status on demand at any point of service; to maintain proactive communication with customers; and to ensure delivery of orders accurately and on time. However, our current point of service (POS) system was making these tasks complicated and inefficient.” After a substantial evaluation process, Furniture Brands International determined that Torex FRS-POS would help to achieve their customer service vision. Torex FRS-POS handles the complete retail management process, from sales ordering, stock management and customer care activities to warehouse and delivery operations, reporting, administration and interfaces. Bargy said, ‘The Torex FRS-POS functionality was impressive in many areas, including the very advanced product configuration capability. Plus it has a proven record around the world for delivering bottom-line results, while being easy to implement and use, and having a lower cost to maintain. We were also impressed with the company: Torex consultants are clearly on top of their game, which gave us the confidence to expect a smooth roll out and a swifter return on our investment.’ The immediate benefit to Furniture Brands International will be the ability to consolidate accurate information instantaneously upon request, either at the corporate office, regionally or at the local store. All data is stored in a central repository, which means that all employees will be working with the same real-time sales, stock and performance figures, ensuring that reports are consistent and accurate. Customers will also gain direct benefits. The Torex FRS-POS touch screens will clearly guide sales staff through, enabling them to quickly and easily explore different product and pricing options for example, along with stock availability, with the customer at the point of contact. The system will also capture all essential details about the customer and an order, and automatically send the order to the supplier. The system will then track the status of the order so that any staff member can field questions from customers about build status, delivery dates, and it will alert the store when a delivery is setup and complete. Bargy said, ‘By making our processes simple and all customer-centric information visible, Torex will give us the edge, both in the back office and at the POS – and we believe that will really help provide us with a winning brand.’ Jim Handy, President International, Torex commented, ‘We are delighted to have signed this agreement with Furniture Brands International, whose clear customer service vision of defining and enhancing the customer experience mirrors our aspirations. We look forward to a very close collaboration to deliver real benefits for both our customer and their customers in turn.’ About Torex – www.torex.com: Torex has 20 years’ experience of working in partnership with the world’s most forward-thinking retail, petroleum and convenience and hospitality brands to entice, engage and retain their customers. Over 7,000 customers worldwide depend on our proven, best-in-class solutions and knowledgeable industry experts to help them identify, define and deliver a more personal and qualitative experience for each customer, and to maximise profitability, increase return on investment and achieve competitive advantage. Torex customers include McDonald’s Corp., Tesco and Selfridges.