Halfords

Client:
Halfords

Design:
Robert Goldsmith

W3C Standards Compliance:
XHTML: pass.
CSS 2: pass

Active link
http://www.halfordsresourcecentre.com

Overview:
Halfords' needs for this site were two-fold: a relatively standard asset management site to hold their image assets for access by their design studios and then, quite separately, a means by which every Halfords store could access details of how to lay out their floorplans and organise their shelves throughout the year. Asset management comes from Xinet's enterprise-level pre-press and asset management software (although this site was developed before the Hekate framework - see Bacardi - and so the asset management capabilities are more limited).

Store layout information is also leveraged through Xinet's software by making innovative use of some of the Xinet software's features. Each store or area manager will only see details for the store plan(s) they need access to, in pdf format. This store plan gives full detail of which shelving units and special offer displays should be placed where in the store. Linked to each store plan is a list of planograms in pdf format which provide detailed information of how to organise every shelving unit in the store plan. Alongside many of the planograms, stores can also access ancillary information such as photos of a completed shelf and instructions on how to assemble free-standing point-of-sale stands.

While the standard asset management side of this site has been successful, it is the planogram and store plan delivery facilities of the site that have made the biggest impact for Halfords. Where stores were previously sent full printouts on A3 paper for every planogram they needed access to (quarterly) these are now available to the stores inline saving massive printing and shipping costs (approx. 200 sheets of A3 were being sent to close to 800 UK stores). Furthermore, hidden behind the simple site design is a powerful synchronisation system that allows Halfords Head Office to update store plans and planograms daily to react to the needs of their stores which has revolutionised how Halfords can adapt to changes on the highstreet (weather, competitors, buying trends etc.).