Expansion at tech firm to create jobs in Nottingham
Nottingham technology firm Solutions for Retail Brands (S4RB), which counts Boots, Waitrose, Asda and Walmart among its clients, has announced plans to boost its team by around 30 per cent to meet rising demand for its services.
The company, which develops cloud-based software solutions and consultancy services for retailers to improve relationships with their own label suppliers and customers, has reported a 40 per cent increase in orders year-on-year.
This growth has largely been attributed to new UK retail customers and the firm’s strong performance in the North American market, which recently led to the formation of a separate US division, Solutions for Retail Brands Inc. (S4RB Inc.) in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
As a result of the continued growth, new roles have been created in the development, professional services and client success teams, with opportunities to work in the US or at the firm’s headquarters in Nottingham.
Managing director James Butcher explained that the additional team members would play a vital role in helping retailers to deliver game-changing own label products:
“Our solutions, which are a combination of expert consultancy and software, are designed to give supermarket private brand teams the edge in a sector that has never been more competitive.
“As margins come under attack and with customer expectations at their highest ever levels and a renewed focus on product quality and performance, retailers have to work hard to stay ahead of the game – and that’s not going to come from relying on the same thinking that got them where they are today.”
Butcher added: “In the past two years, our workforce has more than doubled in size and on top of the planned growth, we are looking at creating an additional eight to 10 positions before the start of the next financial year.
Since it was established in 2006, S4RB has delivered year-on-year growth every year. Earlier in 2017 it secured a seven-figure investment to support its US expansion and investment in a research project in conjunction with the Universities of Nottingham and Derby to increase predictive analytics and consumer insights around consumer feedback on private brand products. The firm is a pioneer of a ‘one team’ approach that brings retailers closer to their suppliers and customers, and has recently been pleased to add the Co-op to the list of retail private brand customers.
“Over the coming 12 months, we hope to grow a further 40 per cent, bringing in more customers from across North American and Europe, by improving product functionality, including data analytics tools that can alert users to hidden opportunities,” added Butcher.
