• Sainsbury’s has announced it will partner with SAP to revolutionise its commercial systems, increasing its ability to respond to ever changing business needs and optimising technology costs
• The multi-year transformation programme will mean Sainsbury’s systems grow alongside the retailer’s Next Level Sainsbury’s plans
• It will also improve price and promotions execution, resulting in a more tailored value experience for customers

J Sainsbury plc (Sainsbury’s) has announced a new partnership with SAP, which will revolutionise its commercial systems and help drive its Next Level Sainsbury’s ambitions. Through the consolidation of its legacy systems, Sainsbury’s will achieve increased business agility through cloud-based solutions, as well as a simplified and cost optimised technology estate.

SAP has been appointed to lead the design of the new solution in partnership with lead transformation partner Accenture and cloud provider Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The transformation will enable future system flexibility and allow Sainsbury’s to respond to ever-evolving customer propositions and needs. By adding new capability and capacity to its commercial systems, the retailer will be able to manage products on promotion in increasingly flexible ways, allowing a more tailored value experience for its customers.

The project will benefit customers, suppliers, colleagues and shareholders, simplifying and integrating Sainsbury’s systems and tools into one cohesive platform and creating a single ecosystem for Sainsbury’s colleagues and suppliers to communicate. This will reduce complexity and improve efficiency for suppliers, helping drive returns.

Rhian Bartlett, Chief Food Commercial Officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’re excited to be working with a brilliant partner network in SAP, Accenture and AWS to completely revolutionise our commercial systems, which are the heart and lungs of our business operations. This is a huge step forward in our Next Level Sainsbury’s plan, as we continue to invest in market leading technology that allows us to keep growing at pace and maintain our momentum towards becoming First choice for food.”

Leila Romane, Managing Director SAP UK and Ireland, said: “I feel incredibly proud to be partnering with Sainsbury’s on this transformation programme. We are best placed, with the most complete retail solution in the industry, to drive real impact and outcomes for the company’s customers, colleagues, suppliers and shareholders. We all appreciate the opportunity in front of us and, with our valued ecosystem partners, match Sainsbury’s ambition to set a gold standard across the food retail industry to drive growth and provide an exceptional customer experience.”