How Harbourline Retail cut stock write-offs by 31 percent in six months
Customer: Harbourline Retail
Provided by: Brightwater Analytics
About Harbourline Retail
Harbourline Retail is a chain of 18 home and garden shops in the north of England, with an online shop that launched in 2021.
The challenge
Harbourline ordered stock by hand from spreadsheets. Popular items sold out in the busy season while others stayed on the shelf, and write-offs were rising.
What they wanted: Cut write-offs, keep the shelves full of what sells, and give each store manager a clear weekly order.
The solution
Harbourline connected its tills to our forecasting tool. Each Monday every store gets a suggested order, and managers can adjust it in a few minutes.
Timeline: Setup in three weeks, all 18 shops live in ten weeks
The results
Write-offs fell 31 percent in six months.
Sold-out items fell from 9 percent to 3 percent of lines in the busy season.
Managers now spend 20 minutes a week on ordering, down from three hours.
"We now know on Monday what we will need on Saturday. It has changed how our managers work."
Tom Hughes, Operations Director, Harbourline Retail
What comes next: Harbourline is adding its online shop to the same forecast in 2027.
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Text and figures approved in writing by Tom Hughes on 28 January 2027