Food- on-the-go retailer Greggs has chosen JDA Workforce Management to automate and optimise labour deployment across its 1,635 store estate.

Greggs believes the software will drive improved customer service at a reduced cost and offer a consistent delivery method across its entire estate therefore using staff more efficiently.

“Despite exercising good cost control over many years using internally developed systems, labour deployment at shop level is a largely manual process and as such we miss opportunities to align colleagues with customer demand, and therefore don‘t always offer a consistent level of service,” explained Neil Parrish, workload and efficiency manager, Greggs.

He added: “During the pilot we tracked an extensive number of metrics and were able to demonstrate significant productivity and customer service improvements. Shop managers‘ scheduling of time and attendance processes was significantly improved, and the central support teams gained much better visibility of how hours are being consumed in the pilot shops.”

JDA partnered with several alliance members to conduct a 13-shop pilot program over two payroll cycles to help Greggs assess and become familiar with the JDA Workforce Management solution.

Mark Morgan, regional vice president, EMEA, JDA Software said: “We look forward to partnering with Greggs as it works to balance its business strategies, budget priorities and labor forecasts to arrive at the most optimal labour plan for its business to better serve its loyal customers.”

Greggs posted a 3.1 per cent rise in Christmas trading but is to scrap in-store bakeries at 79 branches as it seeks to save £6m a year.