Deal to provide communications link between international design-led stationery chain and its branch network extends longstanding IT supplier relationship

Paperchase has extended its work with Retail Assist to include the company’s Ra-X data exchange service, the exchange and conversion of files as an automated managed service. 

The service adds to existing IT hosting services that Retail Assist provides, as well as Merret, its integrated supply chain system, which Paperchase has used for a number of years now ("Paperchase improves infrastructure with IBM i," Retail Technology magazine April/May 2009, p17).

Cost effective and low-cost requirements

Ra-X is a data exchange, retail communications and polling solution, used by a number of other retailers to send and receive product, price, promotion and sales data from store concessions or international locations back and forth to their central operation. Other retailers currently using Ra-X include Cath Kidston, White Stuff, Aurora Fashions, A|Wear and New Look.

Ian James, IT director at Paperchase, said: “We were looking for a cost effective, established and low-risk solution to handle our data exchange between Paperchase and trading partner, Galeries Lafayette.

“We have worked with Retail Assist for many years with great success, so they were a natural choice for us to approach with the project. They were able to provide the exchange and file conversion as an automated service, with the ability to scale the product should we decide to extend it across our other concession partnerships.”