Retail Chain Transforms Store Fixture Management

Challenge

A national retail chain with 200+ stores faced a common problem in retail: no visibility into store fixtures and equipment.

When stores refurbished or closed, valuable fixtures were routinely disposed of—shelving, display units, refrigeration, and point-of-sale equipment. Meanwhile, other stores or new openings would purchase identical items new.

The challenges included:

• No central inventory of store fixtures across estate
• Refurbishment projects treated as "start from zero"
• Limited coordination between stores during changes
• No tracking of equipment condition or age
• Sustainability team unable to report on circular practices
• Storage locations with unknown contents accumulating

With ambitious ESG targets and increasing pressure on margins, the chain needed a different approach.

Solution

Working with Camio, the retail chain implemented a comprehensive fixture management system:

Phase 1: Pilot Stores The project began with 20 pilot stores covering different formats and ages:

• Store managers photographed all fixtures using the Camio app
• AI classification identified fixture types and conditions
• QR labels applied for ongoing tracking
• Central catalogue built of fixture types and specifications

Phase 2: Rollout Over six months, the system expanded to all stores:

• Regional managers coordinated inventory exercises
• Integration with store operations calendar
• Training via video and in-store sessions
• Help desk support for questions

Phase 3: Central Coordination The central team gained new capabilities:

• Dashboard showing fixture availability across estate
• Planning tools for refurbishments using available items
• Automated notifications when stores release fixtures
• Tracking of fixture movements between locations

Phase 4: Storage Visibility Four regional storage facilities were catalogued:

• Discovery of £400,000+ worth of usable fixtures
• Clearance of genuinely end-of-life items
• Ongoing tracking of storage contents
• Reduced storage costs by consolidating locations

Integration with Projects Refurbishment projects now start with inventory:

• What exists in the store being refurbished
• What's available in other stores or storage
• What's planned to become available from other projects
• Gap analysis showing what must be purchased new

Results

After two years, the retail chain achieved:

Financial Impact

• £1.2 million total savings on fixture procurement
• £400,000 recovered value from storage audit
• 40% reduction in new fixture purchases for refurbishments
• 25% reduction in storage costs

Operational Improvements

• Complete visibility across 200+ stores
• Refurbishment planning time reduced by 3 weeks
• Coordination between simultaneous projects
• Single source of truth for fixture data

Sustainability Outcomes

• 70% of fixtures reused in refurbishment projects
• 340 tonnes diverted from waste streams
• Quarterly ESG reporting with accurate data
• Credible sustainability narrative for investors and customers