Morrisons picks Logile to overhaul workload planning

Morrisons has selected Logile to overhaul workload planning across its supermarkets, convenience stores and logistics network, extending the project across the grocer's wider estate.

It will use Logile's software to replace manual, spreadsheet-based central planning with a system built around operational data. The programme is intended to give central operations clearer visibility of workload requirements across different store formats and logistics sites.

Morrisons operates about 500 stores, around 1,700 Morrisons Daily convenience stores and a nationwide logistics and wholesale network. It employs about 95,000 people, making workforce planning a major operational task across its supermarket, convenience and distribution activities.

The rollout will begin with Logile's Enterprise Standards Manager, which is designed to create a central definition of the work required in each operation. It will also include workload planning tools that translate store tasks into operational requirements, along with day-to-day planning modules and performance dashboards for different levels of the business.

The new system is expected to help central teams spend less time on manual administration and give store managers plans they can use more reliably in daily operations. It is also intended to reflect the differences between larger supermarkets and smaller convenience stores while keeping central processes aligned.

Logile will deliver the programme with FrontlineXP, its strategic partner on the project. The aim is to simplify store processes and improve the consistency of support at store level.

Alex Rose, Head of Productivity at Morrisons, said the project is intended to give managers a clearer basis for deploying staff where they are most needed.

"Getting colleagues where customers need them most is the heart of what we do, and at our scale you need a reliable, shared foundation to get that right," Rose said.

"A large supermarket and a local convenience store operate differently, so our planning has to flex to those local needs while keeping central support consistent. When our store managers have plans they can depend on, they spend less time managing admin and more time supporting their colleagues and serving customers."

Planning focus

The agreement reflects a broader focus among grocers on labour and workload planning as retailers seek tighter control over store operations and staffing deployment. In Morrisons' case, the programme extends beyond stores to logistics sites, linking planning across several parts of the business.

For Logile, the contract adds a major UK supermarket operator to its customer base. It describes its business as software for workforce and retail operations planning, bringing together forecasting, labour scheduling, task execution and other store processes on a single platform.

James Freshwater, Vice President, UK EMEA & International at Logile, said the work begins with defining tasks consistently across the estate.

"UK grocers are increasingly focused on supporting workload planning and operations effectively, and the ones making progress start by agreeing on what the work actually is," Freshwater said.

"Morrisons is doing that across its entire estate, from its largest supermarkets to its logistics sites, and that takes conviction from the top. Our part is to make that foundation accurate and simple for their teams to use every day, so the value shows up on the shop floor and in the warehouse."