Client Overview
Emma Bridgewater is a renowned British homeware brand, celebrated for its hand-painted, colourful kitchenware. Based in Stoke-on-Trent, the company combines traditional craftsmanship with modern retail and manufacturing practices.
Challenge
Emma Bridgewater sought to review its software architecture to ensure it aligned with business priorities and delivered value relative to cost. They also wanted to answer a key question: Are we spending too much on ERP? This opened up a broader conversation about the overall software landscape and its alignment with business priorities across key areas such as:
- Basket economics and customer insight
- Loyalty and new customer acquisition
- Product line rationalisation
- Manufacturing agility
- Omnichannel and wholesale growth
- Tech stack fit and cost to serve
Objectives
The engagement aimed to:
- Assess the fit of software applications to business needs
- Identify priority changes (now, near, future)
- Recommend quick wins, medium-term gains, and strategic improvements
Approach
The review followed a business-first methodology, ensuring technology was evaluated in the context of strategic goals. Key steps included:
Initial Alignment
- Kick-off with CEO and senior leadership
- Clarify objectives and timing
- Understand business strategy, production volumes, product diversity, and sales channels
Workshops & Interviews
- High-level review workshop with cross-functional leadership
- Deep dives with Finance, IT, and Operations teams
- Functional follow-ups across Production, HR, Logistics, Merchandising, Marketing & E-Commerce
Vendor Engagement
- Discussions about approach to software vendors to assess adoption, customer relationship, and cost-saving opportunities
Key Observations
- Emma Bridgewater operates across multiple business models, which naturally broadens the scope of its technology needs compared to similarly sized organisations.
- The current software landscape has grown organically and now includes a mix of platforms and processes that require manual coordination and data reconciliation.
- Investment has understandably focused on Ecommerce and WMS, but other areas such as Wholesale, Manufacturing, and HR would benefit from increased attention and support.
- Software decisions have often been made to meet immediate needs, but there’s an opportunity to introduce stronger governance and strategic alignment across teams.
- The IT function has provided consistent operational support over the years, and is now well-positioned to evolve into a more strategic partner to the business.
- There’s potential to better leverage existing vendor relationships and product roadmaps, reducing bespoke complexity and improving long-term flexibility.
Key Outputs
- Executive Summary: Traffic light assessment (Red/Amber/Green) of critical processes from both business and IT perspectives
- Written Report: Detailed findings and recommendations
- Presentation & Feedback Session: Collaborative review with stakeholders
Insights & Outcomes
- The review highlighted opportunities to streamline software spend and reduce duplication of effort, while improving cross-functional alignment.
- A centralised approach to software governance and prioritisation would help ensure future investments deliver strategic value.
- Strengthening IT’s role as a strategic enabler will support Emma Bridgewater’s growth ambitions and improve responsiveness to change.
- A prioritised roadmap was developed to address functional gaps and guide future improvements, particularly in Wholesale, Manufacturing, and HR.
- Improve vendor engagement may reveal opportunities to optimise product adoption and reduce complexity.
People approach
This review was made possible by the openness and engagement of the Emma Bridgewater team. Their willingness to reflect, challenge assumptions, and explore new ways of working is a testament to their commitment to continuous improvement and long-term success and it was great working with them.
