Waterstones suffers stock shortages amid tech issues
The bookseller’s stock issues were in part due to Waterstones adopting a new system called Blue Yonder, as well as the company’s under-buying stock
Bookshop chain Waterstones is currently dealing with a backlog of unfulfilled orders after the brand’s warehouse technical systems were said to have led to stock shortages.
The news comes as the retailer, which has more than 300 stores across the country, had reportedly upgraded to a new system called Blue Yonder last month. This is said to have put a strain on getting stock out to shops, as well as fulfilling customer orders.
However, it is also reported that not all of the bookseller’s stock issues were due to the system upgrade as it has been revealed that Waterstones had stopped ordering more stock in order to deal with the current situation.
A Waterstones spokesperson said: “Waterstones last month upgraded the system that manages stock distribution from our warehouse to Blue Yonder technology. This is now operational, with stock flowing to our bookshops and customers. Over the implementation period, however, a backlog of orders was created which we are now processing as quickly as we can.
“We note some of the public commentary, much of which complains that we have under-bought some titles. Unfortunately, no amount of sophisticated new warehouse systems changes the fact that as booksellers we choose what to buy, sometimes being a little too reticent, sometimes too enthusiastic. We can’t blame Blue Yonder for this.”
The spokesperson added: “Our expectation is to have the backlog of stock deliveries into shops caught up over the quiet August period, with August new releases now being processed without delay. Indeed, by September we anticipate beginning to benefit from the much more sophisticated platform now at our disposal.”
