Halfords picks Fujitsu for tablet, laptop and printer support

Firm also considers BYOD and cloud email systems from Microsoft or Google

Halfords has signed a deal with Fujitsu to manage and maintain its hardware across 465 stores nationwide as part of a major IT overhaul across the business.

Halfords' chief information officer Anna Barsby told V3 the firm had already rolled out new laptops and tablets from Lenovo and printers from Lexmark as part of a hardware upgrade, and Fujitsu will provide the 'break and fix' support for these devices.

"For me the goal is about providing a good service to colleagues in stores so they can concentrate on serving customers. They don't want to be worrying about bits of IT kit that aren't working," she said.

"Fujitsu was best placed to meet this need and understand our desire for continuous improvement of the IT we have in place."

Barsby said the firm was also looking at its use of software, with plans to refresh its point-of-sale terminals, while it was also considering how best to tackle the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend, so staff can work as efficiently as possible.

Halfords is also in discussions with both Google and Microsoft about new email and collaboration tools, and the firm is planning to upgrade its network infrastructure in the future too.

Barsby took on the role at Halfords around a year ago, having joined with a wealth of experience overseeing IT transformation projects at major brands including Whitbread, the Financial Services Authority and Aviva.

Paul Patterson, executive director of Fujitsu UK and Ireland, said the deal underlined the huge improvements being made by retailers to enhance the use of IT.

"Retail is an incredibly fast-paced sector to operate in - and ensuring that all technology is running smoothly is a critical part of providing the best service to customers," he said.

"The next few years isn't simply about maintaining the organisation's IT, but also about working together to identify new technologies that can ensure that Halfords' IT platform will facilitate sustainable long-term growth."