Waitrose is introducing a new system which will help further improve stock availability and free up partner time for customer facing activities.

The move, in partnership with Trust Payments company Trust Retail, will involve rolling out a more dynamic store inventory management system which will give shops a near real-time view of their stock position and improve data-driven decisions.

The upmarket retailer is investing heavily in new technology across its supply chain and has recently made “significant” progress in availability, which it has said now stands at “record levels”.

Under the Trust Retail system, Waitrose partners will be able to receive stock quickly and efficiently, which will allow their time to be diverted to other customer facing tasks.

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The solution, which is being carried out as part of a wider systems upgrade, will flow data into other new dynamic planning and forecasting systems to support the grocer’s overall ambition to make sure it has the right stock in place.

While being piloted in selected shops this year, Waitrose is aiming roll the new system out to all shops throughout 2025.

Waitrose supply chain director Alison Maffin said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to further improve our already high levels of availability by giving our partners a real-time view of the stock on their shelves.

“We look forward to leveraging Trust’s technology to take our inventory management capabilities to the next level.”