Waitrose has extended its partnership with Trust Retail for a further five years and is preparing to increase the rollout of the organisation’s inventory management technology across its store estate.

The inventory management system gives staff members a real-time view of stock, replacing processes and batch updates.

The technology was first trialled in the retailer’s store in March 2026 and now operates across 8 stores.

These transactions are immediately reflected across consolidated inventory and accounting systems, which provides a more up-to-date view of stock during the trading day.

Staff members at Waitrose will be able to use handheld devices to support daily activities, including replacement and stock management.

Waitrose has scheduled a wider rollout to begin at the end of September, with nearly 125 stores expected to have the new technology before Christmas.

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According to the company, the increased visibility helps the staff members make faster, data-led decisions while lowering time and manual effort required to manage the stock across stores.

This move builds on a longstanding partnership between Trust Retail and Waitrose. According to the business, since the start of the first partnership, the teams have worked together to integrate the technology with Waitrose’s existing systems to improve accuracy.

Stuart Gibbon, product lead, stock & end-to-end programme at Waitrose & Partners, said: “Having accurate and timely stock information is important to how our partners manage products across our stores and ultimately to the service we provide our customers.

“As the technology rolls out more widely, it will give our teams greater visibility of stock and support faster, more informed decisions throughout the trading day.

“Extending the partnership gives us the continuity to build on the work already completed and support the next stage of the rollout across our store estate.”