Tesco Property scraps paper for Lotus Notes

UK supermarket Tesco has teamed up with Computasoft Consulting to install Lotus Notes for its property division - specially designed to suit the retailer's needs. The move will see most of the division's paper-based procedures being scrapped.

Anthony Carey, account director at Computasoft, explained the £250,000 deal came from a contact at sister company, Computacenter. "Tesco wanted a groupware strategy, so following a 30-day trial we got the contract," he said.

The system will provide access to internal departments and external suppliers to assist in the sharing of information, as well as improving workflow.

Conway Daw, project manager at Tesco Property, explained that although the company is not renowned for its cutting edge in technology, it chose Lotus Notes because "nothing else compared to it".

He said: "The reason it took time to get rid of the paper mountain was due to the uncertainty in IT investment. But with the ability to replace paper and keep documents on a centralised system gives workers the ability to manage their work better."

With the network running Windows NT on Novell NetWare servers, Daw added: "The great thing about it is that it can be built on as time goes by to meet any changes within the organisation."

Tesco property takes care of over 600 stores in the UK and is responsible for the upkeep and refit of the sites.