All Saints goes in-house with accounting

Clothing retailer All Saints is insourcing an accounts department, built around financials software from Coda.

The retailer operates 30 stores across the country, in the Republic of Ireland and Spain, plus 50 concessions in department stores, including House of Fraser, Selfridges and Harrods.

silicon.com Retail & Leisure

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Up until this year, All Saints outsourced its accounting processes to a Birmingham-based accountant, but the retailer's financial controller Sally Lewis said the company had outgrown its ability to provide an adequate service. She told silicon.com it was more practical to have an accounts department that was closer to the management team.

The Coda application was chosen for its ease of use and Lewis was provided with references from other high street fashion retailers.

The department will be staffed by four people, including Lewis, when it goes live in February when she will decide whether the department is big enough to suit the retailer's needs.

She said: "The software will allow us to present accounts in a more timely fashion, with more accurate reporting. Our managers will be better informed about the state of the business."

Lewis could not give a specific figure for the level of investment in the department but said it was a five-figure sum.