Sandwich retailer Pret A Manger is to use a hosted promotion planning system to automate promotional information it sends to tills in its shops.

The company has 155 branches in the UK and plans to open 25 more in the next 12 months and needed to automate the distribution of in-store promotions.

‘Detailed profiles of every store, by type, will be incorporated into the system meaning staff will be able to order online via our intranet system only material that is appropriate for their shop,’ said commercial director Simon Hargraves.

‘This means they will only ever receive accurate and usable material, with nothing wasted.’

Because Pret’s products change constantly, the system needs to distribute material fast and accurately to shops without increasing the workload of its marketing communications team.

Software firm Pierhouse will provide the system, which develops a series of templates through an automated artworking system. Some 2,000 unique artworks an hour can be reproduced and sent to suppliers anywhere in the country.

As well as holding all marketing data and imagery in a central source, the system doubles as a compliance tool for all communication.