Wren Kitchens Completes 56% More Customer Appointments and Saves £2 million Annually with Descartes

LONDON and ATLANTA, March 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced that the U.K.’s leading kitchen retailer, Wren Kitchens, is using Descartes’ dynamic appointment scheduling, route planning and optimisation solution to improve surveyor productivity allowing them to complete 56% more customer appointments and significantly reduce its overall ‘cost per appointment’, which has saved the company £2million annually. The solution has dramatically improved the productivity of Wren’s surveyors, who typically visit a customer’s home to provide estimates for kitchen or bedroom renovation projects.

“As the business expanded, we outgrew our legacy in-house system. We wanted a more robust tool with the ability to book appointments with 2-hour time slots and optimize who, where and when a surveyor visits to carry out customer estimates,” said Lee Holmes, Transport and Logistics Director at Wren Kitchens. “With Descartes, now when a customer books an appointment, the comprehensive solution works in the background to automatically optimise surveyor schedules and travel routes to appointments. This enables us to increase the number of appointments per day in an area, which not only lowers mileage and fuel consumption but also drives down the cost per appointment. Working with Descartes, we’ve saved 13% on annual fuel costs, which equates to approximately 354,000 fewer miles driven.”

Descartes’ routing solution is part of its cloud-based last mile delivery solution suite, which helps distribution-intensive companies improve operational efficiency and customer experience. It supports dynamic delivery requirements, including same-day delivery, by offering flexible, efficient and cost-effective time windows and delivery options. Using advanced optimisation technology, the solution reduces the distance driven per delivery to maximize delivery capacity and optimize the productivity of mobile resources. With an integrated GPS-based mobile application, the solution coordinates drivers, dispatchers and call centers to ensure routes are executed according to plan and exceptions are handled efficiently. Electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) captures delivery details and streamlines the delivery process, and self-service customer engagement allows customers to track orders in real-time. Additionally, the solution improves delivery sustainability through increased route productivity, which lowers CO2 emissions per delivery, drives fuel savings and eliminates paper manifests and documents.

“We’re pleased that our routing solution is helping Wren achieve even higher standards of customer service excellence and exceptional productivity gains, which are driving compelling bottom line benefits,” said Gary Taylor, VP Sales, EMEA, Descartes said, “For companies with service-driven vehicle fleets, like Wren, efficient routing is critical in overcoming the challenges associated with rising customer demands and labor shortages. Descartes’ route planning and execution solutions help companies of all sizes in diverse industries transform operational performance and heighten the customer experience.”

About Wren Kitchens

Wren is the UK's number one affordable luxury kitchen retailer, also offering a wide range of affordable luxury fitted bedrooms. Employing more than 7,000 people, last year Wren delivered more than 130,000 kitchens to homes across the UK.

From their 110 UK and 13 US family friendly, VR equipped showrooms, Wren is committed to providing affordable luxury, high-quality design solutions and market leading finance options to ensure their luxury kitchens and bedrooms are available to more people than ever before. With a strong focus on innovation, customer experience and affordability, Wren continues to elevate homes across the UK and US. All Wren kitchens are designed and manufactured in their purpose built, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

Wren’s future is not just about commercial success, it’s also about being people and planet positive. Their drive to future proof the business for generations to follow, and lead the way to a healthier and more sustainable environment, is underpinned by an evolving programme of environmental initiatives throughout its value chain, that is on track to drive Wren to Net Zero by 2030.

About Descartes

Descartes (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG) is the global leader in providing on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, security and sustainability of logistics-intensive businesses. Customers use our modular, software-as-a-service solutions to route, track and help improve the safety, performance and compliance of delivery resources; plan, allocate and execute shipments; rate, audit and pay transportation invoices; access global trade data; file customs and security documents for imports and exports; and complete numerous other logistics processes by participating in the world’s largest, collaborative multimodal logistics community. Our headquarters are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and we have offices and partners around the world. Learn more at www.descartes.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Global Media Contact
Cara Strohack                                                                     
Tel: +1(800) 419-8495 ext. 202025                                 
cstrohack@descartes.com  

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”) that relate to Descartes’ routing solution offerings and potential benefits derived therefrom; and other matters. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the factors and assumptions discussed in the section entitled, “Certain Factors That May Affect Future Results” in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across Canada including Descartes’ most recently filed management’s discussion and analysis. If any such risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In that case, the trading price of our common shares could decline, perhaps materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purposes of providing information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.