The first official summit of the European branch of the Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS) was held last week in London.
The organisation, backed by the National Retail Federation (NRF) in the US and endorsed by international retailers such as Reebok and Wal-Mart, seeks to promote the proliferation and adoption of standards for technology solutions throughout the retail sector.
ARTS is well established in the US, but so far has attracted little attention on this side of the Atlantic.
Delivering the introductory speech at the event was NRF chief executive officer Tracy Mullin. In an exclusive interview with Retail Week, Mullin said: 'Standards help cut costs and lengthen the life of IT for retailers.
They eliminate complexity and allows retailers to plug in the IT components that best suit their needs.'
According to Mullin, the time is right for retailers to take standardisation seriously.
'Retailing is driven by technology,' she said. 'If we don't deliver standards now, they will end up with an unworkable patchwork of systems. It's critically important for retail CEOs to understand the bottom-line implications of standardisation.'
The NRF confirmed it is in talks with the British Retail Consortium and the Institute of Grocery Distribution, together with a number of leading UK retailers, to discuss possible collaborations with ARTS.
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