Coles Group is expanding a long-term outsourcing agreement with Accenture to cover more “technology, digital and specialist capabilities”, which will impact several hundred roles in Australia.
The Australian Financial Review first reported the “expanded multi-year partnership” agreement between the retailer and Accenture, which will impact the retailer’s marketing, finance, human resources and technology functions.
A Coles spokesperson confirmed the expanded arrangement in a statement to iTnews.
The new program run with Accenture is “designed to strengthen the technology, digital and specialist capabilities [needed] to continue supporting the business and serve customers,” the spokesperson said.
“The retail sector is becoming increasingly competitive as new global players enter the market and technology reshapes how customers shop and what they expect from retailers.
“To meet our customers’ growing expectations for seamless, personalised, digital experiences, Coles needs access to the global skills and resources essential to delivering those experiences.
“This partnership will give Coles access to that capability at a greater scale and pace, allowing us to better support our teams, move faster, and deliver for our customers.”
The Coles spokesperson also said that the arrangement would help it reduce costs.
The spokesperson added that there would be an impact on back-office roles currently performed in Australia.
“Some work in our corporate workforce will move to Accenture overseas and in Australia,” the spokesperson said.
“We recognise the impact this has on individuals and our wider team, and these decisions are never made lightly.
“We will redeploy as many affected team members as possible, including reskilling opportunities and pathways into other roles across Coles. ”
The retailer has a long history of working with Accenture, including recently on its so-called smarter selling transformation.
