Schuh

The challenge

One of the UK’s largest footwear retailers, Schuh has a strong high-street presence and an equally strong commitment to its sustainability, environmental, and community responsibilities. Originally, the company appointed us to:

• Manage its energy procurement, validation and query management services for electricity and gas across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
• Help meets its compliance requirements.

The solution

We conducted a detailed assessment of Schuh’s portfolio to identify savings opportunities. This included analysis of historical data going back two years. Our market analysts advised Schuh to lock in prices early in 2021, when charges were significantly below the huge wholesale market increases that have since seen prices rise to their highest ever level. At the same time, we helped the company meet its carbon-neutral objectives by securing contracts supplied by 100% renewable energy.

Through our in-house software, Pulse, Schuh now has instant access to our budgeting tool, giving them accurate forecasts on costs over a three-year period, with daily updates following market movement.

In addition to this, we’ve carried out and completed the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 2 assessments across the Schuh portfolio, alongside a separate exercise looking at non-commodity analysis to identify further ways for Schuh to save costs on electricity and gas.

The benefits

Thanks to our risk-managed approach to procurement, Schuh has realised savings against its previous contract and guaranteed competitive pricing for years to come. The business is more resilient, with a clear, accurate forecast on costs. And it’s making excellent progress towards meeting its net-zero objectives.

Recently, we undertook a detailed analysis of Schuh’s maximum demand profile across its entire national half-hourly portfolio. Within a matter of weeks, we demonstrated that significant savings could be made by reducing the agreed supply capacity at a number of stores. Following further detailed analysis of historical data, we put together a case for reducing capacities at over 20 stores. After collaborative discussion, it was agreed to go ahead with all recommendations, securing Schuh savings in excess of £50,000 over the next three years.