Benefits against their baselines
September 2026 review Two benefits measured Shrink not yet measurable
What changed in the Fairhaven store operations improvement program in September 2026, set against the baselines agreed at kickoff, including the one benefit that cannot be measured yet. Prepared by Philippa Sinclair, program director at Ferncastle Operations Group, for Gareth Pryce, chief operating officer at Fairhaven Home Stores, and the Fairhaven finance lead. Each benefit sits beside its baseline and its latest measured value. A benefit with no agreed baseline is shown as not yet measurable, never as a change. The figures describe the state on Monday, September 28, 2026.
Three benefits are tracked, and baselines were agreed at kickoff in June for two of them. Those two have a baseline and a latest measure, and both were observed in the pilot stores. The third, shrink, has no baseline, so the review states no result for it.
| Benefit | Baseline agreed at kickoff | Latest measure | Change | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-stocks in the 12 pilot stores | 7.4 percent (June) | 5.9 percent (week of Sep 28) | 1.5 points lower | Measured, not attributed |
| Scheduled labor hours against plan | 104 percent | 101 percent (ten of the 12 pilot stores, September) | 3 points lower | Measured |
| Shrink | None agreed | Not measured | No change can be stated | Not yet measurable |
Benefits with an agreed baseline: 2 of 3
Out-of-stocks in the pilot stores
Out-of-stocks in the 12 pilot stores were 5.9 percent in the latest week, against the June baseline of 7.4 percent, which is 1.5 points lower. This is an observed change in the pilot stores since the replenishment rules went live. It is not attributed to the rules, because a supplier change landed in the same weeks.
By store group the picture is even: North stores moved from 7.1 to 5.6 percent, Central stores from 7.6 to 6.1 and Coastal stores from 7.5 to 6.0. Each group is 1.5 points lower than its June baseline. A move of the same size in every group does not tell us whether the rules or the supplier change caused it, so the review reports the move and stops there.
Scheduled labor hours against plan
Scheduled labor hours against plan moved from 104 percent at the baseline to 101 percent. The chart shows ten of the 12 pilot stores. The other two are held out of the labor totals until their own trackers match the program record, a decision of the Sep 24 steering meeting, so no labor result is reported for them.
Above plan means more scheduled hours than the store plan. Six of the ten stores are above plan: Store 104 by 4 points, Stores 117 and 119 by 3, Store 109 by 2, and Stores 121 and 102 by 1 each. Store 115 is on plan. Three are below plan: Stores 108 and 126 by 1 point each and Store 111 by 2. Across the ten stores that is one point above plan on average, the 101 percent above.
"I would rather show you one empty row than a number I cannot defend. The shrink row stays empty until the baseline is agreed."
Philippa Sinclair, Program director, Ferncastle Operations Group
Work completed in September
- Sep 24, four steering decisions taken
- Sep 26, shift template owner named
- By Sep 28, five actions closed
- Week of Sep 28, two benefits measured
- Oct 8, shrink baseline owner requested
- Before the November review, shrink baseline agreed
| Workstream | Completed in September | Still open |
|---|---|---|
| Replenishment | The pilot date reset to Oct 16 and confirmed by all 12 store managers. The order calendar now starts the new rules on Oct 16 | Store system data extract (34 days open). Planogram file for three pilot stores |
| Store labor scheduling | The two stores with mismatched figures held out of the totals and named as a gap. Owner for the shift template named on Sep 26 | Two store trackers to reconcile. Three shift template actions not started |
| Shrink reduction | Nothing completed. The change request for a store-level shrink dashboard was sent | No baseline. No Fairhaven owner for loss prevention data access |
| Distribution center flow | Carrier appointments confirmed for the first two wave 2 weeks. Receiving doors mapped to the new product groups | Slotting window dates for wave 2 |
Priorities for October
Priorities for Gareth Pryce to confirm or change
- Name a Fairhaven owner for loss prevention data access. Owner: Gareth Pryce, Oct 8open
- Agree the shrink baseline with the loss prevention lead before the November value review. Owner: Philippa Sinclairopen
- Reconcile the two store labor trackers so both stores can return to the totals. Owner: Hamish Aldous, Oct 7open
- Confirm the store system data extract is scheduled. Owner: IT director, Oct 9open
- Check the three shift template actions are underway. Owner: Emeka Achebe, before Oct 8open
- Decide the store-level shrink dashboard change request. Owner: Gareth Pryce, by Oct 10open
- Measure out-of-stocks and labor hours again for the November review. Owner: Emeka Achebeopen
- Set the two measured benefits against their baselines for September. Owner: Philippa Sinclair, donedone
Who is on this review
- Philippa SinclairProgram director, Ferncastle Operations Group, prepared the review
- Emeka AchebePMO analyst, Ferncastle Operations Group, measures the results
- Gareth PryceChief operating officer, Fairhaven Home Stores, sets the priorities