Clarks' digital transformation: revolutionising retail with AbsoluteLabs and NewStore
AbsoluteLabs partnered with Clarks to implement NewStore's cloud-native platform, modernising operations across 500+ stores and enhancing customer experience globally.
The outcome, in three numbers
Moved to NewStore, on time
Every store across Europe, North America and the UK migrated to the new platform on schedule, with no disruption to trading.
Served through one unified platform
Retail, wholesale, franchise and online now run on infrastructure built to support Clarks' full global footprint.
Of heritage, future-proofed
A legacy shoemaker's operations rebuilt for the next chapter, without losing what made it work for two centuries.
A footwear pioneer, modernising for its next 200 years
Founded in Somerset in 1825, Clarks has spent nearly two centuries defining footwear, from the original sheepskin slipper crafted by brothers James and Cyrus Clark to a global business trading in more than 100 markets today. The brand owns and operates 512 full-price and outlet stores across Europe, North America and the UK.
By 2022, that legacy had become a liability in one specific place: the technology stack. Several core systems were approaching end of life and falling out of compliance, and Clarks needed a way to modernise without slowing the business down.
Point of sale systems older than the smartphones in customers' pockets
Clarks' digital transformation was anchored in MACH principles, microservices, API-first, cloud-native and headless, and a strategic shift away from on-premises infrastructure. The most pressing part of that shift was the point of sale estate. Some POS systems in use were over 20 years old, which limited what store associates could actually do for customers and how fast Clarks could compete in a modern retail environment.
A platform built for the shift, a partner built for the delivery
Clarks selected NewStore's MACH-certified Unified Commerce Platform for the rebuild, with AbsoluteLabs brought in as integration partner. NewStore's cloud-based, microservices-driven architecture matched Clarks' vision for a modernised, future-proof stack. AbsoluteLabs' track record delivering retail technology integrations made it the right partner to get that platform live without disrupting a 200-year-old business mid-transition.
The partnership delivered strong value on total cost of ownership too, meeting Clarks' requirements while staying inside both budget and timeline.
Wiring the new platform into how Clarks actually operates
As integration partner, AbsoluteLabs connected the NewStore platform to Clarks' existing systems and helped the brand put the platform's omnichannel capabilities to full use, including:
- Store fulfilment
- Mixed cart processing
- Endless aisle
- Buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS)
- Buy online, return in-store (BORIS)
The goal throughout was making NewStore the single source of truth for Clarks' retail operations, so every channel, in-store, online, wholesale, drew from the same accurate picture of stock and orders.
A smoother shop floor, store by store
512 stores, one clean migration. All of them moved onto NewStore on schedule, without the disruption that a rollout at this scale usually brings.
A platform associates picked up fast. Regardless of age or technical comfort, store staff adapted to the new system quickly, freeing them up to focus on the customer instead of fighting the tools.
Faster, more mobile service. Mobile POS let associates engage with customers anywhere on the shop floor, rather than being tied to a till, which strengthened the in-store experience end to end.
A more reliable backbone. The new POS is faster and more dependable, which shows up directly in day-to-day store operations.
Infrastructure Clarks won't outgrow
The new architecture gives Clarks room to keep evolving. Because the platform was built on a SaaS model from day one, the brand isn't locked into a system it'll need to rip out again in a few years, it has the flexibility to keep responding to how retail keeps changing, across every market it trades in.
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