Retail Assist
Retail Assist is a Nottingham, UK-based provider of managed IT services and the proprietary Merret Pro retail ERP platform, serving mid-sized UK retailers, enterprise brands, and local councils with bundled software and IT support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNottingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Retail Assist does
Retail Assist is a Nottingham, UK-headquartered IT services and software company founded in 1999 that serves UK retailers and local councils with a bundled offering of managed IT services and the proprietary Merret Pro retail ERP platform. Its core software product, Merret Pro, is a modular retail ERP covering purchase order management, store stock management, allocation, replenishment, pricing, warehouse management, and WSSI, with newer AI-enabled forecasting and intelligent replenishment capabilities. The managed services portfolio spans help desk support, desktop support, IT outsourcing, cyber security, retail systems support, technical services, project management, operations support, IT due diligence, and specialised local council support.
The business operates on a recurring-revenue model combining subscription-based managed services contracts with software licensing and implementation revenue, supplemented by project-based professional services. Customer acquisition runs through direct enterprise sales targeting mid-sized retailers, complemented by a channel partnership with Barron McCann and event-driven demand generation at venues such as Retail Technology Show. Named enterprise customers include Morrisons, Harvey Nichols, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, Mint Velvet, Whistles, White Stuff, Hobbycraft, and Best Food Logistics, with a distinct vertical serving UK local councils.
Retail Assist differentiates on 25+ years of retail domain experience, proprietary purpose-built ERP, sustained ISO 20000 certification (16 consecutive years), and PCI DSS compliance. In 2025 the company expanded its ecosystem through a strategic partnership with Patchworks (iPaaS) to enable unified commerce integrations and won joint recognition with Barron McCann at the RTIH Innovation Awards.
Retail Assist firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Retail Assist
- Legal name
- Retail Assist Limited
- Website
- https://retail-assist.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Retail Assist is a Nottingham, UK-based provider of managed IT services and the proprietary Merret Pro retail ERP platform, serving mid-sized UK retailers, enterprise brands, and local councils with bundled software and IT support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Retail Assist industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Retail ERP Software
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail ERP (Merchandising, POS Back Office) (HDAEAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ERP Managed Services & AMS (Application Management) (BPAEAGAB), ERP Implementation & Systems Integration Services (BPAEAGAA)
Keywords
Where Retail Assist is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nottingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Retail Assist business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Managed IT Services: Recurring managed services revenue from help desk support, desktop support, IT outsourcing, cyber security services, and technical support. Services delivered as ongoing contracts with proactive monitoring and 24/7 support capabilities.
- Retail ERP Software (Merret Pro): Software licensing and implementation services for Merret Pro retail ERP solution. Includes purchase order management, warehouse management, allocation, replenishment, and pricing modules.
- Professional Services: Implementation, project management, IT due diligence, and consulting services for retail technology deployments.
- Local Council IT Support: Specialised managed IT services for local government organisations including councils.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Managed IT Services - tailored pricing based on scope |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Retail Assist product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Retail Assist sells and implements Merret Pro, a proprietary retail ERP software platform that unifies purchase order management, store stock management, stock allocation, replenishment, price management, and warehouse management for mid-sized retailers. Alongside the software, the company delivers managed IT services including help desk support, desktop support, IT outsourcing, cyber security, and retail systems support, often bundled as ongoing service contracts for UK retailers and local councils.
Product overview
Retail Assist is an IT services and software company that offers a combination of managed services and software solutions for the retail sector. Their core software product is Merret Pro, a unified retail ERP platform that integrates multiple modules including Purchase Order Management, Store Stock Management, Stock Allocation, Stock Replenishment, Price Management, Warehouse Management System, and Data Exchange Solutions. Alongside Merret Pro, they provide a comprehensive suite of managed IT services including Help Desk Support, Desktop Support, IT Outsourcing, Cyber Security Services, Retail Systems Support, Technical Support Services, Operations Support, Project Management Services, and IT Due Diligence. The Merret Pro ERP platform and its modular components work together to provide mid-sized retailers with end-to-end visibility of stock, orders, pricing, and supply chain operations, while the managed services handle ongoing IT infrastructure and support requirements.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Merret Pro: Retail ERP software solution for store stock management, purchase order management, allocation, replenishment, warehouse management, pricing, and WSSI.
Products and services
- Merret Pro Retail ERP Software A proprietary retail ERP platform that unifies purchase order management, store stock management, allocation, replenishment, pricing, warehouse management, and data exchange. Provides real-time inventory visibility across all locations and channels, with AI-enabled forecasting and PCI DSS compliant infrastructure, targeted at mid-sized retailers.
- Help Desk Support
- Desktop Support
- IT Outsourcing
- Cyber Security Services
- Retail Systems Support
- Project Management Services
- Technical Support Services
- Operations Support
- IT Due Diligence
- Local Council Managed IT Services Support
Quantifiable outcome
- Retailers using ERP-based pricing management report improvement in gross margins of 2-4% (McKinsey research)
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Retail Assist
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Retail Assist technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Retail Assist partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PatchworkscoreStrategic partnership announced with Patchworks, the leading Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS). Partnership enables unified commerce capabilities by integrating Patchworks' integration solutions with Retail Assist's Merret Pro ERP platform, supporting seamless data exchange across retail systems and channels.
- Barron McCanncoreStrategic partnership with Barron McCann for combined retail technology solutions. Joint go-to-market activities at industry events including Retail Technology Show 2025 at ExCeL London (Stand N20). Partnership combines Retail Assist's managed IT services with Barron McCann's digital transformation capabilities to deliver end-to-end retail technology solutions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Retail Assist competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Aptos: Aptos is a global retail technology vendor offering merchandising, POS, CRM and ERP-style solutions to specialty and mid-market retailers; directly comparable to Retail Assist's Merret Pro retail ERP and managed services positioning.
- Civica: Civica is a UK-headquartered software and managed services vendor with a strong public-sector book and adjacent retail/ERP offerings; comparable to Retail Assist's combined software-plus-managed-services model, particularly the local council vertical.
- Sanderson Group: Sanderson is a UK-based IT solutions and managed services provider with a long-standing retail and supply chain practice; directly comparable as a domestic mid-market retail IT and ERP services competitor to Retail Assist.
- K3 Retail (Martec): K3 Retail, now part of Martec Group, delivers Microsoft Dynamics-based retail ERP and supply chain solutions to fashion, footwear and lifestyle brands in the UK and Europe; directly comparable on retail ERP focus and customer vertical overlap.
Broad incumbents
- SAP (Retail / S/4HANA): SAP is the dominant global enterprise ERP vendor with a dedicated retail industry solution; it competes broadly with Merret Pro and represents the displacement risk for any mid-market retail ERP player.
- Manhattan Associates: Manhattan Associates is a large US-listed supply chain, inventory and omnichannel commerce platform vendor; it competes with Merret Pro at the upper end of the retail ERP and WMS category with much broader scale.
- Oracle Retail: Oracle Retail offers merchandising, planning and supply chain solutions to mid-to-large retailers; comparable as a broad incumbent retail software suite that Retail Assist must differentiate against at the upper end of its target market.
Others
- Patchworks: Patchworks is a UK iPaaS/integration vendor that is itself a strategic partner of Retail Assist; included as an adjacent ecosystem player that defines the integration layer Merret Pro relies on for unified commerce.
Emerging players
- Fluent Commerce: Fluent Commerce is a cloud-native order management and inventory platform built for omnichannel retail; comparable as a modern challenger to Merret Pro's allocation, replenishment and stock visibility capabilities.
- Brightpearl (Sage): Brightpearl, acquired by Sage, is a cloud-native retail ERP/operations platform aimed at smaller DTC and omnichannel merchants; comparable as an emerging retail ERP alternative competing for the same mid-market customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Retail Assist social profiles
Digital presenceRetail Assist compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Retail Assist financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Retail Assist leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Retail Assist funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Retail Assist M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Retail Assist
What does Retail Assist do?
Retail Assist sells and implements Merret Pro, a proprietary retail ERP software platform that unifies purchase order management, store stock management, stock allocation, replenishment, price management, and warehouse management for mid-sized retailers. Alongside the software, the company delivers managed IT services including help desk support, desktop support, IT outsourcing, cyber security, and retail systems support, often bundled as ongoing service contracts for UK retailers and local councils.
Is Retail Assist a public or private company?
Retail Assist is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Retail Assist founded?
Retail Assist was founded in 1999. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Retail Assist based?
Retail Assist is headquartered in Nottingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Retail Assist make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Managed IT Services are the primary driver. The others are retail ERP Software (Merret Pro), professional Services and local Council IT Support.
Who are Retail Assist's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Aptos, Civica, Sanderson Group and K3 Retail (Martec). Broad incumbents are SAP (Retail / S/4HANA), Manhattan Associates and Oracle Retail. Patchworks is listed as an others. Emerging players are Fluent Commerce and Brightpearl (Sage).
Does Retail Assist have an API?
No public API is recorded for Retail Assist.
What industry is Retail Assist in?
Retail Assist's product category is Retail ERP Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAEAD, Retail ERP (Merchandising, POS Back Office), with a secondary code of BPAEAGAB, ERP Managed Services & AMS (Application Management). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 8744.