Waterstones' warehouse software upgrade left book orders waiting up to six weeks

Waterstones, the UK's largest book chain with more than 300 stores, upgraded the system that manages stock distribution from its warehouse to Blue Yonder technology in July 2022. The BBC reported on 9 August 2022 that the change had caused weeks of disruption and left a backlog of orders, with some customers waiting up to six weeks.

Authors and publishers complained about delays. Commentator Sam Missingham raised the issue on Twitter, and Waterstones staff said they were being abused by angry customers. Author Susannah Wise told The Bookseller that she had been signing some of the 'only' copies of her new novel at a London Hatchards shop because the Waterstones hub was 'up the swanny', that Foyles had not received any copies and that Daunt Books in Marylebone had one. The backlog also worried newly published authors, whose titles had not reached shops.

A spokesman said the system was now operational and stock was flowing, but that a backlog had been created over the implementation period, which Waterstones was clearing as fast as it could. It said it regretted the slowness and had contacted customers to apologise, and expected to begin benefiting from the new platform by September.

Weeks of disruption: some customers waited up to six weeks, and new books were missing or scarce in shops.

The warehouse management system was swapped to Blue Yonder in the middle of normal trading, and the implementation period itself created the backlog.

Managing director James Daunt had said in May that a 'substantial' multi-year distribution centre project, including a new warehouse management system, was coming over two to three years.

Waterstones also said some of the shortages came from under-buying some titles, which it said it could not blame on Blue Yonder.

A warehouse system cutover is a live-operations event. Clear or throttle the order pipeline before switching, because the backlog it creates is felt by customers and authors first.

Waterstones said it expected the new platform to start paying off by September 2022 and that stock was flowing to its bookshops and customers. The BBC noted it had acquired Blackwell's in 2022 and Foyles in 2018.