Shop Direct BPO Contract

Serco agrees significant new BPO contract with leading UK retailer 9 May 2012 Serco Group plc (Serco), the international service company, announces that it has reached an agreement and expects to sign today a significant new Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) contract to provide and enhance the efficiency of customer contact services for Shop Direct Group (Shop Direct), the UK's leading online and home shopping retailer. The ten-year contract will start on 1 July 2012 and has a total estimated value to Serco of approximately £430m. Under the contract, Serco will assume responsibility for managing customer contact across Shop Direct's brands. The partnership will work together to significantly enhance service levels and efficiency through the investment in the latest technology, such as web chat and mobile digital services, which are designed to seamlessly integrate online and mobile into customer contact management. Changing customer shopping, contact and servicing patterns have led to a major shift in channel preference. These changes, together with the need to increase efficiency, led Shop Direct to undertake a complete review of its customer service needs, the result of which was the appointment of Serco to provide its future customer contact programme. This draws and substantially builds on the successful contract that The Listening Company currently has with Shop Direct, where consistently high levels of performance have been achieved. The contract represents a significant further step forward for Serco's recently formed Global Services business, which combines the capabilities from Intelenet and The Listening Company as well as the additional scale advantage from Serco's other BPO operations. Our proposal includes a blend of on-shore and off-shore service provision. Around 1,800 contact centre and administration employees will transfer to Serco. The proposed service provision transitions in stages over the first two years of the contract's operation. The timing of costs associated with implementing transitional arrangements are expected to drive an additional working capital out flow for Serco estimated in total at approximately £25m over the initial two years. Mark Newton-Jones, Group Chief Executive of Shop Direct, said: "The ways in which customers are shopping with us, contacting us and servicing their accounts have changed rapidly, driven by revolutionary advances in digital and interactive technology. We have chosen to work with Serco as they are an acknowledged leader in this field. Serco's expertise, coupled with their investment in technological innovation, will ensure that we have a customer contact programme that is flexible and adaptable for the increasingly online and mobile world that we live in." Christopher Hyman, Chief Executive of Serco Group, added: "Today's announcement with a major organisation such as Shop Direct is testament to the significant development of our Global BPO strategy. Serco will bring its substantial skills and capabilities in contact service delivery to Shop Direct, further improving the customer experience through investment in technological innovation and increased efficiency. Our selection for this contract clearly demonstrates the strength and success of our customer contact scale and expertise. It is also a major advance for Serco in the retail and financial services markets and builds on the back of our recent wins with Freemans Grattan Holdings and Ideal Shopping." A consultation period regarding the TUPE transfer will begin shortly with the individuals affected by these proposals and their trade union and management representatives. The TUPE transfer date is 1 July 2012. Ends For further information please contact Serco: Stuart Ford, Head of Investor Relations T +44 (0) 208 334 4122 Marcus De Ville, Head of Media Relations T +44 (0) 208 334 4388 About Serco Serco is a FTSE 100 international service company, which combines commercial know-how with a deep public service ethos. Around the world, we improve essential services by managing people, processes, technology and assets more effectively. We advise policy makers, design innovative solutions, integrate systems and - most of all - deliver to the public. Serco supports governments, agencies and companies who seek a trusted partner with a solid track record of providing assured service excellence. Our people offer operational, management and consulting expertise in the aviation, BPO, defence, education, environmental services, facilities management, health, home affairs, information and communications technology, knowledge services, local government, science and nuclear, transport, welfare to work and the commercial sectors. More information can be found at www.serco.com

Companies

Serco Group (SRP)
UK 100

Latest directors dealings