Paul Smiddy, retail analyst at INVESTMENT bank RW Baird, says: "Instead of a step-by-step approach, Sainsbury's went for a sort of big bang and found out that it was worse off than before it introduced the new system.
Once delivered to the automated warehouses, goods are placed on a conveyor system, which includes a high-speed cross-belt sorter, 2.25 miles of belt conveyor and 25 automated storage and retrieval cranes. Barcode readers check goods and the information is fed straight into the warehouse management system.
The cruel truth, however, of having such high-tech equipment is that it has been leading to poorer stock availability. A survey, carried out by the Sunday Times and published in October, of 20 Sainsbury's stores across the country showed that in some stores only 19 out of the 30 products on a shopping list of everyday items were actually in stock.