Digitalising facilities and asset management is essential for modern retail. By deploying cloud-based maintenance platforms and IoT sensors, retailers can centralise service requests, automate preventive work and gain real-time performance data. This cuts costs, enforces SLAs and boosts ESG compliance.
In this article we explore the technical challenges and solutions in retail facilities' management, contrast options, highlight real cases and give practical guidance for evaluation and integration.
Modern retail chains – from fashion brands to supermarkets to telcos – manage vast networks of outlets and assets (equipment, signage, HVAC, etc.). Yet many still rely on fragmented processes: store managers call or email facilities teams, spreadsheets track work orders, and service providers operate semi-independently. This leads to scattered data, slow response to breakdowns and difficulty enforcing SLAs.
Retailers also face mounting pressure on sustainability (e.g. energy and waste targets) and customer experience. A power outage or lighting failure in a store can directly impact sales and brand perception. Traditional approaches simply cannot scale.
Hence, digitalising facilities and asset management – centralising information, automating workflows and integrating IoT – has become a strategic imperative
The root issues in retail facilities stem from siloed systems and manual processes. Each store often has its own way of reporting issues, which hampers visibility and standardisation. Supplier performance is difficult to track, and maintenance inefficiencies result in higher costs and downtime.
Retail assets include HVAC units, refrigeration, lighting, POS terminals, signage, chargers, and more — all of which need preventive maintenance and sustainability tracking.
Key digitalisation drivers:
Without such capabilities, retailers have no single source of truth and limited analytics.
Key features of a cloud-based EAM platform:
|
Capability |
Description |
|
Asset Registry |
Unified view of all retail assets |
|
Work Orders |
Scheduled and emergency maintenance |
|
Mobile App |
Field reporting, offline mode |
|
Vendor Portal |
SLA tracking and digital coordination |
|
IoT Integration |
Automated alerts and live metrics |
|
Dashboards |
Custom KPIs, energy use, compliance |
Trade-offs:
Challenge: Salsa Jeans runs 86 clothing stores across Iberia, each previously using different maintenance processes. Maintenance requests came via phone and email, and documentation was scattered. This made SLA enforcement with service providers unreliable.
Nextbitt Solution: They implemented the Nextbitt platform to centralise all maintenance work. Each store now logs incidents directly in a web/mobile app, unifying management of over 6,200 assets. All technical manuals and certificates were digitised in the platform for instant access. Preventive maintenance schedules are fully automated, generating 100% of PM tasks without manual planning.
Results: Within months, Salsa achieved 90% fewer phone/email interactions for maintenance – technicians and managers now log ~640 tickets per year in a streamlined workflow.
"With the Nextbitt platform, analysis and response times have improved considerably, and we know that 'time is money. In addition, today 100% of our preventive maintenance is scheduled automatically, which ensures efficiency and total control."
Luís Rodrigues - Construction and Maintenance Manager | Salsa Jeans
The outcome is faster response times, consistent SLA fulfilment, and better team productivity.
Challenge: Zeitreel (formerly part of Sonae Fashion) operates large logistics and sorting facilities. They needed tighter control over maintenance and waste management to meet strict environmental compliance. Prior to Nextbitt, asset data and processes were scattered across teams.
Nextbitt Solution: Zeitreel used Nextbitt to digitize all physical asset information on one platform. Workflows were defined for every type of intervention, from urgent repairs to routine checks. In particular, they structured a waste management cycle with automated guides and data integration to ensure compliance with Portuguese environmental agency reporting. Internal and external processes (e.g. container exchanges, supplier coordination) were linked into the platform, simplifying communication and record-keeping.
“With Nextbitt, we were able to centralise all the information related to our assets and maintenance processes on a single platform. That allowed us to shorten waiting times and reduce intervention costs — all while managing 150,000 m² and 400 assets with smaller teams.”
— Flávio Ferreira, Logistics Operations and Facilities Manager at Zeitreel
Results: Zeitreel’s maintenance requests are now systematised and trackable, reducing delays and improving efficiency. On the ESG front, Zeitreel gains full transparency over waste streams and resource use, ensuring regulatory compliance and helping to meet sustainability targets.
Challenge: Vodafone Portugal manages 14,000 assets across 100 retail outlets and offices. Their maintenance helpdesk was overwhelmed: thousands of service requests came in by phone and email, making it impossible to track SLA compliance or audit work. Documents and certifications were fragmented, and supplier performance was opaque.
Nextbitt Solution: Vodafone deployed Nextbitt’s cloud solution, accessible via browser or mobile app even without VPN. The platform introduced specific modules for each service type (hard services, energy, cleaning, etc.), with full digital documentation management. Certification data (e.g. ISO 14000 environmental certificates) was stored in the system. Within three months the core system was live and existing work orders migrated. Critically, Nextbitt automatically calculates SLA compliance per vendor, so managers see in real time who is meeting targets.
Results: By centralising all shops’ maintenance on one platform, Vodafone now processes “over 60,000 notifications per year”. Management and vendors share the same view: “the Vodafone Portugal team, requesters, and suppliers have access to the same tool and follow all requests in real time”. This transparency led to a shift to self-service: stores can log issues directly and track progress.
“There is now self-service on the part of those requesting the service and no request is ever left unanswered. In addition, there is no longer the danger of scattering information in different files, which sometimes created repetition and made it difficult to manage requests.”
Esther Domínguez, Infrastructure Engineer at Vodafone
The result is full accountability and quicker fixes. In summary, Vodafone gained agility and scalability: any store in the network can call for help via Nextbitt, and the right vendor is mobilised instantly, boosting uptime and customer satisfaction.
Figure 1: Value of Reliability: ABB Survey Report 2023
Each of these benchmarks underscores why advanced asset management is a strategic priority. Retailers worldwide are embracing digital platforms to meet sustainability goals, cut costs and elevate customer experience.
This checklist helps ensure the chosen solution addresses all facets of retail facilities' management – from core asset workflows to sustainability and user adoption.
In practice, deploying such a platform involves careful integration with a retailer’s existing systems and processes. Typically, the steps include:
Digitalisation transforms retail facilities from reactive to proactive, reduces costs, improves uptime and streamlines ESG compliance.
For large retail networks, the convergence of facility digitalisation and sustainability is no longer optional. Shoppers and regulators alike demand eco-conscious operations, and downtime directly hits the bottom line. Solutions like the Nextbitt platform show that by unifying asset data and automating workflows, companies can dramatically improve reliability, reduce waste, and simplify vendor management. The case studies above demonstrate tangible business value: from 90% fewer ad-hoc calls at Salsa Jeans to the self-service transformation at Vodafone Portugal.
As retail chains continue to grow (both physically and online), facility complexity will only increase. A modern digital platform provides the visibility and agility needed to scale – ensuring that whether it’s a storefront in 2025 or a supply warehouse in 2030, operations remain efficient, sustainable, and customer-focused.