Fixing Retail Operations and Stock Control with Jim Lenaghan
Fixing Retail Operations and Stock Control with Jim Lenaghan
Jim Lenaghan would rather tell you his software is the wrong fit than sell you something that lets your business down. Visiting him at RMS in Selkirk, I met someone whose belief in honest advice comes from years of helping customers, taking difficult decisions and building a business he can stand behind.
Jim is Managing Director of RMS, but his route into retail technology wasn't straightforward. After studying information technology, he worked in the poll tax rebate section at Borders Regional Council in the late eighties and early nineties, then helped school leavers develop IT skills. Redundancy took him into mill dispatch work, and around 1994 he was juggling mill shifts with a return to council work before taking a full-time council role through to the late nineties. An IT Support Centre project led him into a local computer business, where he became a director, followed by web design and electronic point of sale. He founded RMS in August 2004 and now supports businesses with retail operations software and hardware, with customers stretching from the Shetland Islands to the Seychelles.
A note on this conversation
Jim shares his own experiences, recollections and views as Managing Director of RMS. His comments about previous business relationships are his personal account and have not been independently verified for these notes. This conversation is for general information, not tailored technology, financial or legal advice. Customer examples and reported time savings are specific to the circumstances described, not guarantees of results, and discussion of future AI capabilities should not be read as confirmation that every feature is currently available.
Why this conversation matters
We get into what happens when stock control, purchasing and reporting aren't working together, and why buying another system may not solve the underlying problem. Jim explains how he approaches finding the right fit, from asking awkward questions to testing processes before a wider rollout. We also explore where AI could take repetitive administration off people's hands, without taking people out of the decisions that matter.
What I took away
A new system needs a clear understanding of how the business actually runs. Jim's approach starts with scoping purchasing, promotions, stock handling and integrations, rather than expecting the customer to squeeze everything into the software. For a retailer considering a change, the practical lesson is to make time for that preparation, test the setup properly and agree what success looks like before rolling it out further.
The other point worth taking back to your team is that better information should lead to better decisions, not simply more reports. Jim describes a customer who reports saving around five hours a week through a specialised report, and explains why knowing which stock isn't moving matters alongside knowing what sells. His view of AI follows the same principle: reduce repetitive tasks, retain appropriate oversight and give people more time to run the business.
Timestamps
00:00 Meeting Jim in Selkirk and tracing the roots of RMS
02:00 Redundancy, mill work and the long route back into IT
04:00 Computer support, web design and a move into point of sale
06:00 Selling Microsoft retail software and the decision to go independently
07:00 Founding RMS in August 2004 and building a business that lasts
08:00 Why stock control, business processes and margins belong together
10:00 A customer example of cutting manual work, and what implementation takes
12:00 Why testing one store matters before rolling out to the rest
14:00 AI purchasing agents, stock replenishment and keeping control
16:00 Investing in technology before ageing equipment becomes a risk
17:00 The reporting example that saves a customer five hours a week
18:00 Stock that isn't moving, and how quickly retail technology is changing
20:00 Could AI reduce the owner's morning administration?
22:00 The first meeting: establishing whether RMS is actually the right fit
24:00 Honest answers and difficult questions make better business relationships
25:00 Why thin product descriptions were holding the RMS website back
26:00 Turning a lengthy product-listing process into automation
28:00 How to contact RMS and find its business resources
29:00 Looking ahead after more than two decades in business
Connect with Jim and RMS
Visit RMS at www.rmspos.co.uk or connect with Jim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlenaghan/. Jim directs listeners to the RMS website for contact details and enquiry forms, and also mentions the company's newsletter and blogs.
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The views, figures and results described in this episode are Jim Lenaghan's own, based on his experience running RMS, and refer to specific businesses and circumstances. They are not guarantees of what any business will achieve. References to other companies reflect his personal opinion. Listeners should take advice and seek a proper scoping of their own requirements before choosing or changing business systems.
