Confident Contract Compliance and Visibility for Wickes
Wickes Group plc, a leading UK home improvement retailer with 230+ stores nationwide, manages more than 3,000 supplier agreements each year across Goods for Resale (GFR) and Goods Not for Resale (GNFR). To ensure compliance, reduce operational risk, strengthen supplier collaboration, and create consistent, scalable processes across the organization, Wickes relies on Enable as its centralized contract and rebate management platform.
Wickes manages rebates on goods purchased from suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors, and since 2019, Enable has supported the company in improving contract management for both resale and non-resale goods.
Since adopting Enable, Wickes has accelerated approval times by four days, unlocked four to five hours of reporting time savings each week, achieved smoother and more transparent audits, improved cross-functional collaboration, and gained full visibility and control over every supplier agreement. Enable has become an integral, non-negotiable part of Wickes’ operating model—supporting both day-to-day efficiency and long-term strategic growth.
Sam Betts, Commercial Systems Manager, and Zain Ahmed, Procurement Analyst, are leveraging the platform alongside the commercial finance team, rebate team, and category managers to streamline processes, enhance visibility, and ensure greater control across the business.
The Challenges
High Volume of Agreements
Following its spin-off from Travis Perkins in April 2021, Wickes became fully responsible for its own profitability and management. With around 3,000 agreements each year, the company needed an efficient way to manage both the volume and the complexity.
The challenge was particularly acute for GNFR trading agreements, where contracts could start mid-year and run for 12 months, three years, or even five years. Sam notes:
“We needed an efficient way to manage the complexity inherent in the day-to-day contract management of GNFR.”
The Compliance Risk
Without proper systems, Wickes faced the challenge of being able to demonstrate that teams were remaining compliant with our procurement policies. Sam is direct about what was at stake:
”Without Enable, we would run the risk of individual teams following different signoff processes, and with limited accessible records of agreements signed under correct delegation of authority, we’d have no visibility.”
For GNFR (Goods Not for Resale) in particular, compliance was paramount. Sam explains:
“GNFR is more compliance-related than rebate-related. We’re using Enable to enter trading agreements or attach existing supplier contracts and get the correct authorisers to approve them. While this may not seem like a ground-breaking use for rebate management software, it’s far more important than one would imagine. It’s a way of holding suppliers accountable and ensuring the right people approve the right level of spend.”
Reducing Reliance on Supplier Data
Before fully leveraging Enable, Wickes faced time-consuming manual reconciliations with suppliers due to data discrepancies. Sam described the problem:
“For a long time, we have struggled to agree with our supplier base on what we’ve bought from them. There always has been, and there currently still is, on probably half of our rebates, a manual reconciliation because we can’t agree with our suppliers on the data.”
Zain added that resolving these discrepancies often came down to negotiation:
“We can’t prove and neither can the supplier, so on a case-by-case basis, we agree who’s right.”
This manual process consumed valuable time and created friction in supplier relationships.
Risk of Siloed Operations
Operating across multiple departments—commercial, finance, legal, IT, and operations—Wickes needed to prevent disconnected workflows where teams couldn’t see each other’s supplier contracts or understand cross-functional relationships. Without centralized visibility, strategic opportunities could be missed and compliance risks could multiply.
The Platform
One Platform for Goods for Resale (GFR) Or Goods Not for Resale (GNFR)
Using Enable for Goods for Resale (GFR)
When goods are produced to be resold, rebates are key to incentivising distributors and retailers to help their GFR reach the right audience while encouraging the purchase of selected goods.
“For the GFR part we’ve been using Enable for years now, and the system is hugely important for our contract and rebate management,” says Sam.
Extending to Goods Not for Resale (GNFR)
As part of the central Procurement Team at Wickes, Sam and Zain are also focused on goods not for resale. Otherwise known as indirect procurement, this includes anything that’s not sold by Wickes but helps to run the business, including marketing, HR, operations, distribution, finance, legal and IT.
Sam says:
“When goods are used internally and not resold, incentives don’t often apply as they would in a typical rebate context. As such, it’s understandable to think that a rebate management solution wouldn’t add value in this context. But thankfully it does.”
Everything in One Place
Wickes ‘inherited’ Enable since it was already in use at Travis Perkins, and they continued to use it for both GFR and GNFR contracts. Sam explains:
“We have everything in one place. It worked well for the GFR contracts, and we had experience with using the portal, so we thought it’s just the easiest way to use the same for GNFR.”
Enable wasn’t just the simpler option; it was also precisely what Wickes was looking for.
Collaborator: The Foundation of Compliance
Non-Negotiable Tool
Sam highlighted just how essential the Collaborator tool has become for Wickes’ contract workflow. With over 1,500 users and an exceptionally high acceptance rate, Collaborator has fundamentally streamlined how agreements are approved and managed.
“Our acceptance rate per user is about 85% on Enable, but that’s only because we invite a couple of people from each supplier. At the time you start the contract process, you don’t always know who the signatory is. We actually see it as 100% because every supplier has to use Collaborator to approve the agreement. It’s a non-negotiable for Wickes.”
For Wickes, Collaborator isn’t just an add-on—it’s the backbone of their approval process. Sam emphasized:
“To us, Collaborator is possibly the most important part of Enable. That might not necessarily align with how some people at Enable talk about the platform—focusing on rebate management or internal use—but for us, none of it means anything if we haven’t got the approval from the supplier. We couldn’t use, and wouldn’t use, any rebate management system that didn’t have Collaborator.”
Built-In Delegation of Authority
Sam emphasized that Collaborator isn’t just about convenience—it’s built into the heart and soul of Wickes’ approval process.
“Our approval workflow is massively important. We have designed it to reflect our internal delegation of authority policy. Everything that is approved in Enable is legally binding and follows our delegation of authority, with the supplier always as the penultimate approval, and then the final approver.”
He highlighted how this design gives the team exceptional visibility and control over the entire contract process:
“It works brilliantly. We have really good visibility throughout the whole process. It’s completely the heart and soul of the compliance that we really, really value that Enable gives us.”
Zain also highlighted the importance of clarifying Enable’s role for suppliers and ensuring compliance across different types of contracts:
“Enable is really about compliance. All our suppliers go through a compliance audit. I work more in the GNFR space [goods not for resale] and for some of those suppliers, it’s less front-of-mind , so it can take a little longer. But in general, it has massively impacted sign-off times, and when I report on these deals, our numbers reflect this improvement. .”
Four-Day Reduction in Approval Times
One of the most tangible benefits of Collaborator has been the dramatic acceleration of contract approvals. Zain explained how the platform’s reminder functionality has transformed their workflow:
“Reminder emails were great. I’ve noticed that things get approved much, much quicker.”
The impact? Approval times have been shortened by approximately four days on average—a significant improvement that directly affects cash flow, supplier relationships, and operational efficiency.
Zain explained that while Collaborator’s acceptance rate isn’t always 100% first time—sometimes suppliers have concerns about specific wording—the Enable support team makes it easy to resolve these issues quickly.
“If there’s something you need to change, they’re very happy to put something in or take something out, as long as our legal team are happy with it.”
Breaking Down Silos with Cross-Functional Visibility
Centralized Procurement
Sam described the procurement team as the central hub of the business, connecting IT, finance, legal, with commercial functions.
“Any business rule comes from those teams to us. Then we agree with them, possibly get feedback from the commercial leadership team, and roll it out to the commercial team.”
Enable has been pivotal in preventing siloed working by providing full visibility for anyone with the right access. But Sam stressed that technology alone isn’t enough:
“I think you need both. You need the system, and you need clear internal ownership. Having one defined owner of the system and process—that’s our team, where Zain and I sit—is critical. It empowers everyone to work together efficiently, without going over things multiple times or speaking different languages.”
Enhanced Cross-Team Collaboration
Zain added that Enable has significantly improved cross-team communication and visibility.
“Enable has given me a way of just speaking to people—marketing, property operations—and understanding their contracts and relationships with suppliers. It gives us a lot more visibility across the business. That’s had a lot of effect and benefit for our team. It’s good for morale, teamwork, and getting suppliers signed up on time.”
Sam agreed, noting that Enable is “magic” for their decentralized model, where everyone manages their own supplier relationships.
Streamlining Audits and Reducing Risk
When Wickes underwent a procurement and contracting audit by BDO at the start of the year, Enable proved invaluable in demonstrating compliance quickly and efficiently.
Sam described how Enable transformed what could have been a lengthy, stressful process:
“I spent about two and a half hours with our auditors, Enable up on the screen. They would name a supplier, and I would find their contracts, show them that they were signed when they were signed, by whom, and answer all their questions—just show them the evidence all in one go. Enable was massive for that.”
By centralizing contracts and approvals, Enable not only ensures compliance but also dramatically reduces the time, effort, and risk involved in audits—turning what could be a multi-day exercise into a streamlined, confident presentation of evidence.
Unlocking Strategic Value Through Custom Reporting
Automating Weekly and Monthly Reports
Beyond compliance, Enable delivers significant time savings through custom reporting capabilities. Zain highlighted the value of Enable’s reporting, especially when paired with the platform’s responsive support team:
“If there’s a specific report we need, it goes back to that support piece—they understand what I mean pretty much first time, and the report is produced very quick. If there’s anything missing from the customreport, they’ll just add it in for us.”
The efficiency gains are substantial:
“I create a weekly and a monthly report, and those save everyone a bunch of time, not just myself. It allows us to focus on what areas are outstanding. In terms of time savings, probably four or five hours a week, and over a year that mounts up to quite a high number.”
Four to five hours saved per week translates to over 200 hours annually—time that can be redirected to strategic initiatives rather than manual data compilation.
Identifying Hidden Opportunities
Enable continues to support strategic procurement activities. Sam noted that Zain can leverage contract data to identify opportunities and renegotiate deals:
“Based on the contracts he can read and the relationships he’s making internally, he can go and renegotiate deals that we wouldn’t always know about otherwise.”
This visibility transforms procurement from a reactive, transactional function into a strategic value driver that identifies savings opportunities and strengthens supplier partnerships.
Enable & Wickes: A True Partnership
Responsive and Knowledgeable Team
Even years after implementation, the Wickes team continues to be impressed by Enable’s outstanding customer support and responsiveness.
Zain says: “The Enable team is really good and very knowledgeable; even when we describe what we need in a roundabout way, they always find a way to turn it into a usable solution within the platform. Sometimes they even make those changes live during a meeting, which is really handy.”
Throughout the implementation process, Sam also found Enable’s team responsive and engaging:
“That was very impressive. Just knowing that there is always someone there to help us work with us on the problem.”
He continues: “Zain and I manage quite a few similar partnerships, and Enable’s support is the standard I hold the others to—across the board. Implementation Analysts and Customer Success Managers operate with the kind of maturity and professionalism you’d expect from a much more established business.”
Best-in-Class Help Desk
Zain notes: “I’ve been using the Help Desk quite a lot recently, and the response times are excellent—usually within a day, often less. Everyone I’ve interacted with seems to know the Wickes platform really well and provides accurate help quickly. In some cases, they’ve even offered multiple solutions and let me choose which one to implement. It’s all been really positive.”
Sam, who continues to use Enable regularly, echoed these sentiments and noted that the level of support has remained consistently high long after implementation:
“I was surprised how quickly your team responds to the help desk tickets our team raises. They come back very quickly and explain the solution very clearly, so I know exactly what to do when I explain the problem. They’re always available to jump on a call.”
Delivering Bespoke Solutions
Sam emphasized that success isn’t just about the technology—it’s also about the people behind it. He shared an example of how Enable collaborated with Wickes to meet a bespoke request from their legal team:
“We were asked by our legal team to start storing our supplier manual and our supplier code of conduct on Enable so that suppliers and category managers could download it directly from there, even though it’s also on our PLC website. They asked us to make it even easier for them to find.”
To make that happen, Sam credited Enable’s support team—particularly Savvas—for delivering a customized solution:
“Savvas designed a completely bespoke trading programme type, heard all our requirements, and did it exactly the way we needed—and it’s future-proof.”
The process for updating these documents is now incredibly efficient:
“We can update it at any time by just putting in a new request, providing the new version, and saying start and end date—and that’s it. Because they’ve documented the existing process, the support team just finds that process and repeats it. It’s really simple.”
Looking Forward
Enable is now foundational to Wickes’ long‑term supplier strategy. The platform supports the business not just in ensuring compliance today, but in preparing for future growth, new regulatory requirements, and evolving procurement models.
“The flexibility we’ve utilized has really contributed to our ability to adapt and grow.” — Sam Betts
As Wickes continues to expand initiatives, deepen supplier partnerships, and modernize procurement processes, Enable provides the scalable, compliant, and collaborative infrastructure the business needs to move forward with confidence.
Enable doesn’t just support Wickes’ operations today—it positions the company for a future defined by stronger partnerships, greater transparency, and continuous improvement.
Takeaways
- Enable has helped Wickes improve compliance around GNFR by streamlining the process of entering and approving rebate agreements.
- The solution provides peace of mind, contractual certainty, and confidence in meeting auditor’s requirements, ensuring relevant controls are in place.
- Enable’s features allow Wickes to easily demonstrate contract storage, approval workflow, and delegation of authority during audits, contributing to a smoother auditing process.
280
suppliers
£1.53bn
revenue
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