Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced an expanded partnership with Kingfisher Plc, one of the UK’s largest home improvement retailers. The two companies will jointly establish an Innovation and Automation Office to accelerate the adoption of AI and automation across Kingfisher’s operations, driving efficiency, agility, and cost optimization.
The new initiative builds on a 15-year relationship between the two organizations and marks a significant step in Kingfisher’s digital transformation journey. With over 1,900 stores across seven countries, Kingfisher operates well-known retail brands including B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Screwfix, and TradePoint.
Under the renewed agreement, TCS will help Kingfisher enhance operational efficiency through a domain-focused application support structure aligned with the retailer’s product and platform strategy. The collaboration will also accelerate the use of automation and artificial intelligence across IT operations. TCS will leverage its ignio™ AIOps platform and generative AI-powered Application Reliability Engineering (ARE) solution to deliver proactive and predictive management of Kingfisher’s IT ecosystem.
“We are delighted to double down on our commitment with our longstanding partner TCS to drive a more agile and efficient IT operation, to grow our business and help our customers and trade professionals build better homes,” said Dave Haycocks, IT Services Director, Kingfisher Plc.
Through this partnership, Kingfisher aims to integrate emerging technologies into its core operations, from infrastructure and applications to customer-facing systems. The joint Innovation and Automation Office will serve as a collaborative hub for testing and deploying cutting-edge AI and automation use cases, aligning with Kingfisher’s strategy to enhance operational resilience and customer experience across its diverse retail network.
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Kingfisher in the mission to drive more agile, efficient, and future-ready operations,” said Shekar Krishnan, Business Unit Head, Retail UK and Europe, TCS. “With the combinational power of AI, automation, and our deep contextual knowledge, we will help Kingfisher innovate faster, deliver superior customer experience, and drive strategic growth.”
The extended collaboration comes at a time when retailers are rapidly adopting AI-driven solutions to gain operational insight, improve forecasting accuracy, and streamline logistics and merchandising. For Kingfisher, the initiative represents a focused effort to strengthen IT reliability, reduce downtime, and accelerate innovation across markets.
Over the past 15 years, TCS has been Kingfisher’s largest technology partner, supporting key transformation initiatives across digital engineering, SAP integration, content management, and business process services. The new phase of the partnership will build on these foundations by embedding AI into core business functions — from supply chain visibility to intelligent store operations.
TCS brings to the partnership a deep understanding of the retail sector, backed by decades of experience serving some of the world’s largest retail enterprises. The company works with all of the top 10 global retailers, helping them design profitable and sustainable business models powered by hyper-personalized omnichannel experiences. TCS’ expertise spans store operations, supply chain optimization, pricing and promotions, and digital merchandising — enabling clients to align technology with evolving consumer expectations.
The strengthened partnership also reinforces TCS’ long-standing commitment to the UK market, where it has maintained a strong presence for more than 50 years. TCS currently works with over 200 leading UK brands, across sectors ranging from retail and banking to manufacturing and public services. The company was recently ranked as the number one IT service provider for customer satisfaction in the UK, according to an independent survey of CIOs from top IT-spending organizations.
In addition, Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) ranked TCS as the #1 IT Services Provider in the UK in its Software and IT Services Industry (SITSI) Vendor Rankings. TCS achieved 10% year-over-year growth — the highest among the top ten players — and captured a 7.6% market share, with UK revenues reaching $4.58 billion in FY 2024.
With the new Innovation and Automation Office, TCS and Kingfisher aim to redefine the role of AI in retail operations — from predictive maintenance and intelligent IT operations to customer experience management. The collaboration underscores how deep technology partnerships can help traditional retail leaders evolve into digital-first enterprises equipped for the AI era.
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