Home Bargains has transformed both its payroll and markdown processes with new technology.

The UK discount retailer revealed that earlier this year it delivered a full scale payroll transformation after the sudden withdrawal of its payroll provider due to unforeseen circumstances.

The withdrawal impacted the 30,000 employees working for Home Bargains, half of whom are paid on a weekly basis.


The company rolled out AI-enabled payroll and HR software from Zellis for the transformation, with no disruption to payroll operations.

Founded in 1976, Home Bargains is one of the UK’s largest family-run retailers, operating over 638 stores nationwide.

“This was a project with no margin for error,” said Tom Morris, senior technology innovation manager at Home Bargains.

He added that the payroll transformation was prioritised above other major company projects.

"It shows just how critical payroll is to our business and how much we value getting it right for our employees," continued Morris.

Kelsey Lea-Smith, payroll manager at the company said that the onboarding process, which used to take an average of 23 hours per week, now takes just 30 minutes.

“Manual data entry has also been reduced by nearly 40 hours per week thanks to bulk upload capabilities," she explained. "Plus, we’ve moved from a standalone payroll machine to a fully online process that can even be run remotely if needed. That flexibility is a huge leap forward.”

Home Bargains has also announced the launch of a new in-store execution software from Retail Insight to modernise its markdown process.

After a successful 20 store pilot beginning in February 2025, the solution was rolled out in June across over 600 stores.

The technology automates pricing decisions, streamlines store processes, and aims to ensure consistency across departments.

The company also has access to several store and office management information tools to provide improved visibility into compliance and performance.

Paul Rowland, retail and technology director at Home Bargains said that the new technology has helped the business transform a very manual, outdated process into one that’s "simple for colleagues, smart for the business and better for customers."

He added that following the tech rollout Home Bargains is now selling more and wasting less.

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