Judging took place while Andy Haywood was still in post at Boots before he set off for the Cooperative Group. In the UK Boots has 2500 stores, the head office and a significant supply chain.“Technology is being seen as an integral part of what we do. The brilliant thing about the set up is that I report to theTransformation Executive Director and he’s on the UK executive board. Transformation is a three year plan, driven by technology. The investment is very very significant. Higher than any previous investment cycle We’ve got the biggest transformation agenda in UK retail.” Supply chain, multi-channel retail and the back office are all seeing their technology renewed.The transformation plan means that Boots has increased its IT capex over the three year period, but Haywood has had to remain rigidly “disciplined” with the opex.“We have developed a lot of our existing talent and we have looked at our souring strategy. We have brought more technology in-house so we now have build and development capabilities from our partners that are experts in their own fields. But we are now more in control of our technology decisions ourselves,” he says.Although Haywood and Boots have embarked on a major transformation project, Haywood leaving Boots knocked the organisation out of top 10 contention with the judges, but all were interested to see what Haywood will do at The Cooperative in the next CIO 100. Read the CIO interview: CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Haywood on legacy retailing CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Hayward on heading up retail IT CIO Profile: Boots the Chemist's Andy Haywood on the retailer's IT strategy