Checkpoint Systems has signed a multi‑year global software agreement with JD Sports Fashion Plc to deploy their ItemOptix RFID Inventory Management Software across the retailer’s Sports Fashion Group stores, starting in Europe.
This partnership modernizes inventory management, delivering real-time inventory visibility that enables JD Sports to improve shelf availability and make more accurate, data-driven inventory-focused decisions across its store network. Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading global omnichannel retailer of sports fashion and outdoor brands with 4,850 stores across 49 countries (including franchises and joint ventures) with a strong presence in the UK, Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific.
JD Sports selected Checkpoint over contending vendors after a competitive evaluation, choosing ItemOptix for its ability to deliver clearer inventory visibility, greater accuracy in stock counts and replenishment, and improved shelf availability that reduces out-of-stocks and enhances the customer experience.
Checkpoint’s RFID Solution
Sarabjeet Chhatwal, Checkpoint’s VP Global Software, said, working with the JD Sports team has been a great experience, and one they look forward to continuing in the years to come.
“JD choosing our ItemOptix Software Platform to be their software of choice for their RFID journey is yet another great endorsement from a retailer that our solution is what the market is looking for; a solution which is easy to use, easy to deploy, and easy to adapt,” said Chhatwal in a statement.
Successful Pilot
This collaboration began with a pilot in the second half of 2024 in the UK, France and Spain across five stores and has rapidly scaled into a full SaaS rollout. The initial phase will see more than 400 stores go live by the end of the year in the UK and Ireland, with the deployment expanding across Europe to reach nearly 1,000 stores by the end of 2026.
In parallel, Checkpoint’s DC tunnel solutions are already operational in JD Sports’ UK Distribution Centre, with installation at the Netherlands distribution center scheduled imminently.
During the pilot phase, JD Sports reported a 12% increase in on-shelf availability and a 20% improvement in restocking speed with a 95% increase in items found, driven by the real-time insights and operational agility provided by the platform. The availability of the ItemOptix SDK allowed JD to integrate key RFID processes directly into their existing operational store app.
JD Sports Partnership
JD Sports is a strategic partner for Checkpoint, with this agreement underscores the value of combining best‑in‑class software with deep retail expertise, according to Checkpoint officials. ItemOptix will give JD Sports the inventory clarity and operational agility it needs to drive sales and improve the in‑store experience for its customers.
Daniel McGrath, JD Group Head of Customer Operations, said they look forward to scaling this solution across their business and exploring further opportunities across additional lines of business.
“We are very excited to take our partnership with Checkpoint to the next level over the coming months and years ahead, and we thank Checkpoint for their support and for everyone’s efforts to date as we start our RFID journey,” said McGrath. “We are forming a partnership to span many years, and that needs to start on the right footing, and I firmly believe we have created that between us. Both sides have worked tirelessly and in very short timelines to get us to where we are today.”