The challenge
Matalan is a UK-based omnichannel retailer for fashion and homewares, handling over 4,500 documentary collections and up to 15,000 bills of lading (B/Ls) daily. Reliance on paper was a constant strain — documents couriered between multiple banks often got lost or delayed.
At the height of the pandemic, the challenge became extreme. Susan Ashworth, Senior Trade Finance Specialist at Matalan, recalls: “I had all the documents being sent to my house, all the bills of lading as well. My dining room was full of paper.”
Matalan needed a solution that was efficient, traceable, and able to eliminate the risks and delays of paper-based trade.
The solution
With support from Lloyds Bank, Matalan adopted Enigio’s trace:original to digitise its trade documentation.
In collaboration with Chinese exporter Yatex and TradeGo, the parties executed a fully digital cross-border transaction. The process included a digital bill of exchange (dBoE) and all supporting documents, exchanged via the interoperable Enigio–TradeGo channel.
For Susan Ashworth, the difference is tangible:
“Just think, going forward I could be sat on a beach in the Caribbean digitally signing on my phone and then forgetting about it because it’s got the full traceability. I could do it anywhere in the world.”
The impact
The transformation has been dramatic:
- Transaction time cut from 30 days to just 2 hours
- Full traceability and efficiency across all documents
- Environmental and cost savings with no paper or couriers
- Transactions now completed with real goods and payments at stake, proving digital trade works in practice
Ashworth highlights the benefits:
“This transaction demonstrates that digital trade is quick and efficient, especially when done in close collaboration. It streamlines processes, cuts transaction times, reduces carbon emissions and lowers costs for all of the parties involved.”
What Matalan, Lloyds, Yatex and Enigio achieved
- First China–UK retail trade transaction completed fully digitally via Enigio and TradeGo
- All documentation accepted between parties in under 24 hours
- Process now confirmed as paperless going forward
- Proof that interoperable digital trade highways can connect Europe and China in both directions