Coles Supermarket: Streamlining a Complex Technology Ecosystem with the METS Platform

SixPivot
Sep 16, 2025
4 min read

Updated: May 19

Industry: Retail

Location: Australia

Challenge: Fragmented IT infrastructure

Technology: Azure Kubernetes

Solution: Managed Enterprise Technology Services (METS)

Coles Supermarkets partnered with SixPivot to consolidate a fragmented, siloed IT environment into a single managed platform: METS (Managed Enterprise Technology Services). Built on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), METS centralises application management, optimises cloud resource allocation, and eliminates the redundant effort of maintaining isolated development environments. Five critical applications are already running on the platform, with more in the pipeline, resulting in a measurably more agile, cost-efficient IT operation.

Modern Coles supermarket interior featuring fresh produce displays, deli, bakery and food-to-go sections with clear signage, representing the comprehensive retail operations that benefit from the METS platform's centralised application management and scalable cloud infrastructure.

The IT challenge Coles faced before the METS platform

Behind the shelves and checkouts of one of Australia's largest supermarket chains sat an increasingly complex and costly IT infrastructure. As Coles expanded its digital offerings, its existing "Product Home" approach, which maintained separate environments for each application, began to break down at scale.

The siloed model created four compounding problems: isolated development environments that prevented teams from sharing work; redundant effort as multiple teams solved the same problems independently; spiralling cloud costs as resources were duplicated across environments; and reduced agility in responding to market demands, with new features taking longer to reach customers than the business required.

What the METS platform is

METS (Managed Enterprise Technology Services) is a shared platform model developed by SixPivot for Coles that centralises application management and optimises cloud infrastructure across the organisation. Rather than maintaining separate cloud environments for each application, METS provides a single, unified platform for Coles to manage its entire application estate.

Key platform capabilities include:

Centralised application management: A single point of control for all applications, reducing complexity and improving oversight across teams
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Cloud infrastructure built on AKS for enhanced scalability and resource efficiency
Unified development environments: Shared environments that enable collaboration and reduce redundant work across teams
Intelligent resource allocation: Automated distribution of computing resources, including automatic minimisation of non-production environments when not in use, to reduce waste and control costs

A Coles team member in a red uniform is providing excellent customer service by handing a shopping bag to a customer, demonstrating the seamless retail operations enabled by the METS platform's unified development environment and enhanced system efficiency.

How SixPivot built and implemented METS for Coles

SixPivot's engagement with Coles began with a clear grasp of the problem's scope and a bold proposal to address it at the infrastructure level rather than through incremental fixes.

Implementing METS required careful planning and phased execution to ensure Coles' operations continued uninterrupted during the transition. SixPivot's DevOps expertise was central to the delivery, with a particular focus on streamlining build and deployment pipelines and enabling cloud automation to reduce operational overhead at scale.

“The DevOps experts at SixPivot have streamlined our build and deployment pipelines, saving us time and resources. Their expertise in cloud automation has enabled us to significantly reduce costs by automatically minimising non-production environments when not in use.”

Vessi O'Mahoney

Delivery Manager - Engineering, Coles Supermarkets

Results Coles has achieved with the METS platform

The impact of METS on Coles' IT operations has been significant across cost, performance, and development efficiency:

Cost savings: Significant reduction in cloud-related expenses through optimised resource allocation and automated environment management
Improved collaboration: Development teams working in a unified environment, reducing time-to-market for new features
Enhanced performance: Applications running on METS perform better than in the previous siloed model
Scalability: Coles can now scale IT capabilities quickly in response to business needs, without the friction of managing disparate systems
Operational efficiency: Reduced overhead from maintaining and managing isolated environments across hundreds of applications

As of the latest update, five critical applications are running on METS, with additional migrations in progress. Each migration delivers further efficiency gains and operational learnings.

How METS positions Coles for future technology innovation

The METS platform has given Coles an IT foundation built for speed and adaptability. With a more agile infrastructure in place, Coles is better positioned to deploy new technologies rapidly, respond to changing market conditions, and explore emerging capabilities, such as AI, without the overhead of a fragmented environment slowing progress.

The partnership between Coles and SixPivot represents a model for how large-scale retail organisations can approach IT transformation: not as a cost-cutting exercise, but as a strategic investment in the infrastructure needed to compete and innovate at scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the METS platform?

METS (Managed Enterprise Technology Services) is a shared application management platform developed by SixPivot for Coles Supermarkets. It consolidates what was previously a fragmented collection of isolated application environments into a single, centralised platform built on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). METS enables Coles to manage cloud resources more efficiently, reduce costs through automation, and provide development teams with a unified environment to collaborate.

What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and why was it chosen for METS?

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is Microsoft Azure's managed container orchestration service, designed to simplify the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications. SixPivot selected AKS as the infrastructure foundation for METS because of its scalability, resource efficiency, and suitability for managing multiple applications on a shared platform.

What role did SixPivot play in the Coles METS project?

SixPivot designed and built the METS platform, led the implementation, and provided the DevOps expertise needed to streamline Coles' build and deployment pipelines. SixPivot also implemented cloud automation capabilities, including the automatic minimisation of non-production environments when not in use, which directly contributed to cost reduction across the platform.

Can the METS model be applied to other large retail or enterprise organisations?

The METS approach: consolidating fragmented application environments into a single managed platform on Azure Kubernetes Service, is applicable to any large organisation dealing with siloed IT infrastructure, escalating cloud costs, and reduced development agility. Contact SixPivot to discuss how a similar platform model could address your organisation's specific challenges.