What it is
If you run a multi-store operation — for example a franchise or a head-office-supplied group — your stores can place stock orders against Head Office in exactly the same way they place orders against any other supplier. Head Office reviews each request and either approves, rejects, or caps the quantities before approving. On approval, the receiving store's stock is credited with a Transfer in adjustment.
This sits on top of the existing Order Stock workflow, so any staff member who already places supplier orders will find the flow familiar.
Note: This is for company-level Head Office orders only — i.e. transfers within a single company. It is not the way to record purchases from a third-party supplier (use a regular supplier order for that).
Who can do what
| Action | Role required | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Enable internal ordering | Company owner / company-level admin | Company level |
| Place an internal order | Store admin or store manager | Store level |
| Approve / reject an internal order | Company owner / company-level admin | Company level |
A company-level admin is one who was created at the company (no specific store attached). A regular store-level admin or manager who placed the order cannot also approve it — that's by design, so approvals always happen at the franchisor level.
Step 1: Enable internal ordering (once per company)
- At Company level (no store selected in the store switcher), go to Setup > Inventory Setup > Internal Ordering.
- Click Enable internal ordering.
- A Head Office supplier is created for your company. You can re-click the button any time — it won't create duplicates.
Note: This step has to be performed at Company level, not Store level. The menu item is greyed out / hidden when you've selected a specific store in the switcher at the top of the sidebar.
The "Head Office" supplier you just created is now available in every one of your stores. The next time a store opens Order Stock, it will appear in the supplier dropdown with a small Internal label next to its name.
Step 2: Stores place an internal order
From any of your stores:
- Switch to the store in the store switcher.
- Go to Management > Stock Control > Order Stock and click New order.
- In the Supplier dropdown, pick Head Office (tagged Internal). The ingredient list will populate with every company-level ingredient — there's no per-ingredient supplier setup required.
- Enter the quantities you need, the delivery date, and any notes for Head Office.
- Click Save, then Place order.
The order now sits in Pending status with the message "Awaiting Head Office approval". Stock will NOT update yet — it only moves once Head Office approves.
Step 3: Head Office reviews and approves (or rejects)
At Company level (no store selected):
- Go to Management > Stock Control > Store Orders.
- You'll see every internal order from every store in your company, grouped by status. Use the filter chips to narrow by store, status, or date range.
- Click an order to open it. You have three options:
- Approve — the order moves to completion and the receiving store's stock is credited with a Transfer in row for each ingredient.
- Reject — opens a dialog asking for a reason (required). The store sees a red banner with your reason on the order page.
- Edit before approving — flip the quantities to editable, lower them, then click Save changes. Once you're happy, click Approve — the capped quantities are what get sent to stock, not what the store originally asked for.
Note: Internal orders skip the Awaiting delivery step that external supplier orders go through. Head Office is assumed to fulfil immediately, so approval and stock credit happen together.
Where does the stock movement show up?
On the receiving store, go to Management > Stock Control > Stock Adjustment and open any ingredient's history. You'll see one Transfer in row per ingredient per approved internal order.
Internal orders are deliberately kept separate from your external Purchases totals on Reports > Inventory Reports > Inventory Activity. The Transfer in column is your "from Head Office" total; the Purchases column is your external-supplier total. This way an internal transfer never inflates your purchase-cost numbers.
What if the store places more than HO can ship?
Use Edit before approving on the Show page. Drop the quantity column to whatever you can actually ship, click Save changes, then Approve. The store receives an email confirming the approval; their order page now shows the capped quantities and the Head Office stamp on the activity timeline.
Email notifications
| When | Who gets emailed |
|---|---|
| A store places an internal order | The company owner (Head Office) |
| You approve an order | The store user who placed it |
| You reject an order | The store user who placed it, with your reason |
If your company owner has changed, update them under Setup > Company > Primary Contact Details.
Common questions
Can a store user approve their own order? No — approvals always require a company-level admin. This is enforced even if a store admin tries to navigate directly to a Store Orders URL.
Does Head Office have its own stock that decrements? Not today. Currently we assume Head Office can always fulfil. Stock is only adjusted at the receiving store. If you need to track stock on the HO side (a "central warehouse"), get in touch — it's on the roadmap.
What happens to the ingredient's cost? The transfer price is taken from each ingredient's cost at company level. If you want some markup on internal transfers, set the company-level ingredient cost accordingly — there isn't a separate "transfer price" field today.