A Bransom alternative, built for how the UK trade is taxed now
If you are still running Bransom, you already know the problem: the product you bought is not the product being developed. Clarity and Success acquired Bransom Retail Systems in 2019, and the tax engine behind the new owner is built for German practice rather than for HMRC.
Exports to Xero and Sage.
What actually changes when you move
The VAT engine is the difference, and it is the only difference worth switching for. Milleso models three statutory regimes rather than one general-purpose tax table: the margin scheme under Notice 718, the gold reverse charge under Notice 701/21 section 11, and the investment gold exemption with its statutory register, verified identity and six year retention.
The margin scheme is the one most systems get wrong in the same place. Service, polish and parts do not reduce the taxable margin, but the input VAT on them is separately reclaimable. Milleso holds those as two flags on each cost line, so a bench job cannot quietly shrink the margin you pay tax on.
Your stock comes with you
Migration is the reason people stay on a system they have stopped liking. Milleso imports from a spreadsheet, from supplier invoices as CSV, XLSX or PDF, or from photographs of what is in the safe. Fifty-eight fields are mapped, with alias matching so your column headings do not have to match ours.
Rows that will not parse are held back with the reason rather than silently dropped, your own stock numbers are preserved rather than renumbered, and the whole batch rolls back if it is wrong. Onboarding is done for you and is not a paid line.
What a Bransom user gains and what they give up
Gains: the three VAT regimes above, exports to Xero and Sage, repairs held as customer property under bailment rather than as stock, the client book and wanteds, and a browser rather than a machine in the back office.
Gives up: anything that depends on a local install. Milleso is hosted, so there is no server in the stockroom and no version to keep on a disc.
What this uses
The modules behind this page, and the plan that opens each. This table is generated from the rule the software enforces, so it cannot advertise something your plan will not open.
| Module | What it does | From |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Serialised inventory with all-in cost and VAT position. | Trade |
| Intake | Photograph once - record, screening, AML file and VAT treatment. | Trade |
| Invoices & VAT | Margin scheme, reverse charge, investment gold. | Trade |
| Compliance | AML audit trail, cash thresholds, the investment gold register. | Trade |
| Repairs & valuations | Customer property held under bailment - never counted as stock. | Trade |
| Import & migrate | Spreadsheet, supplier invoices, or photograph the safe. | Trade |
Questions
- Is Bransom still supported?
- Bransom Retail Systems was acquired by Clarity and Success in 2019. The UK jewellery product still exists and still has an installed base, but development attention has moved to the acquirer’s own line, whose tax handling is built for German practice rather than for HMRC.
- Can you import my Bransom data?
- Yes. Export what you have to a spreadsheet and we map it, fifty-eight fields with alias matching, keeping your existing stock numbers. Rows that will not parse come back with a reason instead of being dropped.
- Do I have to move everything at once?
- No. The import runs in batches and a batch that is wrong rolls back whole, so you can bring in one supplier or one year at a time and check it before the next.
Answers on this
- Bransom is now Clarity & Success: what UK jewellers on Bsmart should do next
Clarity & Success bought Bransom on 11 June 2019; bransom.co.uk now redirects to Clarity. Bsmart is supported for now. How to move without losing your stock book.
- Best jewellery shop software in the UK (2026): Clarity & Success, Jewel-Master, Pursuit, PrismaNote, The Edge, Jewel360, Lightspeed, Shopify POS and Milleso compared
Clarity & Success, Jewel-Master and Pursuit are UK-built; PrismaNote and GemJam are the new entrants; The Edge and Jewel360 ignore VAT. Scored on the margin scheme and GBP price.
- Jewellery POS systems compared for the UK: Shopify POS vs Lightspeed vs Square vs Zettle vs jewellery-specific tills
Generic tills cost £0 to £189 a month at 1.5% to 1.75% per card, but none does part-exchange, margin scheme receipts or serialised stock. The jewellery tills do.
- What is the VAT margin scheme for second-hand watches?
Under the margin scheme you pay VAT on the difference between what you paid for a watch and what you sold it for - not the full price. Rules, records and traps.
One month free, and we move your stock in for you
Every feature is unlocked for the month rather than a reduced version, and no card is required to start.
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