Intersport UK gets its supply chain future-fit with Cegid

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Intersport UK gets its supply chain future-fit with Cegid.

Sportswear retailer, Intersport UK has reshaped its supply chain to better connect its store estate and head office, due to the roll out of a solution from global retail software provider, Cegid.

Experiencing rapid growth, Intersport UK sought to underpin its IT infrastructure with a platform that could support the Brand's continued expansion in the UK and Ireland. Operating an affiliated retailers model within these markets, Intersport UK wanted to reinvigorate its IT system to unify store operations and bring them closer to the warehouse.

Following an operational audit, it became clear that the legacy IT platform could not support the brand's growth aspirations, as Intersport UK's IT Director, Laetitia Kotsiopoulos, commented: "The IT system couldn't integrate with the warehouse and this lack of integration gave us no central visibility on stock levels, which impacted replenishment; Retail members were phoning in orders and it was taking us 10 - 14 days to dispatch them. We didn't just need a replacement, we needed to reshape our entire supply chain strategy."

Implemented by strategic partner, Retail IT, Intersport UK piloted Cegid's Yourcegid Retail solution, which integrated point of sale (POS) with central inventory, in an initial seven stores.

Thanks to the closer alignment of inventory, purchasing and sales that the integrated system afforded, replenishment times were reduced by 78%, falling from 14 days to just three.

Removing many of the manual processes, the solution moved inventory from a phone based process to online ordering, which significantly improved order accuracy and fulfilment costs from warehouse to stores, which fell by 20%.

What's more, with a single, clear view of core operations Intersport UK could improve its decision making and better manage the inventory throughout the merchandise cycle.

Commenting further, Intersport UK's IT Director Kotsiopoulos, said: "The success of the roll out is all down to our relationship with Cegid and Retail IT. It's not the typical supplier/client relationship that I have with my other suppliers – it's a partnership. Their experience and knowledge has been invaluable in creating a solution to support the growth of our business."

Samir Belkhayat UK Country Manager at Cegid, added: "With Intersport UK's ambitions to expand, we needed to provide a platform that would underpin their functionality via a unified view of stock, while giving them a system that could grow as they do. We're delighted to have been able to deliver a long-term solution which will make them operationally future-fit as they look to drive growth."

Intersport UK is now accelerating its Yourcegid Retail implementation to 30 stores in the UK and Ireland by the end of 2015, and plans to share its capabilities with other countries – with a view to rolling out similar solutions globally.