Moss Bros, the UK's number one branded suit specialist, has implemented the Argility Merchandise Management solution, from retail systems specialist Argility, to improve stock allocation, planning, orders, suppliers and promotional and clearance activities across the business.
Moss Bros business goals/challenges:
* Moss Bros needed to overhaul its merchandising system.
* The antiquated system meant the business had a very inefficient supply chain.
* No link between the POS and the back-office.
* The company was also experiencing problems with its replenishment process.
* Moss Bros also wanted to be able to track stock, sales and be able to pre-allocate and allocate stock across the business.
* It also needed the technology to be able to integrate with its Compass Planning System.
The solution
* What was chosen: Argility Merchandise Management solution (AMMS)
* Why it was chosen: The company needed a specific project that would be able to cope with the diversity of the organisation. Also, the business was going through a substantial process change.
Business benefits
* Real-time visibility of stock across the supply chain;
* More in depth sales information;
* Staff can now pre-allocate stock across the business;
* Major time savings;
* Promotions that the company regularly runs over holiday periods can be saved into the system; and
* The running of the warehouse operations has improved.
Integration - a priority for Moss Bros
Moss Bros needed to overhaul its merchandising system. In 1998, the business had implemented an in-house merchandising system, and although some work had been done in anticipation of Y2K, very little modification had been made to it over time.
The antiquated system meant the business had a very inefficient supply chain, which meant there was a lack of visibility of stock across the business. There was also no link between the POS and the back-office. This meant there was no easy way of monitoring store performance and customer shopping patterns.
Moss Bros was also experiencing problems with its replenishment process. The business was keen to speed up the time it took to move stock from the warehouse into the stores. Moss Bros also wanted to be able to track stock, sales and be able to pre-allocate and allocate stock across the business. It also needed the technology to be able to integrate with its Compass Planning System.
Brett Grobler, Head of IT at Moss Bros, said: “We needed a technology that would integrate across our whole suite of products. We had a host of disparate systems and all purchase orders were issued separately across this business - this was very time-consuming.”
Moss Bros' business is split into two trading divisions - mainstream and fashion. The company needed a specific project that would be able to cope with the diversity of the organisation. Also the business was going through a substantial process change. The company was moving its distribution centre from Stratford to one where stock moves continuously through a new 100 000 square foot national distribution centre in Barking. It was also undergoing a massive replacement strategy including its software, hardware, POS and communications.
The company invited around six companies to tender proposals. After much deliberation, Moss Bros selected the Argility Merchandise Management solution (AMMS) implemented by UCS Software.
AMMS is a complete and comprehensive retail merchandising management solution. It provides retailers with all the operational and management tools required to run a successful retail organisation. The technology is developed with the user in mind to provide retailers with a powerful, user-friendly, feature rich, flexible package. It is a standard master database which monitors stock allocation, planning, orders, supplies and promotional and clearance activities.
It is well understood that the collaborative supply chain can deliver business efficiency and success but it has been difficult to deliver, until now. With AMMS's Web capability a company does not just improve its day-to-day business, but its whole extended supply chain can benefit from an efficient and open relationship.
Grobler said: “We were impressed not only with the solution but the people behind the technology. We went out to South Africa to meet some of UCS' clients and they were so enthusiastic about working with the company, and the solution, that it was an easy choice to make. UCS also had the experience and knowledge which allowed them to focus on the two different strands of the business. We didn't want an off-the-shelf solution and the company's ability to offer us a bespoke project was important.”
Moss Bros now has real-time visibility of stock across the supply chain. This means people across the business can see whether stock is in a pick wave, on a van or at the store. This improves how Moss Bros allocates stock across various outlets.
Una Shah at Moss Bros, comments: “The allocation team are also finding additional benefits from the technology. The previous technology gave them in-store stock figures but did not display stock already assigned or on its way to store, this additional information has reduced over- allocation dramatically. With more in depth sales information as standard they can now assess which colour is performing well, which sizes are selling best, which all adds value to the day-to-day operations of the business.”
As staff can now pre-allocate stock across the business this helps the business plan ahead and be better prepared for getting stock out to stores. Grobler said: “The introduction of the technology has brought about major time savings. Staff are now able to pre-allocate stock on the system and also reduces the risk of stock sitting idle in the warehouse, which, in turn, allows the merchandising team to carry out better forward planning.”
Gavin O'Reilly adds: “Merchandisers used to regularly experience stressful Friday afternoons due to the late arrival of stock. They would then have to assess which stores most desperately needed stock and ensure it was allocated effectively. Not only is this a time consuming process but it's not the most efficient way to run your retail operations. With the new merchandising system we now have a much better view of when stock is coming into the business, which branches most need the stock, while the time of merchandisers can be accounted for much easier.”
The implementation has also helped Moss Bros run its promotions. Shah comments: “Promotions that we regularly run over holiday periods can be saved into the system. This type of promotion is particularly popular at Moss Bros and they can be copied and activated by the touch of a button. Before the introduction of the UCS system, this type of activity was admin heavy - as we had to manually input product codes and prices. We can also now categorise offers for specific stores, for example, we can set up a 15% off offer, which can be activated immediately. Promotions are key to our business and the Argility software enables us to operate far more efficiently.”
As well as improving efficiency of the merchandising department the technology has also improved the running of the warehouse operations. Shah comments: “The warehouse environment is now 24/7 so this technology allows people to allocate stock more effectively and to link effectively with the rest of the business. The technology is also used to authorise the delivery of products into the warehouse. Stock comes into the warehouse from lots of different suppliers and this solution provides an immediate proof of delivery.”
Also, within the warehouse environment, there are lots of temporary staff, so it's important to have a system which is easy to use. Grobler comments: “The system is very easy to use and has a level of depth which you can go into depending on the information you require.”
The introduction of Argility software by UCS is helping the business move forward, while also helping how staff to work with each other. O'Reilly adds: “Working practices have improved dramatically and this will continue going forward. There has been a vast reduction of phone calls between different departments such as warehousing, merchandising and the stores.”
Grobler says: “We don't want to end up with a legacy system so we need technology that is continually evolving. We're geared towards constantly developing both the POS and merchandising system. The next steps will see us helping suppliers to close the loop in the supply chain.”
Grobler concludes: “There have also been a lot of opportunities to make suggestions to the developers and to suggest changes. The business has brought users into the IT department and vice versa, so they can share experiences. It is this type of teamwork combined with the technology which has made the project a success. The technology will also support the company as it looks to increase its online offering in the future and we want drive the use of the technology through into product creation from our Compass planning software.”
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