Jacques Vert appreciates 'single version of the truth'

29 May '12

6 min read

Womenswear retail group Jacques Vert, which manages over a thousand outlets in the UK, Canada and Ireland, has reduced costs, minimised discounting and improved stock management after implementing new merchandise planning and supply chain software.

In today's competitive retail trading environment, the Jacques Vert Group recognised a critical need to implement a supply chain solution central to its multichannel strategy. The group's finance, business intelligence, retail and stock management systems were no longer suitable for multichannel retail, and didn't meet the requirements of the forward-thinking retailer.

During a tender process, specific functional requirements were identified for the systems that would provide the technology platform for the Group's future growth. Retail Assist's supply chain solution Merret, and Maple Lake's QuickAssortment merchandise and assortment planning software, were selected as best-of-breed solutions in these areas.

The new solution from Retail Assist and Maple Lake provides a fully integrated 'single version of the truth' and has improved the user experience by accelerating decision-making for buying and merchandising. The management of discounts has been enhanced, allowing the Jacques Vert Group to sell product at the optimum price and increase throughput of stock. The Jacques Vert Group now benefits from real-time stock updates every 15 minutes, improving order fulfilment.

In today's competitive retail trading environment, the Jacques Vert Group, which is made up of the Jacques Vert, Planet, Precis and Windsmoor womenswear brands, recognised a critical need to implement a supply chain solution that was central to its multichannel strategy.

According to John Bovill, Jacques Vert Group Commercial Director, the company's finance, business intelligence, retail and stock management systems were no longer suitable for multichannel retail, and didn't meet the requirements of a forward-thinking retailer. The previous supply chain solutions did not support planning, ordering, allocation or monitoring of stock, leading to time-consuming workarounds with an over-reliance upon Excel spreadsheets. The legacy systems, selected over a decade ago in 1999, lacked integration and did not have a future development path. What's more, they were supported by an in-house I.T. team overburdening the business with support issues.

The company needed a solution which allowed the retailer to pre-empt and react to a changing womenswear marketplace. “Fashion changes in rapid and unpredictable ways and the connectedness of consumers to media and technology has resulted in a need for instant availability. It was critical for us to gain clear stock management in order to react and plan more efficiently and quickly,” says Bovill.

A key challenge of the project was the international nature of the Jacques Vert Group business. The group has 1,000 concessions and standalone storesin the UK, Canada and Republic of Ireland. Products are mainly supplied from the Far East and Europe, and delivered to the central warehouse in County Durham for redistribution, or direct to stores in Canada. Virtual warehouses are also located in Hong Kong. The process was made more complicated by different countries and sales channels requiring a varying mix of products.

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