Manhattan Associates debuts in Russia with success at grocery retail chain Holiday Classic

A leading supply chain solutions provider, Manhattan Associates, Inc. has announced that Holiday Classic, the largest food retail chain in Western Siberia, has successfully completed its implementation of Manhattan Associates' Integrated Logistics SolutionsT, built on Microsoft .NET, at a 65,000ft distribution centre (DC) in Novosibirsk, Russia's fourth largest city. The solution deployment was led by Manhattan Associates partner KORUS Consulting, a leading systems integrator to retailers, suppliers and distributors in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Currently operating with a store network of 60 supermarkets and hypermarkets throughout the Siberian region, Holiday Classic is one of Russia's fastest growing food retailers. To support its aggressive expansion strategy, it selected Manhattan Associates' Integrated Logistics SolutionsT, built on Microsoft .NET to run its new DC in Novosibirsk.

"We made a software choice in line with our company policy - to select only the best technology solutions available on the market," commented Aleksey Zacharov, general director at Holiday Classic. "At the point when we set out to find the right supply chain platform to support our business's growth plans, the Manhattan Associates Warehouse Management solution was a new solution in the Russian market. However we preferred it over rival products as it is simply the best solution in its class in the world, and allows us to apply industry best practices drawn from Manhattan Associates' experience of serving the retail sector around the globe."

Equally important for Holiday Classic was its choice of implementation partner. Aleksey Zacharov continued, "KORUS Consulting has an excellent track record of implementing technology solutions in the Russian retail marketplace, and so we had complete confidence in their ability to deliver a successful implementation of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution."

A smooth system go-live was achieved by a combined Holiday Classic, Manhattan Associates and KORUS Consulting project group who followed a mutually developed, detailed deployment plan for system testing and roll-out. A comprehensive 'pre-go-live' training programme equipped users with the necessary skills to operate the system, a process helped tremendously by the presence of a modern, clear and intuitive system interface.

Following the successful implementation, Holiday Classic now has system-directed processes for item receiving and put-away, inventory optimisation and replenishment, cycle counting, kitting, stock allocation, picking and despatch. The solution also facilitates instantaneous data exchange with Holiday Classic's host systems and so provides decision-makers with real-time visibility of inventory and operational activities for optimising the retailer's supply chain performance.

"We are delighted that Holiday Classic has implemented our supply chain solution, and look forward to working alongside KORUS Consulting to support the retailer's expansion over the coming years." said Steve Smith, vice president, EMEA at Manhattan Associates. "Importantly, this project represents a key milestone for Manhattan Associates in this emerging part of Europe. With the strong growth that retailers - as well as their suppliers and distributors - are experiencing in Russia and the CIS, we are confident that we will see further successes in this region in the coming months and years."

About Holiday Classic

Holiday Classic was founded in 2000. The supermarket and hypermarket group currently has 60 stores, 30 of which were opened in 2006. By 2011, Holiday Classic aims to have grown its store network to 200 shops operating across the entire Easter and Western regions of Siberia. The company is also aiming to increase its turnover to US$ 3 billion to become one of Russia's top 10 retailers.

About Manhattan Associates, Inc.

Manhattan Associates provides global supply chain solutions to organisations that consider supply chain software, processes and technology strategic to market leadership. The company's software portfolio includes five key Supply Chain Solution Suites: Planning and Forecasting, Inventory Optimisation, Order Lifecycle Management, Transportation Lifecycle Management and Distribution Management. These solution suites are enhanced by Platform Applications including Supply Chain Intelligence, Supply Chain Visibility and Supply Chain Event Management - that organise and deliver the information and processes needed to optimise supply chains across functions and locations within and outside an enterprise. A Supply Chain Process Platform provides a unifying architecture that fosters agility and scalability while minimising solution implementation, evolution and support costs. More than 1,200 customers worldwide use Manhattan Associates' global supply chain solutions to enhance profitability and build sustainable competitive advantage.