i2 Technologies, Inc. have announced that Woolworths, South Africas leading and most respected retail chain, has implemented the i2 Buying and Assortment Management (BAM) solution to improve buying and assortment management processes for its clothing and general merchandising groups.
Woolworths went live with pre-season planning and buying of their womens wear, lingerie, kids wear, mens wear, footwear, accessories, home and furniture, and health and beauty business groups during October 2009. Woolworths is also looking to improve allocation and availability in stores through an implementation of in-season planning, scheduled to be completed mid-year 2010.
Through the deployment of i2 Buying and Assortment Management, Woolworths expects to improve buying and assortment management processes, product availability and overall customer satisfaction while reducing markdown costs. As a result of its work with Woolworths, i2 has been awarded the companys Key Partner of the Year Award for its contribution and commitment to the successful implementation of the planning solution for clothing and general merchandise at Woolworths.
i2 Buying and Assortment Management is an excel-based UI and interactive tool that supports key assortment management processes from the creation of placeholder concepts, sales planning, and receipts planning, to the generation of purchase orders representing buys that are properly timed, packaged and aligned with merchandise management objectives.
We selected the i2 Buying and Assortment Management solution based on its advanced technology and richness of functionality, said Paula Disberry, divisional director, merchandise planning, Woolworths. We were already using i2 solutions for forecasting and profiling, merchandise planning, replenishment and master data management, and wanted to take the next step to improve store allocation and product availability in stores with an ultimate goal of improving customer satisfaction.
We are extremely delighted to have received the Key Partner Award from Woolworths. Retailers must adhere to customer-centric strategies to protect and grow market share. Such strategies demand precision, speed and coordination in anticipating customer needs down to the store level. Success in executing customer-centric merchandising strategies requires a new approach to buying and assortment management. i2 solutions are specifically designed to help retailers like Woolworths align their strategy with operations and improve their planning processes to impact revenue and profitability positively, said Graham Newland, senior vice president, i2 EMEA.
About Woolworths South Africa
Woolworths is a respected retail chain that offers a selected range of clothing, home ware, food and financial services, all under its own brand name. Men, women and childrens clothing is known for its exceptional quality and durability, and all items have labels that indicate materials used and country of manufacture. Since its inception 75 years ago, the Woolworths SA brand has become synonymous with innovation, quality and value for money. With their wide appeal, Woolworths SA goods are now sold at 149 corporate stores, 51 international franchise stores throughout the rest of Africa and the Middle East and 69 South African franchise stores nationwide. Learn more at http://www.woolworths.co.za.
About i2
Throughout its more than 20-year history of innovation and value delivery, i2 has dedicated itself to building successful customer partnerships. As a full-service supply chain company, i2 is uniquely positioned to help its clients achieve world-class business results through a combination of consulting, technology, and managed services. i2 solutions are pervasive in a wide cross-section of industries.
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